Pro-American Media and Two Curated Collections

Earlier this week, me and a couple buddies of mine where watching clips of the 2021 Chinese historical war film, "The Battle of at Lake Changjin". The film was commisioned by the propaganda department of the Chinese Communist Party, so obviously we watched this film with a certain degree of skepticism. The Film is an innacurate depiction of the it's namesake, the battle at Lake Changjin (For us Americans, we know this as the battle of the Chosin Reservoir), one of many battles during the Korean War where Chinese troops directly engaged against the Americans. The battle resulted in a strategic Chinese victory, despite the significant casualties on the Chinese side, but nontheless, it was the source of Chinese propaganda and nationalism for the years to come. The film's depiction of of Americans is not new at all, decades of Chinese films have portrayed us as this comically evil force vying for control for the world, and our excess and wealth are indicators of our greed and whatever, and with the ever-increasing Chinese influence across the world, this is what the CCP wants to the rest of the world to see in regards to America. 

Enough of the history lesson, anyways, After watching these clips, I had one thought going in my head, "Do we have propaganda films?" The answer, of course, was an obvious yes. Much to the chagrin of our foreign adversaries and critics, America still remains the cultural powerhouse of the world. Millions of people around the world are flocking to theaters to watch American movies, tuning in to American TV shows, and streaming songs by American artists. This is what is called "soft power", you can't make people fear you, you have to make them like you, and adore you, and admire you, and that's where all this 'propaganda' comes in, and that's what the United States has been projecting to the world since the cold war.

Now, it may seem like it's a bad thing, but I really don't have any issues with pro-american media, in fact, I think it's a good thing if done correctly. I'd also like to note that the word "propaganda" will be used in a neutral connotation in this article. Today, I want to briefly analyze the two main forms that pro-american media takes shape in our visual entertainment, and what it means to the rest of the world. Additionally, I'll also be sharing some recommended content for you to watch.

Military Films

When people think of propaganda films, they think of the military, or the military-industrial complex. The most basic way nation-states love to project their influence is to show off their military might and their weapons; think of North Korea and their broadcasts of nuclear bombs and military parades, think of Russia and Iran and thier military recruitment videos, and of course, think of China and their nationalist movies. These forms of media is meant to intimidate, it sends a message of don't mess with us, after all, a county is almost nothing without a standing army to defend it's sovereignty. 

The United States is no different, after all, our military has been long interweaved into the fabric of our nation's history, dating back all the way to the revolutionary war. We are the land of the Free, and home of the Brave, and that ethos has long dominated our history and our media. We are reminded of the brave soldiers who risked their lives for our freedom, and along with it, comes movies of soldiers, some real and some fictional, who fight for those freedoms. 

These films start seeping into actual "propaganda" territory when the government actually gets involved in the creation process. Hollywood and the US military have had a long relationship, created for the sole purpose of what Alissa Wilkinson of Vox described as "boosting the morale of the public, altering the popular image of wars and soldiers, and encouraging young people to enlist". These films are generally meant for a domestic audience. I'm not going to delve deep into the history of this partnership, I think It would be a great topic you yourself can go discover.  

Recommended Content:

- Top Gun

- Top Gun: Maverick

- American Sniper

- Hacksaw Ridge

- Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

- Rambo

- We Were Soldiers

- Flags of Our Fathers

- Devotion

- Megan Leavey

- Reacher

Cultural Films

A more subtle, yet very effective form of pro-American entertainment can be found in what I call "cultural export" films. At the surface level, and especially for us Americans, most of these films seem okay, they are simply movies set in America. On the other hand, these films indulge foreigners of all ages with their fascination about Americans, at first it's "wow, can't believe kids in America do that" and "I didn't know Americans had ___" but then that leads to "I want to go to America", "Americans are so cool!" and "I like Americans, they are so ___". These types of films make up the bulk of what non-Americans perceive America. Most of the time, these films are not explicitly propaganda, rather that they export American culture abroad. 

These films give a glimpse of American life, be it a simple rural life, suburbia. or the city, and in a sense, the viewers can vicariously experience these moments of Americana. Unlike the previous category, surprisingly, these films are subject to the most censorships and moderations abroad, I'll list two examples. In 2021, when Spider-Man: No Way Home released, the Chinese board of censorship requested Sony to remove the Statue of Liberty, Sony did not comply, and thus the movie was banned in China. Animated shows are also subject to similar levels of scrutiny as well, several episodes of the Simpsons were banned in various countries for a myriad of reasons. I think the reasoning behind why so many countries are cracking down on these things is to limit the exposure of "Americanism" to their populations, and instead fill their absense with their own media. 

Nonetheless, I think the following films and shows I selected best exemplifies my point.

Recommended Content:

- The Sandlot

- The Princess and The Frog

- Clarence

- High School Musical

- Twisters (Both the Original and the Reboot)

- Forrest Gump

- Legally Blonde

- Diary of a Wimpy Kid

- Coda

- Pocahontas

- American Movie

- Nomadland

- O' Brother, Where Art Thou

- Little Miss Sunshine

- Stand By Me

I actually brought some of these films and shows up when I was discussing pro-American media with my friends, I think the reason it's hard to detect biases in these types of media is that American films are so frequent and widespread around the world, when another country puts out similar content, we are so quick to notice it, such as the Battle of Lake Changjin. Anyways, I hope you enjoy these things I've recommended, but if there is any additional recommendations you would like for me, please comment below!