A Brief Analysis of “History from Above” in the Media

I recently watched No Escape, a film about an American family that relocates to an unidentified Southeast Asian country because the father gets a job offer there. The film was incessantly terrifying, leaving viewers unable to relax for more than a few seconds at a time; the majority of the footage shows Southeast Asians committing heinous acts while Americans desperately run for their lives.

No Escape is an evidently xenophobic film that depicts a struggle between two sides that are polar opposites: the Americans (“the good guys”) and the Southeast Asians (“the bad guys”). The film left little room for interpretation; for the most part, Southeast Asians are represented as violent savages who terrorize others, while Americans are portrayed as innocent bystanders.

While it is true that there is no possible way to depict a coup non-frighteningly, the fact that the film focuses on Southeast Asians being so statically brutal makes it xenophobic. On the other hand, it paints Americans as the saviors; it makes the audience sympathize with them and wish for them to prevail over the horrible circumstances they are stuck in. However, the film fails to take into account the innocent Southeast Asians who get caught up in the rebellion. Only a small portion of them are actually part of the group that wants to overthrow the government; however, the film makes it seem like the majority of Southeast Asians are rebels. This film offers a portrayal of “history from above” by highlighting how the coup affects the Americans rather than the country’s actual citizens. In the end, the Americans get saved while the Southeast Asians are left to perish. However, the film does not particularly convince the audience to feel compassion for them; it ends on a supposedly good note as the Americans escape such a barbarous country against all odds.

Films like these, which create an exaggerated distinction between entire races, contribute to Americans’ bias against those who are different from them. No Escape demonstrates how “history from above” can undermine a lot of people’s experiences in wartime. By portraying Southeast Asians as predominantly vicious individuals, it dehumanizes them. The film also does not refer to the psychological conditions of the rebels or Southeast Asian citizens, while it thoroughly delves into the inner conflict of the American father. Both those involved in the coup and the citizens were definitely afflicted by the horrors of war, but the film’s inability to refer to that at all prevents the audience from sympathizing for the Southeast Asians.

This type of mindset is particularly harmful in times of war. This xenophobia can convince citizens who were originally opposed to the war to support it and further reinforce the opinions of those who originally approved of the war.

The Concept of Honor in Modern Society

Up until very recently, my parents have been trying to convince me that nursing is the best career choice because it only takes 2 to 4 years to earn a degree, nurses can choose the days they work, and they have the opportunity to earn a lot of money. It is one of the most accessible vocations in such a profitable industry: healthcare. The most persistent testimony they offer is how my dad’s job as a nurse enabled him to rise above the odds and lift himself, his mother, and his siblings out of poverty. Although I appreciate their intentions, their urging me to become a nurse has put me under a lot of pressure.

Along with wanting me to make a good living, my parents want me to become a nurse partly so they can brag about it to their friends. For some reason, in my family, becoming a nurse is the equivalent to hitting the jackpot. It is a way to minimize one’s time in school yet still earn a decent salary. My parents think differently of my cousins who chose to pursue acting and filming rather than entering the medical field. They are unable to comprehend why my cousins wanted to enter such a competitive field and make things difficult for themselves. I, however, admire my cousins for choosing to follow their passions in spite of societal pressure, especially since the road they are taking may not be so clear-cut.

My experiences, my interests, and societal and familial pressures have molded the decision about what I want to do for the rest of my life. I thoroughly enjoy psychology; however, I also want to make a good living, which, as my parents always tell me, is easy to do if you are in the healthcare industry. As a result, I have decided that I want to become a neurologist or psychiatrist because it blends my interests with my family’s expectations of me. It would be difficult for me to aim for a lower-paying job because I, too, have some desire to have a well-respected career. Unlike my cousins, I have been too influenced by external pressures to completely pursue my interests with an open mind.

In Homeric society, success was primarily measured by military victory. Those who were not warriors were respected less than those who fought for their nation. In modern society, the most common measure of success is how much wealth one has acquired, regardless of how one has earned it. Just as Greeks felt pressured to support the war cause, teenagers today feel as if they must aim for a high-earning job even if they are not completely passionate about it. Achieving honor seems to be a universal, cross-cultural endeavor. One essentially desires to earn honor in order to be accepted and celebrated by society.

War and Everlasting Anguish

For the sake of the following argument, I would define war as prolonged acts of violence between two groups of people in an attempt to reach a settlement. Although this concept seems simple, war’s effects are widespread and enduring. War permanently warps soldiers’ mental processes and increases the possibility of more violence occurring in the future.

It is unnatural for man to kill man, as that is a job intended for nature. However, in times of war, soldiers have no choice but to “kill or be killed.” They cannot possibly do so if they recognize the humanity of their opponents. In order to slaughter their enemies without any traces of guilt, the soldiers must dehumanize them. Otherwise, if the soldiers did happen to recognize the humanity of their victims, they would be tormented by the murders they committed.

Once soldiers step onto the battlefield, they are leaving behind their previous lives. They are assuming the responsibility to defend their nation at all costs. Although some soldiers may be reluctant to kill, they will eventually become desensitized to the brutality of war and lose their own sense of identity. Detached from their life at home, they will fully adopt the personas of soldiers; they will prioritize killing the enemy because it is all they can recall. Psychologist Philip Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment supports the notion that people can change to fit the roles they have been assigned. In this experiment, Zimbardo randomly labeled participants as either guards or prisoners and had them stay in an environment that resembled a prison. In a few days, he found that the guards were becoming increasingly cruel and the prisoners were becoming passive. Similarly, once soldiers in battle completely adopt their new identity, they become capable of killing ruthlessly. Furthermore, since violence provokes more violence, some soldiers commit war crimes. These are unwarranted atrocities that tend to harm the innocent. For example, American soldiers in Abu Ghraib physically and sexually humiliated war prisoners. War has permanently altered these soldiers’ mindsets to believe that they are greater than a god and capable of depriving another human being of his humanity.

War is a fairly simple idea that becomes complex as humans confront it. Rather than simply defeating an enemy and ending the discussion there, there are political, economic, and moral implications that have to be considered.