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Wag the Dog Answers

August 8, 2014 by jqs5974   

1. Explain the metaphor of “wag the dog.” What does the title of the film suggest?

– The tail represents the media in this movie and the dog represents all the citizens of America. Since a dog can control its tail because it is smarter than the tail, you think that the people would be able to control the media. This film is trying to say that the media (the tail) can control the people (the dog).

2. Who is Mr. Fix-it? What does he do?

– Mr. Fix-it is played by Robert Di Nero in the movie. He works for the president by making sure helooks good to the people through the media.

3. What is the significance of the producer’s house being larger than the White House? What message does that relay?

– The size of the producer’s house shows that he has more power than the president. The producer controls the media, and the president is nothing without help from the media.

4. Explain the significance of: We remember the slogans, but we don’t remember the war” in terms of media’s effectiveness.

– All throughout history, people don’t care about what wars we have fought in, but they can remember the propaganda that the media has used to keep our attention on that war.

5.Explain the significance of “of course there’s a war; I’m seeing it on TV” in terms of media’s effectiveness.

– The movie is showing how people believe everything that is shown on TV. People trust the media and they don’t think that the media is putting any sort of spin on what they’re reporting.

6.Who seems more powerful, the producer or the president? Why?

– The media shows more power because people are more willing to listen and believe to whatever they say. There is an important scene in this movie where the producer puts the president on hold, and that shows the producer’s dominance over the president.

7.The merchandising of products such as the “303 Burger” which Schuman “ate” behind enemy lines is often reflected in our society today. Provide 3 examples of this type of merchandising.

– Companies tie people and events to their products all the time. Some examples of this consist of:

– Gatorade using athletes such as Michael Jordan and Peyton Manning in their commercials

Livestrong bracelets donating profits to cancer research

– The television show Weeds Diet Coke only having their characters drink Diet Coke as product placement.

8.Why do you think people follow the “shoes trend?” Can you think of trends like that in our society?

The “shoe trend” in the movie shows a good example of how influenced people in our society can be from a trend of fad that gets popular. Trends such as flash mobs or gluten free diets are examples of popular trends in our society today.

9.Find examples of how Wag the Dog demonstrates the following four principles of media: Media construct reality, media present ideology & value messages, commercial interests, code and conventions.

– Constructs reality: the media is able to say whatever it wants and people will always believe it’s true.

– Media present ideology and value messages: It’s hard to not believe the media, but we have to understand that they can be biased and they have the freedom to lie for whatever reason they want.

– Commercial Interests: Companies are always willing to put their products where people will be influenced if they see them. Places such as commercials, movies, and TV shows

– Code and Conventions: Things that make events seem more dramatic such as the dog that followed the casket in the movie

10 .How was the NEWS media portrayed and what current examples do you know of in our society?

– I think that the media was portrayed poorly in this movie. I don’t think the news would create an made-up war in our society just to get the people to like the president more. That being said, the media can always be lying to us in some way. An example of this would be a company advertising only the benefits of a product and leaving out anything harmful about the product.

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1 Comment »

  1. rdn11 says:

    The dog is smarter than the tail, therefore the dog is in charge. The media is the tail and the American people is the dog. We need to be stronger than our “tails” and question the media. But do we? Do you? Will you start?

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