Coming soon to Iraqi TV: million-dollar, sixty-second, public service announcements, featuring “exploding cars, flying Matrix-style stuntmen and… messages like ‘Don’t Suicide Bomb.’”
Newsweek reports from “an industrial block in downtown LA [turned] into a busy Baghdad square” — the scene for a 120-camera shoot, designed to capture simulated carnage in the “frozen-in-time feeling” of “The Matrix.” The spot is supposed to persuade wannabe insurgents to put down their IEDs. Never mind the fact that “the cost of owning a TV is often prohibitive for the average Iraqi.”
At least 60 extras dressed in hijabs, kaffiyehs and polyester-wool blend slacks were herded onto the set to simulate an average shopping day. But there was hardly any Arabic spoken on this Baghdad street. Spanish, Punjabi and even Italian could be heard as extras gathered around the Kraft services table to munch on chips and guacamole. When asked if he is Iraqi, Bidkar Ramos, an extra on the set, laughs. “No, I’m Chinese and Mexican, he says. Like most of these people, I’m just a look-alike.“
Onlookers were later asked to stand back as the pyrotechnic crew blew up a poor old Yugo coupe and stunt men and women, padded under their Arab garb, were thrust into the air with ropes and pulleys to simulate the impact of a bomb exploding…
This pricey and unorthodox attempt to subdue the violence is backed by a group of mystery donors. “I call them an independent, non-governmental group of scholars, non political people,” says Plotkin. “Some may live in Iraq, some may live abroad. For a variety of different reasonsfrom safety concerns to wanting the focus to remain on the issue itself, they decided to remain anonymous.”
(Big ups: PRK)
Over-under on how long until the vid appears on the website of some previously-unknown terror cell which tries to claim responsibility for the “attack” depicted? Much like the infamous (and hilarious!) incident of the Ernie-and-Bert-and-Osama photos?
I can just imagine how the planning meeting for this went. Someone certainly shouted “It’s so crazy it just might work!”
If owning a TV is so cost-prohibitive, why do I see so many satellite dishes on Iraqi houses? Seriously, check the thousands of photos taken over the last few years.
Besides, the terrorists DO have TVs. They monitor the media. If *one* guy decides to stop being a bomber, it’s worth it. If he convinces one more…and so on.
I concur with JimK about the TV’s. Newsweek stringers must be spending too much time in the comfort of their green zone motel rooms again. Having spent a year in Iraq working in the field, I’d guess that at least 40% of houses have TV, which is growing because satellite recievers are now allowed (banned under Saddam). Of course, I am pretty certain that an Iraqi wouldn’t be able to pay what you or I would pay at Best Buy, but the markets and exchange rates are different over there (not to mention, they repair stuff instead of throwing it away like we do — so there is a pretty brisk used market as well). In addition, TV is viewed a lot in public area like coffee shops and such, so despite Newsweek’s contention, TV probably would be a pretty effective medium.
The commercials probably won’t work, but your comment about the cost of TV being too high for most Iraqis may not be true.
Here in the Philippines, the cost of a new tv is high. But most families who have electricity can pool their money to buy a used TV. Here in the Philippines, a used Korean TV costs 20 to 40 Dollars US…a VCD player 20 dollars, and a VCD of the latest movies, thanks to chinese pirates, only 50 cents.
In a war, remember: The priority is escapism.\
As for the commercials, could I suggest a good soap opera with subplots of families divided and then hurt by suicide bombing? That would be a lot more successful.
My name is Bidkar Ramos And i was the extra who supposedly gave a couple of phrases for the interview.She only asked me for my name and my age and nothing else.The rest of the so-called interview was fabricated.I already sent a notice to the editors of msnbc and im still waiting for their response.Everone knew it was a propaganda project but for the extra community its just another gig. I LIKE CHINESE FOOD AND MEXICAN FOOD although im neither of those races. Feel free to email me with any responses. Do not believe everything you read and hear.This really opened my eyes and realized just how much people rather support the status quo.
The original “article” can be seen at
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13444608/site/newsweek
If my interview was fabricated it becomes safe to assume what else are we being lied to.
The Iraq war
During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf repeatedly claimed Iraqi forces were decisively winning every battle. Even up to the overthrow of the Iraqi government at Baghdad, he maintained that the United States would soon be defeated, in contradiction with all other media. Due to this, he quickly became a cult figure in the West, and gained recognition on the website WeLoveTheIraqiInformationMinister.com[10] The Iraqis, misled by his propaganda, on the other hand, were shocked when instead Iraq was defeated.
In November 2005, The Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times, alleged that the United States military had manipulated news reported in Iraqi media in an effort to cast a favorable light on its actions while demoralizing the insurgency. Lt. Col. Barry Johnson, a military spokesman in Iraq, said the program is “an important part of countering misinformation in the news by insurgents”, while a spokesman for former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said the allegations of manipulation were troubling if true. The Department of Defense has confirmed the existence of the program.[11] The New York Times published an article about how the Pentagon has started to use contractors with little experience in journalism or public relations to plant articles in the Iraqi press. These articles are usually written by US soldiers without attribution or are attributed to a non-existent organization called the “International Information Center.” Planting propaganda stories in newspapers was done by both the Allies and Central Powers in the First World War and the Axis and Allies in the Second; this is the latest version of this technique.[12][13][14]