The new era of terror and an change in enemies

During the Cold War, the United Sates of American and the Soviet Union were at an arms race to see who would become the greater super power in the world. Both countries invested billions of dollars into research and creating more advanced weapons. The Soviet Union collapsed shortly after a few years do to economic issues that caused there excessive spending in the military to come to a halt. At that time the Soviet Union was considered the United States is greatest enemy. Any thought of evil or terror in the United States would automatically point to the Soviet Union. This came apart due to the Cubin missile crisis that was believed to bring about the end of the world.

After the Soviet Union deteriorated into an enemy of its own. The United Sates would turn its eye to another group of people in the world that they would not consider the enemy. This enemy that would go to all costs to strive and make sure that the suffering of Americans would be their ultimate goal. These people would come from the Middle East and were not singled out by their country, but by their race and religion. This idea is depicted in the 1986 movie “The Delta Force” that stared Chuck Norris. This movie came around the time where Americans shifted their eyes from the far north east of Asia to the Middle East. Many things occurred that lead the United States to focus most of its attention to that part of the world. Iran’s overthrow of the Shaw; the leader of Iran that was placed by the American government. The movie depicts Middle Eastern mean as bloody, scary men with no morals; one could say that they seemed like they were animals. The role of the Middle Eastern men “Arabs” in the movie was to take a plane under control and to use the hostages on board as a way to get the American government to give into demands that they had.

Although this movie depicts Americans as the suffering and the saviors, the idea is very bias. A scene from the movie gives one a greater understanding of the how Middle Easterners were perceived amongst Americans. After the “Terrorists” had taken control of the plan, one of the men asks the Stewarts’s to collect the passports of the passengers on board the plan. Yet she argues with them that she will not comply with their demands, until they threaten her life. After forcefully going around the plane collecting the passports, the camera focuses only on the Americans on board. One of the passengers pulls his passport out; the camera focuses and zooms in on the passport. Because the man was an American, the audience then believes that these terrorists are targeting Americans only. This idea becomes more and more concrete throughout the movie. The terrorists then take the Americans on board and separate them from the rest of the passengers. As if the other international passengers on board are none of their concern.

The depiction of these terrorists by the filmmaker is also incredibly bias. The trailer to this movie is the best representation of this. “The enemy doesn’t care who they hurt, not how young, how innocent, how helpless”. (Trailer) it shows one of the terrorists striking a woman in the face, a helpless girl who cant save her father, two nuns at gun point by the terrorists, and a pregnant woman his is unable to protect her self. This perception of these men is enough to anger the audience.

Yet the most reviling part of that sentence is the world they use “the enemy”. This points out the fact that Arab men at the time were all considered the enemy. It does not matter from what country they are from, as long as Arabic is their first language then they are considered America’s enemy. I find this interesting due to the fact that the United States has to consider at least one enemy. But what puzzles me is that the terrorists to Americans are singled out to being Arab men. Witch is not true due to historic events where even American Caucasian men had committed acts of terror on their own country.

The idea of the American savior comes to play a huge role in this movie. Chuck Norris is known for his pro- American movies; from his roles as a cowboy, a sheriff, and as a soldier. Yet his role in the movie is the main character. While the terrorists are asking for demands and keeping the people hostages, Chuck Norris and his fellow secret task force take care of the men behind the attack. The way they go about it is very American as well, during the night they attack the “enemy” with guns blazing and singlehandedly each killing dozens of terrorists.