When dog wags the tail – it’s a normal proceeding but when tail wags the dog – it’s somewhat not quite normal. In first case dog is responsible fir the tail, in the second case – tail is responsible for the dog. So, responsibility is a very changeable value and it is necessary to arrange strong control over responsibility on the level of state policy – that is one of the main statements aimed in “Wag the Dog” by Barry Levinson. Surely, this phrase which appeared in 1907 in Germany and means the control by subsidiary part over the main part hasn’t lost its meaning till our days.The director Barry Levinson showed that quite vivaciously to us.
There is nothing denying that fact that “Wag the Dog” became a hot spot of discussions at once after being presented to the public judgement. The sharpest reason of that is that in his ” Wag the Dog” the director Barry Levinson has combined a great deal of fun and a serious political background. He made one of the funniest comedies of our time and at the same time managed to create a film of huge political importance.To create a war with Albania in order to make publics forget about actual President’s love adventure which is able to bury his leading positions – that’s a really genius idea. So-called phony war has been manufactured.
Despite of rather simple film’s plot it gives a great deal of thinking. This phony war can be treated in different ways and one can find a lot of reasons why this war has been created. So, by whom was the war issued? Who was the “producer” of this war? If just to follow the scenario – the answer is rather clear: those are Conrad, Stanley, and Winifred.But there is also other way of understanding of imagined war’s issues. According to this point of view Conrad, Stanley and Winifred are the products of the society they live in and their actions are provoked not by they pure desire to create new war but because the society demands war, it needs bright eye-catchers and spin doctor Conrad with the help of Hollywood producer Stanley Motss give the society what they want.
So, it can be clearly seen that it would be too simple and not bright to identify these three protagonists as the only warmongers.The case is much deeper than it can seem at first glance. I wouldn’t identify Conrad, Stanley and Winifred as producers of that phony war. I think that main author of the phony war is the particularity of modern society to be eager of bright shows. The very purpose of protagonists of the film was not to arrange the vision of the war but just to make people shift their attention to other actions.
And the best mean to do that was to give people such “big hot show”, as for example, the war with Albania –country which name sounds mysteriously and which is not well known by people.So, the U. S. people community was main provoker of this “war” rather then the main heroes of the film. Relating the story of “Wag the Dog” to the Constructivism and state policy it is necessary to note that without any fail the state itself is responsible for presence or absence of international anarchy.
Only the state by means of a range of laws and restrictions can guarantee the absence or not development at least of anarchy in society. It is rather clear that “Wag the Dog” gives powerful anarchy offspring.What’s more the anarchy which is present among list of film’s background - it’s anarchy from the side of state power! Because to invent war to hide President’s love story – that is a real anarchy! But it is necessary not to forget that the power is the fruit of it subsidiaries, so again and again nation is the main producer of the precedent in case. Sure, the film gives us rather an exaggerated picture but this is potential result of development of the present situation. So, in this case it can be said with a great degree of confidence that state bears the responsibility of top importance for emerging the anarchy.But without any doubts each member of society also bears great responsibility for presence or absence of anarchy in society.
If one is looking for sensational bright events only and if there are many of such people – so it becomes a wide-spread tendency and state authorities just give people what they want – for example, “Albanian war”. So, we can provoke anarchy by ourselves or can avoid its appearance. Nothing can appear without reason. In the same way anarchy emerges thanks to our actions only.So, if each member of society will be aware of his own responsibility and will accomplish with it, then it will be possible to say that not only state is responsible but each of us bears this responsibility as well and, therefore, can influence the situation.
On the one hand “Wag the Dog” is full of satire and fun. On the other hand in view of tragic events of September 11 of 2001 and long conflict between the U. S. and Iraq “Wag the Dog” can perceived like a brilliant pattern of black humour.
But anyway it has a strong political accent and prevents now day community from arranging such phony wars.
