Wag the Dog

The movie ‘Wag the Dog’ is basically a Hollywood comedy one. But with some serious lessons about the worldwide running political manipulation of mass media and the activity of that very few political leading people to maintain their supremacy at any cost. It is vary much related with the concept of social construction of reality.

Let’s focus on the story of the film. A very few days before US Precedent Election, the Man in power and the most demanding candidate had been accused with a scandal of sexual harassment of an underage girl. It has got really a very tough job for the followers to keep the public on the side. At this situation Winifred Ames (Anne Heche), one of the topmost official aided by the precedent, appointed Conard Bream (Robert De Niro) to get rid of that crucial problem at any cost. Conard thought that if he wants to make the people forget about those particular hot issues then you have to divert the mass attention to some other very new occurrence with the theme, “Change the story, change the lead.” For that very reason he decided to produce a war. A war against terrorism in Albania. But why Albania, why not any other country. Conard has solved this issue like that, as most of the American people knows a very little or nothing about Albania, it will be easy to make the American people believe the story of terrorist in Albania or that very war. For that purpose Conard went to Stanely Motss (Dustin Hoffman), a famous Hollywood Movie producer to help in that evil plan. Their joint activities successfully gave birth of a war against Albania, but very soon CIA agents neutralized their issue and they made a story of a war hero to keep the public attention out of that silly matter at any cost. They were a pretty successful on that issue. But in a moment when Motss (Dustin Hoffman), that crazy producer, claimed for his credit for his work, a bit revolted against the people in power, he was been demolished by the troop.

The film was really very funny in making and a good creation of the team with magnificent work by the role player. It contained a hidden truth of our real world of politics. From my own point of view in the film the tail resembles the supreme political power that hold the power to do whatever needed to make their entity safe and the dog resembles the media which influences the mass. If we look around we will see the same picture all around the world. The people in power can manipulate the whole media world, as we the people trust the so called media facts or truths. The limited smart people have the ability to make us do or believe or do in the way they want. In fact our sense of reality is vastly influenced by our society. Socially constructed means the process of institutionalization the individuals and society-knowledge and peoples concepts of belief. And to motivate the people to change their social, traditional thought. So the film is vary much related with the social construction of reality.