By Gus Sevastos
Editorial
America hasn’t been in the best of shape lately, and it seems like the last nine months have put the country through some of the worst tragedies it has ever seen. Some are natural disasters, others something far more sinister. With the recent attacks on Boston, it seems that the threat of terrorism has returned just as we were starting to come to terms with September 11th. Things aren’t so great, and we need something to remind us that eventually everything will be okay. That is why it’s the perfect time for Jack Bauer to make his triumphant return to television.
For those of you who don’t know Jack, 24 was a TV show on FOX (that ran from 2001 to 2010) about Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer and one day of his life, set in real time. Jack, played by Keifer Sutherland, would fight assassins, foil terrorist plots, expose government corruption, and save his country time and time again. Each season represented a day in his life and there would be many twists, double-crosses, and suspenseful showdowns throughout the day. So why does that make Jack Bauer what we need?
When the initial season of 24 was produced, it was wrapped up well before the 9/11 attacks. When the show hit, it was what people needed, a reminder that hope wasn’t lost and that nefarious plots could be (and were often) stopped. America got its taste of justice by watching Bauer pummel terrorists with his fists, along with many other different gratuitous action and interrogation scenes. While it wasn’t the number one show on television, it did quite well in the ratings.
America needs this justice again. We need to watch a man sacrifice himself for the greater good, as well as entertain us, and most importantly, kill terrorists. We need the cathartic release that comes with watching those final moments as the clock counts down, knowing that the day has been saved. Jack Bauer is a symbol of the American anger and aggression that we have come to live with towards those enemies, both foreign and domestic, and has become an accurate media representation of what life has been like in the global War on Terror.
24 returns next summer for a limited series run, allowing us to see Jack Bauer kick some terrorist a** one last time.
Traveling is many things.
We travel to explore, for adventure, to see the sights and to experience the new.
We go on journeys, pilgrimages, and vacations.
Here, at Wilmington College, we travel for all of those reasons
…and more.
We travel to help our world and to change ourselves for the better.
We travel to learn. We are the Isaac Harvey Fund.
The exhibit is a multi-media, multi-platform depository of memories, photos, and items from individuals who have traveled for service and education with the assistance of the Isaac Harvey Fund. The Quaker Heritage Center is the crossroads in which the past and future recipients’ travels and deeds meet. Just as the students and their travels are diverse, the blank walls of the Quaker Heritage Center have been transformed into a diverse living collage.
On display now through August 5
Regular Gallery Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., or by appointment
Extended Gallery Hours: Wednesday, March 27, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday, April 27, noon to 5 p.m.
Summer Extended Hours will be announced in May
For more information, contact qhc@wilmington.edu or 937/382-6661 x 719
