The 4400

[Mentalgongfu]

Anyone familiar with the show "The 4400" on the USA network?<br><br>I wasn't myself, until I happened to catch a marathon running one weekend, and was intrigued enough to watch several episodes. <br><br>I'm no expert, but the basic premise, for those unfamiliar, is 4400 people are returned to Earth who had vanished earlier. People of all ages, and as I understand, who disappeared (were "taken) at different times. They return and exhibit special powers and knowledge and other high weirdness, and a gov't agency called NTAC (National Threat Assessment Center, I think) is developed to watch over them. All sorts of subplots follow, such as the eventual revelation NTAC has been injecting unwitting 4400 with "promisin inhibitor," which limits their powers but also makes them sick, leading to the discovery of the secret program. <br><br>Another subplot involves a high school age 4400 who experiences blackouts and has reason to believe he was controlled to perform an assassination during one of his blackouts. <br><br>From my viewing, there are a lot of themes and memes in the show relevant to the global security state, oppression, mass change, disinformation, etc, and I sense an agenda which is intuitively unwholesome, but I have not seen the beginning episodes which would help me better gauge it all. <br><br>I'm just wondering if the pool of knowledge and analysis at RI can help me shed some light on what this is all about. <br>While the show intrigues me, something just doesn't sit right. <br><br>(I can't remember if I have posted on this topic before or if I only dreamt about it . . .)<br> <p></p><i></i>

[Hugh Manatee Wins]

Every damn show for youth is about having a SECRET identity as part of a mythic battle between good and evil.<br><br>Same themes abounded in Cold War tv and movies.<br><br>This is normalizing the surveillance police state and recruiting for CIA plus miltary. <p></p><i></i>

[Mentalgongfu]

I don't think that the target audience of this particular program is the youth. It seems more adult oriented to me. <br><br>There is a heavy subtext of Alien abuduction, there's apparent terrorism and anti-terrorism cells, and deception within these, mind control and assassinations, memories from false/alternate realities.<br><br>It would be interesting to see what stats are available on the viewership of the show and why people watch. <br><br>There's so much here that is ripe for disection. <br><br>Mythic battles of good and evil are definitely involved, but secret identities haven't played a role in the episodes I've seen. <br><br><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>On edit:</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> Hugh, I see you've posted nearly the exact same comments in another thread. Did you even read this post before you replied? Have you seen the show, or are you just basing your response on your assumptions? <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=mentalgongfu@rigorousintuition>Mentalgongfu</A> at: 6/17/06 2:16 am<br></i>

[Hugh Manatee Wins]

<!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>but secret identities haven't played a role in the episodes I've seen.<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br><br>That's the whole premise for the show, a chosen few reinserted amongst the 'normal.'<br><br>The religious war overtones go with the secret identity mission, too.<br>See 'General Boykin.' <p></p><i></i>

[Mentalgongfu]

<!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>That's the whole premise for the show, a chosen few reinserted amongst the 'normal.'<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br><br>Yes, but there's nothing secret about who they are. Hell, If I recall correctly, they're all on file and registred with NTAC, which is in itself another line of thought about conditioning for acceptance of a global security state.<br><br>Their ("the 4400") identities are no secret. The secret is where they where and why, which is promised as a teaser to be revealed throughout the life of the show.<br><br>I think we agree on principle but not details.<br> <p></p><i></i>

[Joe Hillshoist]

i watched a bit of this show.<br><br>there was nothing secret about the IDs of the 4400.<br><br>Part of the plot was that "normal" people were within inches of mob lynchings, in one or two of the two or three episodes I saw last year. Everyone knew who they were.<br><br>Hugh if you want a story that could be used to recruit spooks, and that I personally would find hard to counter, it would be Colin Wilson's "the Black Room".<br><br>It appeals by offering this challenge.<br><br>"Nothing you do in your life will challenge and develop your capabilities like what we offer."<br><br>And ultimately its just an excuse to get off on fight or flight hormones. <p></p><i></i>

[bvonahsen]

There are quite a few shows these days that repeat memes found in the fringes of society. By that I mean some of the stranger UFO stories, secret gov black programs and so on. I think the screenwriters mine these stories for ideas and plotlines.<br><br>A recent show on SciFi that I liked was Surface. The final episodes had the two protagonists discover secret underground labs containing bizzare creatures. A hairy ape like creature that had human hands and a childish voice. A vast cavern of cryogenically frozen species, like an ark. One of the government agents turns out to be a clone. And the lead character gets bitten by the lizard like creatures and starts to turn into a part human part reptile. <br><br>Of course the mother of such shows, and my personal favorite, is Stargate SG1. I imagine that many here consider it disinfo, maybe so, but it injects many of the stories found in "alternate circles" and puts them into a more conventional and less frightening framework. I would imagine that is the point.<br><br>One of my favorite episodes is one where "highly evolved humans" come through the gate escaping from the Goa'uld and proceed to walk through walls and generally not behave themselves. <p></p><i></i>

[Hugh Manatee Wins]

<!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>just an excuse to get off on fight or flight hormones.<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br><br>That's an excellent summary of most media mind mangling, a way to trigger neuro-chemical conditioning in association with sanctioned 'thoughts.' <p></p><i></i>

[Joe Hillshoist]

I watched surface, until they got back from the creatures nursery.<br><br>A scientist from a secret organisation had worked on the project, isolating genes, she was surprised to find that her sequences (THAT SHE HAD CREATED) WERE IN THE CREATURES dna ANALYSIS. tHAT WAS THE LAST I SAW OF IT.<br><br>(Goddam caps lock. I can't be bothered retyping that) <p></p><i></i>

[bvonahsen]

Yeah, I have all the episodes on my HD. I think there are a couple more after that one, two or three, I'm not sure. I liked that show but I guess it wasn't picked up.<br><br>What I find really odd though is that there are quite a few shows these days that use themes taken from UFO or conspiracy lore. They don't just toss them out either, they are important to the plot line and I guess what you'd call "normalized".<br><br>Hugh would say that is deliberate dis-info but I'm not totally convinced about that. If I were the screenwriter it's what I would do.<br><br>It does tell you one thing for sure in my opinion. "Fringe" ideas like those explored here aren't really that "fringe". They are just socially taboo is all. <p></p><i></i>