Not only did we invent fireworks, but we have also apparently pioneered the insertion of ideology (nationalism) into such displays.

Fireworks, I just realized, could be a potentially effective way to get across messages because of their attractiveness and the lasting impression they make with each explosion, the messages literally bursting out before people’s eyes. However, it might not be enough merely to observe the salient messages as above, but also the potential latent messages, communicated through various ways such as the frequencies, the intervals, the colors, the shapes, even the music played on TVB. Perhaps this is where Lazarsfeld might be useful. So come July, besides appreciating the fireworks as they are, let’s try and see how and what messages are being conveyed during the entire display.

(Actually there are a few more, but this was all I could find on YouTube.)

My intuition is that since they are being broadcast everyday for an indefinite period of time, they must have some effects on people, if not in the short run, then long term. Lazarsfeld had reassured us, though, that propaganda like these are only minimally effective, merely serving to reinforce and activate latent predispositions. What is certain, nonetheless, is that they do contain ideological messages.

One reoccurring theme in these clips is the portrayal of the national hero. In these two, the feeling created is that everybody – from the construction workers to white-collar professionals – is a national hero, because the message is that if you do your part you are making a big contribution to the country. There are two others I’ve seen which, in the beginning, even have the heroes of the national heroes, cyclist Wong Kam Po and Secretary for Justice Wong Yan Long, make the opening statement (“Fulfilling the duties of our roles, allowing Hong Kong to utilize its advantages, is making a contribution to the country.”) And of course a fixture at the end of every one of these propaganda is the hero of all heroes, the national flag.

By the way, where have all the poor people gone?

And I noticed the use of semiotics in this show. Notice the shiny uniforms, the wide angle and eye-level shots of the commentators and judges, the high angle shots of the audience as a mass, and the close-up, low angle shots of the Iron Chefs, especially of Rokusaburo Michiba. But apart from that, Iron Chef is a great show!

(Click on the image for the video)

According to the Marxist school and political economy approach, one of the problems with contemporary journalism is that no matter how professional a news agency tries to be, it will always be biased towards the rich and powerful. If this assumption is correct, and provided that the Western media is indeed biased, then perhaps what we see is the Marxist theory being applied on a global scale – the world’s dominant media infused with the values representative of Western civilization – comprised of the most powerful nations in the world – and marginalizing weaker competing views (such as China’s).