Opinion | Movies and shows can help reflect current day politics and consequences of polarization

Lots of dystopian stories, like “The Hunger Games” or “Divergent,” portray worlds that seem too distant from ours. It is easy to look at stories like these and think that our world could never be like them —  bad things like war and corruption could never happen here. However, the truth is, in a matter of just half a decade, the United States and the world have seen a lot of change. These changes have caused circumstances that once seemed nearly impossible to become our normal. 

With the surge in political polarization that we’ve been seeing in the U.S., it is crucial that people are aware of the outcomes that could stem from hostility and violence in these tumultuous times. One of the best ways to represent these ideas is through movies and shows — forms of media that provide a creative way to tell a story about societal issues that might be overlooked otherwise. 

To truly portray events and convey messages accurately and effectively, longer forms of media should be used to include more details and use fictional elements to make people more accepting of the concepts being presented. 

The horror genre has already accomplished this effectively by introducing extreme cases of social injustice in an equally extreme narrative. Toni Morrison does this successfully in her novel Beloved, where she uses horror elements like ghosts to bring attention to motherhood, community and the ways in which slaves coped with their trauma after they were freed and how they regained a sense of self and bodily autonomy. Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House does this successfully as well, using ghosts, magic and manipulation to bring to light to topics like expectations of women in society, the struggles of isolation and the need for human connection and finding one’s identity. These are just two examples to prove that when using this genre, unrealistic elements seem to highlight the otherwise unnoticed issues in society. This is also possible to do with movies and shows in the realistic fiction genre. 

Recently, in my political sociology class I was assigned to watch “Civil War,” a 2024 movie directed by Alex Garland. I think this movie is a perfect example of what we need to see more of on our televisions. It follows three journalists as they navigate and document the second American Civil War. 

The movie is convincing in its depiction of how a civil war would progress and what it would look like if there were to be one — it is clearly set in a time not too far in the future from our present world, with similar (and even current) technology, warfare, societal conditions and political divergence. It is even more difficult for people to separate fictional circumstances from possible real ones when the fiction is so realistic. 

One of the major concepts in the movie that are similar to the state of our nation currently is the way it portrays the conflict between the two sides. In one of the scenes, the journalists speak to two men fighting another man. The journalists ask the men who gives them orders, and the men explain they have no orders — they are fighting to do just that … fight. 

The conflict’s extremism got to the point where those involved are fighting in a war, but they don’t know what they’re fighting for, who they are fighting or why. This so accurately portrays today’s society because in most cases the political parties don’t know why they hate each other, and the only reason they hold such an extreme view to others is because they feel they have to to be considered a member of the party. 

“Civil War” can offer a different perspective of polarization and acts as a lens for viewing a potential outcome for the conflict we see nowadays. More movies like this are necessary and would be beneficial in not only educating people of the current conditions through a new outlook, but also informing them of the dangers that these societal barriers and collisions can produce. Bringing awareness to these subjects through a creative form adds emphasis to problems that can be overlooked in such a divided society. 

Abby Breidenbach is a sophomore on the pre-law track with a law, criminal justice and society major and a minor in creative writing. She loves writing, reading, watching movies and passionately speaking about her loves and interests. If you’d like to chat, email Abby at aeb281@pitt.edu.