Introduction
The first three episodes in The House of Cards introduce the audience to what conspires in the making of the American political system. The episodes are all about the power brokerage within the American politics. The episodes introduce the main protagonist, Congressman Frank Underwood, who is confronted with what can be termed as betrayal, but at the same time could be viewed as a political interest on the part of President Garrett Walker. From the first episode, the politician is portrayed as being hungry for power; he supported the presidential bid because of the promise to be made the Secretary of State, a position that ends up in the hands of another person. Evidently, political alignment plays out in the episode because the president’s decision is founded on the need for the congressman to remain in his position to push for the passing of the education bill. However, while he is seen to be working on the bill, with the aid of his wife, the politician is hatching a plan to take revenge and elevate himself to a position of power.
In the first episode, the series introduces a ruthless politician who strangles his neighbor’s mortally-wounded dog, claiming not to like the newly elected president but supported him due to his political ambitions. The statement is enough to tell the audience the amount of betrayal he felt upon realizing that he was not getting the promised position after all. In the second episode, the revenge plan that commenced in episode one continues. He is seen as supporting the education reforms, but his real objective is getting the revenge against those who betrayed him, including the president. In this episode, his real revenge mission begins, first by leaking the draft of the bill with the aim of getting the overall control over the course of actions relating to the proposed law. In the third episode, he is cast as enjoying the success of his first step into the revenge. The episodes cast the personal interests that characterize the political system.
Research in psychology is the focus of the book by Jason Weeden. The article that is founded on the research into the human mind seeks to explain the reality behind political interests. The process of comprehending the political mind appears to have led to the conclusion that the pursuit of political positions is based on the aim of advancing personal interests. Research supports the account in psychology as well as by data on public opinion. It is evident in the political decisions that are made each day (Weeden and Kurzban 6). Individuals tend to be involved in self-deceptive spin, deliberately believing that their personal political opinions emanate from high and mighty intentions. It is no wonder the politicians tend to give priority to their preferred policy outcome as well as strategic narratives. There is a tendency to ignore the sense of the overall good of the people who they are supposed to be representing. Such harsh reality is evident in the partisan politics where the politicians align themselves based on what they expect to achieve as they advance their political interests.
While the legislators are supposed to work in accordance with the public interests, this has never been the case as politics is a game of self-interests. There is no doubt that the country is plagued with major domestic problems that the politicians should be legislating in search for solutions. However, just like education in the series, The House of Cards, the selfish interests of the politicians overtake reason and any efforts to work towards the public interests. When Frank goes to work on the education bill, he does not do it with the interests of the people, including American children in mind. His main focus is on getting his revenge against the new government. It is unfortunate that the education system is the sector at stake in his pursuit for the revenge. Some of the politicians are not concerned about who is likely to be hurt in the pursuit of the self-interests (Weeden and Kurzban 15). It is also unfortunate that the self-deceptive stories are appealing to the people who are expected to elect them.
From the movie and other media stories focusing on the self-interests of the politicians, it becomes evident that the audience is yet to understand the implications of the self-deceptive stories that they are seeking to portray. The series is effective in shedding light on how the American politics work and the way the electorates are deceived to continue putting them back to power regardless of their failure to address the domestic problems, even as basic problems as those facing the education system (Weeden and Kurzban 25). The series is meant to appeal to the audience on the nature of the politicians; their self-serving nature. On watching the series, the audience is expected to open its eyes to the damaging deception and the selfish nature of the politicians. It is obvious that the interests of the people are not a priority for the politicians. Frank supports the election of the president based on the promise to get the Secretary of State position. When this is not achieved, he uses the policy power to take revenge against the new government and the president.
The media story presents a narrative with serious implications on the Americans. The American public is responsible for giving the politicians an opportunity to continue serving their selfish interests. After every four years, these people are back appealing to the electorates to be given another chance to legislate on their behalf (Weeden and Kurzban 52). In the real sense, their main aim is pursuance of their interests, including financial and other positions of power. The media seeks to make the electorates see through the real intentions of the politicians. However, if The House of Cards and other media stories are convincing to the audience is a question that remains unanswered. Whether the voters are able to read the political mind and understand the actual motives is a subject that has not been answered.
Conclusion
The media is a powerful tool in communicating important topics and issues that affect the society. Such is the goal of most media content, including TV series. The House of Cards presents the audience with the real political mind that include the selfish interests of the politicians. Indeed, this goes contrary to the common belief that the legislators work in designing policies to address the issues affecting the society. The claims raised by the series are quantified by other media and research articles. The politicians work for their self-interests and not for the good of the public.
Work Cited
Weeden, Jason, and Robert Kurzban. The hidden agenda of the political mind: How self-interest shapes our opinions and why we won’t admit it. Princeton University Press, 2014.
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