America’s ride of destruction
The film ‘The Four Horsemen’ by Ross Ashcroft offers a different perspective explaining the vices that exist in society and the destruction of the American dream. The documentary is divided into four segments where each section resembles the issues that are attributed to the four horsemen of the apocalypse. The four horsemen, as described in the bible include conquest, war, famine, and plague and are represented in the documentary where the empires represent conquest; banking systems represent famine; terrorism represents war, and resources represent the plague.
The documentary attributes the decline of the American empire to the rapacious financial system that exists in the United States where organizations or empires and people in power want to have more money, resources, and opportunities even at the expense of others. Despite the growth and success enjoyed by the American empire, the documentary suggests that, like other empires throughout history, the power and control are likely to end once its lifecycle is complete (Ashcroft, 2012). In accordance with the Rational Choice Theory, the growth and sustenance of the empire heavily depend on the choices that people make. The decision to engage in unethical and sometimes criminal activities is a matter of choice rather than force. The decisions made by the empires as discussed in the documentary suggest that the greed from those in power is the major contributor to the decay of the American empire.
The Labeling theory can help to better understand how organized crime and terrorism are subsidized by the United States government for profit and control. The United States benefits from the sale of weapons and is therefore promotes or influences the existence of war in different countries as a way to increase demand for war equipment (Ashcroft, 2012). In addition, the existence of war allows the United States to maintain its presence in different countries and further gives them controlling interests in countries that have marketable resources like oil in Iraq. Those that fight to end the United States' control in their countries are labeled as terrorists and are presented as fighting on religious terms rather than the desire to break away from their oppressors. The superpowers also give foreign aid to ensure that the countries are dependent on them which goes against the foundations the American empire was originally built on.
The third horseman of the apocalypse is represented by the banking systems in the United States and how their greed has created a burden for American citizens that make it difficult to sustain the American empire. When the housing crisis hit America, it exposed a crack in the banking system and how mortgages and taxation has been used to exploit the American citizens. The self-control theory suggests that people engage in deviant or risky behavior because they lack the self-control to uphold good ethics and moral conduct (Ashcroft, 2012). Bankers and politicians, therefore, lack self-control and often engage in actions that seek to generate more wealth even if it is at the expense of the ordinary citizen. The heavy taxes imposed on individuals make it difficult for them to benefit from their hard work. The documentary proposes a change where production seeks to promote growth and success for individuals instead of acquiring more debt to be repaid through taxation.
The final horseman exposes how destroying the earth’s resources has contributed to the destruction of the American Empire. Instead of seeking out ways to improve the quality of life, most of the activities that organizations and individuals engage in seek to promote growth and increase profits. The activities that organizations engage in consuming a lot of resources and d little to enhance environmental sustainability or make life better for the general population. In accordance with strain theory, the existence of competition pushes organizations to seek out better ways to meet the demand that exists in the market (Ashcroft, 2012). Their actions are however based on the desire to make more profits and the damage caused has greatly contributed to the decline of the American empire as presented in the documentary.
Reference
Ashcroft R, (2012) “Four Horsemen” film
