Culture Watch: New military drama to begin this Wednesday
Sunday night, I put the TV on The History Channel, and let the Battle of Iwo Jima play itself out in the background as I did some work on the computer. During a commercial break, FX advertised a new series beginning Wednesdays at 10pm (I'm on the West Coast, if it matters) by Steven Boschco. "Over There", is a contemporary military drama; and supposedly will be non-partisan. I have my skepticism, but can only hope.... Stories will focus not only on the military men and women characters serving over in Iraq, but also on the lives of their families back home.
Perhaps it will be a good drama series; but I don't want to see just a drama about the heartaches and war horrors, and conflicts soldiers and their families are living through. I would really like to see Hollywood, for once, come up with a product that can also stir patriotism and love and respect for our military and our country. I mean, it's cool to see Michael Moore as a suicide bomber get blown up in Team America....and it's great to see South Park rip into liberal political correctness....or Jack Bauer going after terrorists....but South Park is an equal-opportunity offender and 24 seems to fall shy of being unapologetically anti-militant Islamic terror by making token pro-Muslim statements and caving in to the follies of the political correctness police. Just for once, I'd like to see an unabashedly ideologically conservative-driven program. The imbalance is just so flagrantly one-sided, that we are saturated with liberal thoughts from Sesame Street to PBS to the nightly news, to sit-coms, to programs like The View...it's a total cultural indoctrination.
This morning on Laura Ingraham, Bridget Johnson spoke with Laura on the lack of Hollywood projects that push for the hot topic of radical, militant, Islamo-fascist terror. I suppose you can't completely blame those in Hollywood who do see a potential money-market for it; yet fear for the safety of themselves and their family. After all, it cost Theo van Gogh his life. Many peaceful Muslims themselves appear to bite their tongues or protest only ever so softly in denouncement of their radical brethren, for fear of becoming targets themselves of Islamic extremists. Yet, perhaps that is the problem....too many in this world who cower and don't want to confront the violent side of Islam; to speak out and draw attention to themselves and possibly face the wrath of religious perverts. Terrorism feeds off of such weakness. For terrorism to be starved of its power and strength, it must be confronted head-on. Not appeased....not understood...not tolerated....not negotiated with....not kowtowed to.
I often see that amusing, naive bumpersticker while driving through this vast Blue State I live in: "War is not the Answer". That's right...war didn't solve anything: it only helped to end slavery, fascism, nazism, and communism.
I'm still waiting for someone to market my counter bumpersticker: "Terrorism is not the Answer." Well, perhaps I will have to market that one myself?
Perhaps it will be a good drama series; but I don't want to see just a drama about the heartaches and war horrors, and conflicts soldiers and their families are living through. I would really like to see Hollywood, for once, come up with a product that can also stir patriotism and love and respect for our military and our country. I mean, it's cool to see Michael Moore as a suicide bomber get blown up in Team America....and it's great to see South Park rip into liberal political correctness....or Jack Bauer going after terrorists....but South Park is an equal-opportunity offender and 24 seems to fall shy of being unapologetically anti-militant Islamic terror by making token pro-Muslim statements and caving in to the follies of the political correctness police. Just for once, I'd like to see an unabashedly ideologically conservative-driven program. The imbalance is just so flagrantly one-sided, that we are saturated with liberal thoughts from Sesame Street to PBS to the nightly news, to sit-coms, to programs like The View...it's a total cultural indoctrination.
This morning on Laura Ingraham, Bridget Johnson spoke with Laura on the lack of Hollywood projects that push for the hot topic of radical, militant, Islamo-fascist terror. I suppose you can't completely blame those in Hollywood who do see a potential money-market for it; yet fear for the safety of themselves and their family. After all, it cost Theo van Gogh his life. Many peaceful Muslims themselves appear to bite their tongues or protest only ever so softly in denouncement of their radical brethren, for fear of becoming targets themselves of Islamic extremists. Yet, perhaps that is the problem....too many in this world who cower and don't want to confront the violent side of Islam; to speak out and draw attention to themselves and possibly face the wrath of religious perverts. Terrorism feeds off of such weakness. For terrorism to be starved of its power and strength, it must be confronted head-on. Not appeased....not understood...not tolerated....not negotiated with....not kowtowed to.
I often see that amusing, naive bumpersticker while driving through this vast Blue State I live in: "War is not the Answer". That's right...war didn't solve anything: it only helped to end slavery, fascism, nazism, and communism.
I'm still waiting for someone to market my counter bumpersticker: "Terrorism is not the Answer." Well, perhaps I will have to market that one myself?
posted by The WordSmith from Nantucket at 7/25/2005 09:02:00 AM
2 Comments:
"I often see that amusing, naive bumpersticker while driving through this vast Blue State I live in: "War is not the Answer". I often see that, too and I always find myself wanting to stop the car it's on and ask them, "Ok. So What is the answer?"
"Saving Private Ryan" was very good, and "They Were Soldiers" was too.
I want to say, "War was the answer".
Yes, even though Steven Spielberg leans left, he made a very good movie that does honor to those soldiers who sacrifice themselves out on the frontlines. Anyone who serves in the military deserves the utmost love and respect; especially during wartime. I also have no problems with the graphic violence in a movie like this, because it is realistic violence and not glorified, fantasy/stylized violence, if you get what I mean. It's the kind of violence that should make you realize the psychological costs upon a human being to engage in warfare and take part in violent acts, no matter how noble the goal.
The other movie, with Mel Gibson, I've heard much of, and have wanted to buy the dvd. But I don't even own a player, and now my computer no longer plays dvds. I actually don't see movies all that often and my dvd collection is rather slim. But I do want to purchase and see that movie one day.
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