An artiste bemoans a war movie
I was looking forward to seeing American Sniper. I took my brown Native high school-aged son to see it. I’m a fan of Clint Eastwood’s acting and directing, and his Sniper is a beautifully shot and directed action packed flick. But after his film, I spent the hour’s drive home explaining to my son why I thought the movie was dangerous and corrosive to the American people. Meanwhile, his "brown" son decides to look up the nearest US Navy recruiter.
This is a tense war movie that looks great. But just underneath the film’s sexy veneer is a shockingly racist ideology of hate and death that is advanced by the white male sniper Chris Kyle. Whereas a non-white female sniper would have been just fine, right?
Kyle is the ideological descendant of Custer and the Seventh Cavalry. He belongs to an elite white male cadre of swinging dick meat eaters who will solve the problems of invaded brown people with a bullet. Iraqi and Syrian combatants are called “fuckin’ savages.” Direct statements of racism and death may or may not reflect the realities of the modern U.S. military. But they do give rise to false dichotomies that dehumanize the enemy and make it kinda fun, cool and necessary to kill them. Kyle is Navy. I am no expert on the exploits of General George Custer, but I suspect General Custer had no sailors with him. Snipers, possibly, but no sailors. I fail to see how the appellation "fucking savages" is racist, especially if his targets are fuckin savages.
For the moment, Sniper is the fave mascot of the reactionary right wing of white America. Its visual beauty softens the harsh fact that the movie glorifies death, racism, hatred, religious prejudice, sexism, colonialism and moral corrosion. It presents some great ideas about caring for and protecting the people of your tribe. If you’re a white Christian American, that is. Women, minorities, kids, Muslims need not apply. They’re part of the bullet-to-the-head fix.
Why is this film so important in its depiction of outdated and corrosive white conservative male values? Because it is a time of great change and social movement in the world. The time of white American male rule and hegemony is coming to an end. And American wingnuts don’t like it one bit. Outdated. That's what liberals call conservative values. Values which protect a civil society from itself, which protects folks such as this artist. Protections which would disappear were they taken away by the fuckin savages.
A classic function of horror and sci-fi movies is to code racially and socially taboo stories in the guise of fantasy. Sniper follows this formula. It’s a snapshot into the psyche of a retrograde white conservative male patriarchy. It lets us glimpse its fears and desires (loss of power and male potency) as well as its hopes and desires (white men will kill their way back to the top). And here I thought American Sniper was a biopic of US Navy SEAL Chris Kyle. Goofy me.
Americans as a whole are too ignorant of the country’s past colonial violence against Native and African Americans and current world affairs to really question uncomplicated black, brown and white narratives of war. The audience largely clapped at the end of the movie. I heard it differently. I heard that folks who saw the movie left the theater in silence.
This is potentially a time for great social change and growth in America and the world. Dated stories of white male privilege and uber violence are divisive and corrosive to this positive change. As much money as this film had made, I suspect Hollywood has found a way out of the doldrums by depicting "stories of white male privilege".
It’s up to us as Indigenous Peoples
Wait -- I thought it's his son that is a "brown Native". He said nothing to indicate that he, too, belongs to that very oddly named class. Where, oh where are the competent editors of yesteryear?
and as Americans to question simplified stories glorifying violence and racism and sexism. It’s time to educate ourselves about the violence of this country’s past, and to come together as a people to build a stronger, inclusive and more unified America. And American Sniper is just the film to "educate" people about those "simplified stories". Mateo Romero is an enrolled tribal member at Cochiti Pueblo. Born in the Bay Area, he completed his BA at Dartmouth College and his MFA in painting at UNM. He is an award -winning artist who has exhibited both nationally and internationally. A former SAR Dubin Fellow, Romero lives in Pojoaque Pueblo with his potter wife Melissa Talachy, and their sons Rain and River. He shows his paintings at Blue Rain Gallery in Santa Fe.
One most sincerely hopes Mr. Romero paints and pots better than he writes.
#2
My wife is 'brown native'. Except she proudly uses the name Cherokee. Her father served a career in the Navy. Apparently the Cochiti Pueblo are not a warrior tribe.
"Old legends of tribe, me recitum!
Blood brother Chief Bell, well, he writum!
All red man like brother;
All vote Great Red Mother --
Whole Ivy League Nation unitum!"
Posted by: no mo uro ||
01/27/2015 4:37 Comments ||
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#8
This non-sense about Cochiti reminds me about that _tue_ story around New Zealand. There was an island in the Pacific whre after a civil war its natives decide to no longer use arms. No problem. It was an island.
Then came Christain missionaries. No problema again. It was just missionaries.
But some of the missionaries were trnasferred to what we today neme New-Zealand but at that time was Maori territory. But some missionary in a sermon set that pacifist tribe as an example for the bellicose Maories. The Maories were very interested so they asked where was that island and... wiped out that pacifist tribe. Pacifism is nice when bad guys don't know about you otheriwe it is a recipe fpor extermination.
Now how long a pacifist Cochiti nation surrounded by Cheyennes, Apaches, Sioux (in the decades before Little Big Hornj these had wiped out or displaced several other tribes) would have survived? Or did the Cochiti relyy on the protection of gthe US Army?
#10
I love how he forgot all the murder, rapes, and kidnappings his ancestors committed.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
01/27/2015 6:33 Comments ||
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#11
Wonder why the Crow were scouts for the US Army?
Something about the Sioux kicking them out of their ancestral hunting grounds. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
The Native American aboriginals were just as territorial and hierarchical as any other human group. The difference between them and the Euros was better technology (to include the iron age) and social organization. Just ask the Euros who came in contact with the Huns or Mongols about better organization and technology.
#14
Shouldn't have brought bows and arrows on grass feed horses to a gun fight with the pale faced, long knives people who rode grain fed horses. Outnumbered by the thousands Custer and his dismounts stood their ground to the end, while your people packed up and ran as soon as the fight was over.
In war at times Hope is more important than winning every battle. If a nation has hope and resolve and yet loose battles, eventually a nation will prevail if they show resolve. Savages and Barbarians can't destroy Hope.
#15
Now how long a pacifist aboriginal nation surrounded by warlike aborigines would have survived?
Dead tribes tell us no tales, other than the potsherds, arrowheads and bone fragments containing their DNA left for the anthropologists to analyze.
#16
JFM, yes, they do. There are lots of XYZ "Studies" departments at universities here in the States. Graduates of these programs generally look down on troglodytes like me who got a STEM degree.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
01/27/2015 14:51 Comments ||
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#17
"swinging dick meat eaters" could be misunderstood, too.
#19
Sorry, Mateo. But those fuckin' savages flew hijacked passenger airliners into the World Trade Center in New York and when Chris Kyle saw it on TV he kinda went off, you know?
Now, some of you Rantburgers may correct me but I believe the US military is probably the most racially diverse organization in the world. Just because it's not healthy to mess with them doesn't mean they're racist.
"Somewhat interesting," says Mr. Wife, who studied art as well as chemistry when he was a pre-med student. By the time I met him he'd moved to engineering, which combined the best of both. ;-)
#23
I like the composition, would be interesting to see the texture.
So I'd say he paints better than he writes.
Not tough when he points is finger at condencending judgemental language 'used to dehumanize', then goes on to do it himself a half dozen+ times.
Wiki: Born in Berkeley, 'European American' mother, I think he has identity issues coupled with mommy issues; I hope it takes it out on his canvas and not his family, though brow beating his son about the movie he just took him to...
#24
Mom was Euro-American. I can sense the Obama-style self-hate. Youtube of "Half-Breed" by Cher is available, but I can't bring myself to listening to her screech
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/27/2015 21:07 Comments ||
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#3
..you left out America. Of course, that was part of the plan of fundamental transformation [which like most Lefty programs failed to account for human free will, particularly in fly over country].
#5
Speaking of Qat, I wonder how much this writer has ingested?
The administration won't permit an invasion of Yemen. There's a legacy to be obtained via nuke agreement with Iran, and nothing is going to stand in the way.
[DAWN] THE difficulties the police in this country face in gathering evidence, and prosecutors in mounting a strong case, are seen as the primary reason why so many suspects implicated in all sorts of crimes walk free. Consider the case of Mumtaz Qadri, who was sentenced on Oct 1, 2011 by an Anti-Terrorism Court and shortly afterwards filed an appeal. The evidence against Qadri, who openly confessed when charged with the gunning down in January that year of the Punjab 1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard
2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers
3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots.... governor, Salmaan Taseer, could not be more incontrovertible. But, more than three years after a guilty verdict, the case is still pending due to the appeal against Qadri's sentence. Qadri has, meanwhile, set himself up as a 'religious' figure, and there is evidence that he has radicalised others including prison staff. Now, with another hearing scheduled before an Islamabad High Court division bench, it seems that the government is having difficulties getting a lawyer to agree to represent the prosecution.
Why this reluctance in what is an open-and-shut case? The reason is simple: fear. Lawyers contacted by this newspaper pointed out that hardly any special protection or security is provided to those who may find themselves in the crosshairs of criminals or forces of Evil on agreeing to take flashpoint cases. The special judge of the ATC that passed the sentence against Qadri had to leave the country for fear of his life, and at the last hearing of the Qadri case in 2011, large numbers of his supporters gathered outside the IHC. The threat is real, and society's tilt towards extreme views is palpable. If this is the situation in this case, the fear factor in others where the men accused belong to violent gangs or bully boy groups, or are hardened criminals, can only be imagined. Pakistain's situation demands effective provisions such as witness, lawyer and judge protection programmes, for those who prosecute or testify are in the end individuals. Without that, there is little hope of winning the long-term battle.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/27/2015 00:00 ||
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[Ynet] Golan strike caught Hezbollah's leader at a really bad time. If it were up to him, he would rather not face the dilemma of whether to retaliate against Israel or keep quiet.
The Israeli public's state of mind on security issues changes at once: From a sort of joy and satisfaction, maybe pride, over the strike against Hezbollah's command group in the Golan, to deep anxiety about a war that is about to take place with Hezbollah, and perhaps even a wider conflict, with Iran too, after a Revolutionary Guards general was killed in the liquidation.
But on the other side, if we look at things from the eyes of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, the situation isn't great, and the strike caught him at a really bad time. If it were up to him, he would rather not face the dilemma of whether to retaliate against Israel or to keep quiet.
Continued on Page 49
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
