Let’s get something out of the way up front: Michael Moore is a piece of shit.
This isn’t really news to those familiar with some of his past statements, but the latest proof point is his series of Twitter posts calling Snipers “cowards.”
I will save you a bunch of repetition and say my view is pretty much identical to the one Brandon Webb shared yesterday on SOFREP.
But I would add, Moore’s comments are not just some one-off from a Hollywood leftist. They speak to a much deeper and more pervasive truth about Hollywood and its complex love/hate relationship with war.
Every year for decades they have churned out war film after war film. Some good, some bad. The worst of these are cartoonish depictions that sanitize the horrors of combat, or reduce it to a series of glamorous James Bond-esque action sequences; the best of which offer a more nuanced portrayal of the work soldiers do on behalf of the nations they serve. Without question, American Sniper falls into this category.
But regardless of whether they are good or bad, pro or anti, it is a plain fact that war movies have long been big money in Hollywood. Between ticket sales and merchandising, depicting war has literally made billions for the movie industry.
You can go way back to Jane Fonda accusing American soldiers of war crimes in Vietnam, the largely anti-war views of Oliver Stone, or the latest idiotic statements like those made by Moore and Rogen. Prevailing Hollywood culture is anti-war and at times anti-soldier.
The same is true when it comes to how Hollywood portrays law enforcement and firearms ownership. Actors like Schwarzenegger, Stalone, and most recently Liam Neeson have garnered vast fame and fortune through movie violence, mostly committed with firearms. And like Michael Moore, this hasn’t stopped them from attacking firearms ownership by law abiding civilians.
Let’s get something out of the way up front: Michael Moore is a piece of shit.
This isn’t really news to those familiar with some of his past statements, but the latest proof point is his series of Twitter posts calling Snipers “cowards.”
I will save you a bunch of repetition and say my view is pretty much identical to the one Brandon Webb shared yesterday on SOFREP.
But I would add, Moore’s comments are not just some one-off from a Hollywood leftist. They speak to a much deeper and more pervasive truth about Hollywood and its complex love/hate relationship with war.
Every year for decades they have churned out war film after war film. Some good, some bad. The worst of these are cartoonish depictions that sanitize the horrors of combat, or reduce it to a series of glamorous James Bond-esque action sequences; the best of which offer a more nuanced portrayal of the work soldiers do on behalf of the nations they serve. Without question, American Sniper falls into this category.
But regardless of whether they are good or bad, pro or anti, it is a plain fact that war movies have long been big money in Hollywood. Between ticket sales and merchandising, depicting war has literally made billions for the movie industry.
You can go way back to Jane Fonda accusing American soldiers of war crimes in Vietnam, the largely anti-war views of Oliver Stone, or the latest idiotic statements like those made by Moore and Rogen. Prevailing Hollywood culture is anti-war and at times anti-soldier.
The same is true when it comes to how Hollywood portrays law enforcement and firearms ownership. Actors like Schwarzenegger, Stalone, and most recently Liam Neeson have garnered vast fame and fortune through movie violence, mostly committed with firearms. And like Michael Moore, this hasn’t stopped them from attacking firearms ownership by law abiding civilians.
Both are cases of hypocrisy and biting the hand that feeds.
As readers of SOFREP already know, soldiers and law enforcement do not celebrate having to take a life, nor do they celebrate dying in the line of duty. But they understand that both are sometimes necessary in the service of their country. And unlike in Hollywood, there is no seven-figure pay check waiting for them when they get home.
So if we want to talk ethics… Soldiers kill, and sometimes die, for their country. Hollywood kills for money.
In the future, movie stars should contemplate that fact before getting on Twitter.
(Featured Image Courtesy: WarnerBros2014.com)
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