"Freedom is the right to tell people what they don't want to hear...."
---George Orwell
NEW YORK (AP) — First lady
Michelle Obama urged Hollywood to give a more accurate portrayal of
veterans and defended the Oscar-nominated "American Sniper," which has
received criticism for its depiction of war.
Bradley
Cooper, who is nominated for best actor for his portrayal of the late
Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle, joined Obama and media heavyweights in
Washington, D.C., on Friday to launch "6 Certified" with representatives
from Warner Bros., National Geographic Channels and the Producers Guild
of America.
The initiative
will allow TV shows and films to display an onscreen badge that tells
viewers the show they're watching has been certified by the group Got
Your 6, which derives its name from military slang for "I've got your
back." To be approved, the film or show must cast a veteran, tell a
veteran story, have a story written by a veteran or use veterans as
resources.
"We hope our
country will welcome back our veterans — not by setting them apart but
by fully integrating them into the fabric of our communities," Mrs.
Obama said.
Mrs. Obama also came to the defense of "American
Sniper" — about Kyle, considered the most lethal sniper in U.S. military
history. It has become a box-office sensation and has strong supporters
but has also weathered a growing storm of criticism that the film
glorifies murder and serves as war propaganda.
"While I know there
have been critics, I felt that, more often than not, this film touches
on many of the emotions and experiences that I've heard firsthand from
military families over these past few years," she said.
Chris Marvin, managing
director of Got Your 6 and a former U.S. Army officer and Blackhawk
helicopter pilot, said their campaign isn't hoping to show veterans in a
good light but in an honest one.
"Most
Americans tell us that they only see veterans portrayed as broken or as
heroes who walk on water in film and television," he said by phone.
"We're missing something in the middle. Veterans are everyday people.
"They're
your next door neighbor who helps you bring your garbage cans back when
they blow away. They're your kids' fifth-grade math teacher. It's the
person running for city council," he added. "You see them every day in
your own life but you don't see them on film or television."
The
Got Your 6 group was launched in 2012 to enlist Hollywood in the effort
to discourage stereotypes and promote more accurate representation of
the 2.6 million soldiers coming home over the past 10 years. Surveys
have found that many Americans presume veterans suffer from
post-traumatic stress disorder, are homeless or are addicted to drugs or
alcohol.
The group has taken
lessons from other successful efforts to change national viewpoints,
including increasing gay rights, reducing teen pregnancies, encouraging
colonoscopies, improving animal rights and reducing drunken driving. It
has identified Hollywood as an engine of cultural change.
"This is more of a
challenge than anything else. We're challenging the entertainment
industry — myself included — to live up to the responsibilities inherent
in the powers we have and with the reach that we have," said Charlie
Ebersol, a producer and creator of the "6 Certified" program.
Ebersol
said films like 1987's "Full Metal Jacket" by Stanley Kubrick and Clint
Eastwood's new "American Sniper" would likely be eligible for
certification because they portray veterans accurately, even if the
soldiers in those films aren't representative of the population of
veterans.
Mrs. Obama cited TV
shows including "Nashville" and "Doc McStuffins" as ones that share
stories of "our veterans in new and meaningful ways." She said telling
veterans' stories honestly makes for "tremendous TV and movies" and "are
good for business as well."
Ebersol
had his own list of shows with positive veteran portrayals, including
the Jay Pritchett character in "Modern Family," Sam Waterston's
portrayal of veteran Charlie Skinner on "The Newsroom" and Seth Rogen's
guest role as a veteran on "The Mindy Project." In all them, being a
veteran wasn't their defining characteristic.
"We
have a real opportunity to go way beyond the platitudes of the
entertainment industry. We love to say, 'I support the troops!' and
'I've got a yellow ribbon!' but there's an actual, tangible way to make a
difference. That's what the challenge is here."
In bureaucratic America, nothing springs to life faster than a good cause.
And, of course, a group, panel, committee and/or advisory board to lead the charge in the pursuit of said cause.
Hidden, of course, in the "whereas's" and "therefore's" of the proclamations and/or declarations of principles that trumpet the missions of the aforementioned group, panel, committee and/or advisory board leading the charge in pursuit of said cause is a more often than not obvious, but not necessarily noticed, inevitable conclusion.
The lack of need for the aforementioned group, panel, committee and/or advisory board leading the charge in pursuit of said cause.
Primarily owing to the lack of need for said cause in the first place.
In this case, the Got Your 6.
Now, if, at this moment, you're inclined to instinctively fire off some snappy/snarky/savage comment, opinion and/or retort, usually, but not always accompanied by the ferocious waving of your flag and/or the sounds of Lee Greenwood wafting in the background, angrily taking me to task for my lack of patriotism, please allow me this suggestion.
Shut up.
I love this country just as much as you love this country, I support the men, women and their families who give time, energy and, too often, their lives in service to this country as much as you support them and I don't need to hear your rah rah, blah blah, love it or leave it bullshit now or anytime in the future.
Because what I'm talking about here has absolutely nothing to do with patriotism.
And has everything to do with political correctness.
Pandering.
Placating.
Piffle.
I haven't seen American Sniper. Probably wont until it shows up on Netflix.
No reflection at all on the content of the film.
I just don't go out to the movies much anymore.
I don't know what I will think of the movie until I see it.
There is, though, one thing that I am rock solid, bet the farm, absolutely sure that I do know.
It's a movie.
From a book.
Neither of which required, or shall ever require, a group, panel, committee and/or advisory board to lead the charge in pursuit of the cause.
Let alone legitimize them.
Or the cause.
See, here's the thing.
It's a free country.
And free is like pregnant.
No such thing as "a little bit".
And I don't need or want to seek approval from a group, I don't need or want to hear endorsements from a panel, I don't need or want recommendations from a committee and I damn sure don't want or need to see a ribbon, medallion, logo and/or Good fucking Housekeeping Seal on a motion picture to help determine whether I want to see it or not.
What, ideally, I do want is to be left alone to use my intelligence, common sense, core values and/or basic humanity to determine what I want to see and how I will feel about it once I see it.
And, not for nothin'.....but, ideally, that's what I want for you, too.
I don't care what the MPAA thinks about movies.
I don't care what the Parents Television Council thinks about TV shows.
And I don't care if Got Your 6 approves or disapproves of the content of a film.
I'm smart enough, old enough, wise enough and in sufficient control of my faculties to determine for myself whether a film, TV show, book, recording, et al moves me, inspires me, offends me, repulses me, angers me, delights me.....
...and whether it is a classic of its category.....or a stereotype I have no interest in endorsing.
Truth is, I can't, in fact none of us can, tell the difference between that which moves, inspires, delights and that which angers, offends or repulses unless I have free, unfettered, unbiased, unequivocal access to all.
Those who chafe at the idea of government regulation or, for that matter, regulation in general too often overlook a key element in the discussion.
Swords cut both ways.
Even the swords of freedom.
Especially the swords of freedom.
Singer/writer Steve Earle once said to me that Nashville record producers had an annoying habit of always asking to be pitched songs that were "up-tempo, positive...up-tempo, positive...".
Steve's take on it was "if you're doing that all the time, you're not painting a complete portrait because, let's face it, life ain't always up-tempo, positive...sometimes, it's down-tempo, negative..."
I'm not interested in cinema that perpetually portrays the military in a negative light.
Nor am I interested in cinema that perpetually portrays the military in a positive light.
I am interested in cinema that moves me, inspires me, offends me, repulses me, angers me, delights me.....
...and whether it is a classic of its category.....or a stereotype I have no interest in endorsing.
I am interested, it turns out, in the freedom to make up my own mind.
Freedom in the purest sense of the word.
So, thanks anyway, Got Your 6.
Don't need you.
Come to think of it, neither do the veterans.
We've got their 6.
