According to most conservatives, the world is divided into "Bad Guys" and "Good Guys", and it's easy to tell who is who. A liberal would say the world is made up of people of all types, and each country, each religion has some bad people and some good people and a lot of people in between. Statements like that drive conservatives crazy.I see Tarantino's new movie "Inglourious Basterds" is tops at the box office, and I'm not really surprised. Because the audience has almost a complete lack of historical perspective, they are getting a pure conservative philosophy of "good guys and bad guys"
Just to review some facts in the case. Before WW2, German Jews wanted to get out of Germany. No other countries would accept them in large enough numbers. The United States was one of those countries that denied the Jews a safe haven. And it was deliberate, because a large number of Americans hated Jews and were prejudiced against them. Much of this hatred came from the Southern USA where the Ku Klux Klan was leading a campaign of violence and hatred against blacks, Jews and lots of other minorities.
Was it just a coincidence that Brad Pitt, the leader of the Jewish commandos in this movie, was supposed to be from the Southern USA? Or is that part of Tarantino's conservative propaganda designed to cover up the "bad guy" aspect of Americans? Because I didn't see the movie, I'm going to have to wait to find out how Tarantino justified an all-Jewish unit (where all the members actually have a stereotypical Jewish look to them) being led by someone played by Brad Pitt, who was not only a Southerner but part Apache. And the Apache bloodline seems to be used as part of the reason for the cruelty, as if a Southerner would need native blood to be sadistic.
Just another historical reminder, slavery was a program of hate and sadism rivalling Hitlers holocaust of the Jews. Although slavery had officially ended 80 years before, the South had instituted a new version of slavery that was just as bad as the old fashioned and outlawed kind, which Franklin Roosevelt had to put an end to in order to counter the German and Japanese propaganda.
Evangelical Christian religion helps to support this kind of "Good Guy, Bad Guy" division, by insisting that you do not need to actually be good, to be a good guy. It seems like as long as you are "one of the chosen", any sadistic cruelty is forgiven. Plenty of passages in the Bible are quoted by Evangelicals to prove it. After all, they started out making excuses for slavery, and by now have pretty much memorized every passage of the Bible that supports wife beating, child abuse, slavery, and slaughter of all the enemy including women and children.
Here's an interesting Quote from Quentin Tarantino
JH: How would you describe your politics, Quentin?Maybe Quentin falls somewhere between, but not in the violence and gore department.
QT: [Silence] I guess I'm a liberal. Definitely not conservative. I'm definitely not a Republican. Most people, when they're on one side or the other, don't paint with a small brush they paint with a f---in' roller and wipe everybody into pansy liberals or fascist dictators.
We would do well to keep George Santayana's admonition in mind: 'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.'
ReplyDeleteAnd Jefferson's observation that, 'The best defense of democracy is an informed electorate.'
I don't have the time this morning to review the most recent release of the US NEAP's Nation's Report Card, but I found previous reports extremely disturbing.
When over 30% of U.S. students believed the U.S. had fought Russia in WWII, when almost half of the students could not even provide dates for WWII, appreciation of the political and economic subtleties is, of course, simply out of the question.
In fact, we now see educators arguing that such 'trivia' (or factoids as they're so often derogated) of history should not even be attempted to be taught. In favour, we assume, of useful information such as Marketing and texting. (In fact, if the teaching of history had been supplanted by something really useful, such as personal financial management ... but that's a whole 'nother issue.)
With no viable foundation or framework on which to build, is it small wonder that so many people construct their historical context from films such as this? And that they're so easily convinced by blatant demagoguery and the distortions, half-truths and lies presented by the media?
In such shallow context, the question of liberal vs. conservative, of Democrat vs. Republican, becomes virtually meaningless. Pick a team, just as in professional sports, and root for it. Ignore any evidence which does not align with your personal prejudices. Fill in the gaps in your knowledge with 'best selling' films like Inglourious Basterds.
Small wonder so many persist in the pathetic belief that they are 'free' members of a 'democracy.'
dear writer, your opinions are way to biased. What you THINK and what I KNOW are too different things. I love film, and I love Quentin Tarantino, but your stereotypes on Conservatives are just ridicilous. Many Conservatives I know are morally guided by something within themselves, and not because a certain religion says so.... that would be more like extremists... your failure to express the extremes on both sides of both parties is something that shouldn't be ignored whenever politics come into conversation. Being a friend to many Republicans and many Democrats I have learned that sometimes there are some Liberals who act more Conservative then "said" Conservative. If anything, people shouldn't use politics as a means to whine and complain about something.
ReplyDeleteIt's refreshing to hear from someone who has such an affirmative view about political opinions (even if they do choose to post that view anonymously).
ReplyDeleteWe, too, have our red Tories (or, at least, once did have) and many liberals with conservative leanings.
However, it is a bit disingenuous to criticize the blogger for 'opinions [which] are way to[o] biased' and for failing 'to express the extremes on both sides.'
This is, after all, a blog, not an academic paper nor 'fair and balanced journalism and, as such, is all about 'opinion.' If the commenter truly wishes to levy criticisms about 'biased opinion,' they will find no shortage of such in the mainstream media.
I want to respond to this comment by Anonymous who says:
ReplyDelete"I have learned that sometimes there are some Liberals who act more Conservative then "said" Conservative."
We are actually in agreement. The point of my blog was this: Quentin Tarantino says he is NOT a conservative, and I make a case that his film is extremely conservative. So from my title "Is Quenton Tarantino a Liberal?", my answer is no despite what Quenton says about himself. And yes, I do know other self proclaimed liberals who are pro-torture, pro-war, pro-free market, and anti environment.
Tarantino is just smart if u just knew how Europe and the rest of the world doesnt take USA serious and dont like Americans is because of ur Republicans. I mean comeone u know urself there are more good countries than America why lie to yourself?
ReplyDeleteTarantino is one of the Americans that knows that for example other countries like the Netherlands, France and Germany are much more safer than whole New York and California
yes what the hell are republicans thinking? be more like europe, tax more than half your salary and tax oil as much as its original worth. Republicans are so crazy they are having an idea of republic and having your own law rather than more power towards a centralized Brussels. Are you kidding me europe is the most crippled union. you are making a broken Italy to bailout by borrowing and giving it to Spain and greece at no intrest. Your socialism has gone so bad that it lost borders and the next USSR waiting to happen.
DeleteI see Quentin Tarantino has a new movie out, "Django Unchained". After Inglorious Basterds, I said that the holocaust was not the only evil committed in the world, and gave as a prime example slavery in the southern US. Django has countered one of my objections to Inglorius Basterds, by taking revenge on slavery instead of the Nazis. I guess that is a more even handed approach, if you average out the two movies. So maybe Tarantino is more of a liberal than I thought after all.
ReplyDelete