How Hollywood's war movies have changed

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How Hollywood's war movies have changed

Posted on Aug 03, 2005 by Jerold Aust, John Ross Schroeder Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

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Those of you who have been moviegoers for many years may have noticed a basic shift in the emphasis of war films in recent decades.

Those of you who have been moviegoers for many years may have noticed a basic shift in the emphasis of war films in recent decades. Consider the 1992 movie A Few Good Men.
The villain was a high-ranking army officer (played by Jack Nicholson) stationed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, so often in the news lately. The movie was basically about how army lawyers uncovered the big mistake that he had sought to cover up. His deeds were exposed in a military court and his closing remarks on the stand were not unlike the disgraced Captain Queeg's in the 1954 film The Caine Mutiny.
Other more recently released titles are The Jacket (2005), Courage Under Fire (1996) and Three Kings (1999). All portray the American military negatively. They feature such themes as U.S. troops committing atrocities during the first Gulf War, a friendly-fire tragedy, mistreatment of a female officer, the corruption of the American military establishment and the betrayal of allied nations.
Revolution (1985), about the American war for independence, apparently showed national hero George Washington in a negative light. Even Dances With Wolves (1990) compared the American military unfavorably with Sioux warriors. Notwithstanding Saving Private Ryan (1998), the general run of war films in recent decades has been mostly unpatriotic and derogatory toward the U.S. military.
Media author and commentator Michael Medved summed up this sad situation in a fairly recent speech. He said: “The truth of the matter is that war movies have changed in a fundamental way, and I would submit to you, a dangerous way for the health of our culture and for the strength of the [American] dream.”
Mr. Medved further asked: “Why has Hollywood decided seemingly illogically to make movies in the United States that depict the American military as unrepresentative and twisted, America as a malignant force in the world and all wars as fruitless?”
Those who remember viewing war movies with patriotic themes during World War II can easily see the sharp contrast between the way the U.S. military was depicted then and now. Our popular culture is in serious need of redemption. (Source: Imprimis .)

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Alarming Increase of Anti-Americanism in Latin America

Posted on May 08, 2003 by Fred Nance Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

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The war in faraway Iraq has fueled rising resentment against the United States much closer to home.

Now that the war in Iraq has ended, lingering disturbances are being felt from America's own backyard. One might say that the United States and Britain won the war but are losing the world. A dangerous trend of anti-Americanism has emerged towards the neighbor to the north. According to a recent Miami Herald article, the daily condemnations of the war by many Latin American governments, without criticizing Iraq's UN violations, has fueled a very intense anti-Americanism in the region.
President Bush, whom many consider cold and callous, is especially the target of blame.
“It has become fair game in Latin America to compare the United States with Nazi Germany and President Bush with Adolf Hitler” (“Views Aside, Anti-U.S. Frenzy Will Hurt Latin America,” Miami Herald, April 13, 2003). Mexican novelist Carlos Fuentes said in an interview with CNN that President Bush and his aides “are religious extremists too,” and that ” Bush has created a chaos, a confusion and a situation of international danger not seen since the days of Hitler” (ibid).
Boycotts and changing names
Boycotts of American products and companies have been organized throughout Latin America. In Buenos Aires, Argentina, the city council is “considering a measure to rename 'United States Street' to the 'Street of the Iraqi People'” (“The Faraway War Set Latin America on Edge,” New York Times, April 20, 2003).
The antiwar fervor was so strong in Mexico that the relationship between Presidents Bush and Vicente Fox has cooled dramatically. There was even a movement in the Mexican congress to change its official name. Since 1824 its official name has been “The United Mexican States.” Now, the proposal is to change it to just “Mexico.” The cry was “U.S. Out of Mexico” (New York Times, Jan. 26, 2003).
Why is there such an increase in animosity towards the United States at this time? Bible prophecy shows that a spirit of hate and indignation would arise against the modern-day descendants of the tribes of ancient Israel. Today, two of the major tribes, Ephraim and Manasseh, are the nations known as the United Kingdom and the United States. (See our booklet The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy for background to this astounding key to understanding prophecy.)
According to Newsweek magazine, a big problem for the United States was that much of the world was getting the war news from Arab stations. “Al-Jazeera is to the Iraq war what CNN was to the 1991 Gulf War—the primary source for news worldwide” (“The Other Air Battle,” Newsweek, April 7, 2003). The Al-Jazeera slant covered statements from Iraqi officials as “facts” and those from American officials as “claims.” “Even as the U.S. Military strives to avoid casualties, it finds itself depicted as a bunch of baby killers in the only air war most of the world sees—the one that appears on television.”
According to Newsweek, Al-Jazeera's chief met with Saddam Hussein last year and began to set up a staff of eight reporters and a support staff of 20 in preparation for the anticipated coverage to come.
As a result of the Al-Jazeera spin, the war was viewed negatively for the United States even in countries that supported its campaign against Saddam Hussein.
Regular readers of World News and Prophecy understand that the descendants of ancient Israel are the modern-day peoples of the United States and Great Britain. A conspiracy against the people of
Israel is described in Psalm 83. Perhaps the worldwide anti-American attitude can be enlightened by this prophecy. “They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, and consulted against Your sheltered ones. They have said, 'Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more'” (Psalms 83:3-4 Psalms 83:3-4 3 They have taken crafty counsel against your people, and consulted against your hidden ones. 4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
American King James Version×).
Notice the hate that would arise against the people of Israel is such that some would want to destroy them as a nation.
Economic letdown
There is another factor adding fuel to the fire of anti-Americanism in the western hemisphere.
As a result of a global economic meltdown, poverty and hunger are reaching staggering new levels throughout Latin America. After a decade of experimenting with American free market reforms, Latin American nations are becoming very disillusioned with the process. Nations that once were racing to accept American-style democracy and economic values are waking up to the reality that it has not worked for many of them.
“The United States is also paying for what is seen here [in Latin America] as indifference to an economic crisis that swept this region a few years after its leaders took American advice to open their markets and embrace globalization” (New York Times, April 20, 2003). The attitude of blaming the United States for their current economic crisis is a result of a letdown from not being able to realize “the American dream” of prosperity.
However, the prosperity that the United States has enjoyed has been the result of national blessings promised to the descendants of Abraham (Genesis12:2). “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.”
The national blessings promised to Abraham have been realized by the British Commonwealth and the United States. The impatience for prosperity in other countries makes for discontent, leading to anti-American feelings.
Latin America's discontent with the United States is part of a worldwide trend that makes it worthwhile to watch the news as it relates to Bible prophecy. World News and Prophecy will keep its readers tuned in to future developments in this and other important areas of our world.