UNITED 93, PRESIDENT BUSH AND HOLLYWOOD
I try to give credit where credit is due regardless of whether or not it comes from the left or right.
Today, Peter Howell in
The Toronto Star, has an excellent article on
United 93. His article notes the way artists in Hollywood continue to portray George Bush as inhuman and extra-dumb.
Roger Ebert, a fair but hard left film critic, continued his Michael Moore inspired mocking of President Bush last week on his syndicated television review show.
Howell takes exception:
"For seven minutes — Moore counts every second — Bush sits there, a deepening pall of worry crossing his face, as he puzzles over what to do. Should he drop everything, and investigate the air crashes? Or should he maintain composure and conclude his session with the children?
Anyone with compassion could sympathize with Bush, who was in need of more information. The sympathy should intensify after seeing United 93, which shows the near-chaos that erupted amongst air traffic controllers and military personnel, as they struggled for a lot longer than seven minutes to understand what was happening."Paul Greengrass, with
United 93, seems to have done what no one has yet been able to do in Hollywood. Make a film about 9/11 that both conservatives and liberals admire. All but the most die-hard of conspiracy theorists about 9/11 have admired
United 93.
I find it interesting and of note that on his web-site, conservative talk show host
Rush Limbaugh, has an interview and raving endorsment of the film
United 93. And remember, the film's director Paul Greengrass is a liberal.
On 'man of the people'
Michael Moore's website there is an endorsement for the film
V for Vendetta and Neil Young's song
'Impeach the President'.
Moore, who regularly endorses entertainment he likes, makes no mention of
United 93 at all...and the film is made by a liberal. I think we are finally beginning to see some people on the left realize that there are many extremists on their side who have been leading them astray for too long. Rooted in a pseudo 1960's world view of conspiracy and 'oppression' that is no longer appropriate.
Culturally I think conservatives are finally starting to realize (albeit very slowly) that they have to make an impact on popular culture and can no longer run away from the arts.
I also recently got into the excellent series
24, which stars Canadian Keifer Sutherland and was created, and is executive produced and co-written by one of the few 'out' conservatives in Hollywood, Joel Surnow. When I watched Season Four virtually non-stop on DVD I found it riveting. It depicts an America in the grips of terrorism in a way that I thought I would never see from Hollywood. It was also more thrilling than any film I had seen in over a decade.
I will see
United 93 this weekend and post my thoughts on it at a later date.
QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY AND WHITENESS
In Saturday's Toronto Star, Louise Brown wrote an article which commented on the lack of diversity at Queen's University and its surrounding culture of 'whiteness'. Of course, the article never really get's to the core of what that culture is.
I wrote a letter in to the editorial department of
The Toronto Star to comment on the article. Needless to say, not only was it not published, but the subsequent letters that were, certainly did not reflect my views, nor my experiences there.
Here, unedited, is the letter that I wrote to
The Toronto Star, that was not chosen for publication.
"As a Queen’s University Alumni who attended the institution from 1989-1993, I read the article on how ‘white’ and ‘elite’ Queen’s University is with irony. Coming from a working class, ethnic background, I looked forward to entering Queen’s having worked hard in high-school to achieve various scholarships to help pay for my tuition there.
What I was exposed to was four years of well-to-do white people obsessed with Marxist inspired oppression theory, radical feminist gender identity politics and hating America. I must say, there is nothing more ironic than seeing a wealthy, white Queen’s student saying how ‘oppressed’ they are by the ‘white, patriarchal, Judeo-Christian, capitalist, power structure’.
The hypocrisy was astounding.
During my time there, I saw anyone who disagreed with this way of thinking accused of the most horrific acts. People who stood up for free speech in academia against the growing culture of political correctness were threatened and many had their careers/lives destroyed based on the most flimsy of accusations.
Innocence or guilt was never an issue; any indictment of faculty or student could be justified with the mantra of 'someone has to pay for 2000 years of oppression’. A Sri Lankan friend of mine could not get over how these pampered, white kids from Toronto, Vancouver etc. could justify calling themselves ‘oppressed’ while others in the world had to deal with the horrors of apartheid or communism.
I have no idea of how prevalent these attitudes are on other university campuses. Based on stories that I have heard from friends of mine at other academic institutions, I suspect this culture runs across more shores of academia than polite society would care to admit."
VOTE WITH YOUR ENTERTAINMENT DOLLAR!
There are perhaps many more important issues in the news at the moment; Duke University, the child care showdown, our troops in Afghanistan or the Liberal leadership, but
here is an interesting article on the current nature of the Canadian film industry.Part of the reason why I started up
The War Room was to comment on how culture affects politics, not the other way around. It is the reason why the center has continually moved more left over the past several decades and why even when conservatives win elections, nothing really 'conservative' seems to happen. I guarantee you, even if we do not get National Daycare now, once the checks begin to roll it will only be a matter of time.
Until Christians, Catholics and conservatives take back the educational system and the arts the system will continue to drift more left. The combined strength of Stephen Harper, George Bush, and the Pope will not be able to change that.
In Canada, even more so than America our arts industries are in a virtual death grip with hard left wing ideology. Nowhere is this moreso than in the Toronto-centric film industry. Put bluntly, we do not allow stories to be told that Canadians can relate to. Some people want change and are beginning to talk about it.
I have no idea what his personal politics are, but I agree with every single word that Paul Gross says here:
"Telefilm is floundering," he says. "It's a public service, paid for by the Canadian people. But we are not making movies that people want to see. If we made roads that nobody wanted to drive on, that would be hard to defend as a public service.""Why are the giants of cinematic comedy -- Jim Carrey, Mike Myers -- not making movies here? Because there's absoutely no room for someone like that in our system. Telefilm wouldn't consider in a billion years a movie where someone sticks his tongue to a pole."Gross is currently trying to find funding for a 17 million production that would take place during WWI. He is shooting in Alberta and has already secured a committment from Ralph Klein.
I certainly hope he achieves his goals.
Too often, we love to rail against comtemporary films without tying to make them ourselves.
Do not wait for a pro-Christian or conservative film to made by Steven Spielberg or George Clooney. They have no interest in telling your stories.
But also, vote with your dollar. Too many conservatives, Christians and Catholics believe that ole' '
it's only a movie' line. That is not true. Young people today get more of their views from film and music than any other medium. It forms their views on everything from politics to religion to sexuality.
If you do not like how Catholics are portrayed in the media, do not see
The Da Vinci Code.
If you do not like that you always have to defend yourself as a conservative do not rent
V for Vendetta.
If you do not like how people ridicule Evangelicals do not watch
The Daily Show or Bill Maher.
These things matter.
I cannot believe how many people I know who are 'Christian/Catholic' but are planning on seeing
The DaVinci Code, because they love a good Tom Hanks movie.
Hey, I love Hanks too, but when
you are the villain he is out to save the world from, maybe you have to reconsider the proposition. Maybe you should buck up and see
United 93 instead.
I must add as an aside however, that I read some more of
The DaVinci Code in the library on the weekend. Visualizing the ending, where a long-haired Hanks bows down to the earth goddess and hears the whispers of the 'Divine Feminine' from ages past rustling through the breeze, would really be laugh out loud funny.
And what the hell happened to Hanks anyway? He was one of my childhood heroes and now, not only is he saving the world from 'evil' Catholics, but he also produces the pro-polygamy
Big Love on American cable.
Et tu Thomas? Et tu?As for Canada, I am glad people like Paul Gross are starting to speak up about the poor state of Canadian film.
He certainly seems to be fed up with the 'elites' who from their offices in Toronto make films that are usually about some 'poor, oppressed immigrant' who can't handle the (ethnic/Christian/Catholic/conservative) surroundings, and therefore must escape to the 'tolerant' big city (Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal) where
he/she/transgendered it can discover that they are (feminist, gay, lesbian, S&M expert) and are therefore liberated.
That is the template for the average Canadian film. I actually find it very ignorant at best and racist at worst.
If Gross wants to change that...more power to him. I'll pay to see his film in the theatre.
If I need to see
Da Vinci...there's always the bootleggers in Chinatown.
CATHOLICS NOT WELCOME IN SAN FRANCISCO: IS THE DALAI LAMA?
First off, thanks to everyone who took the time to make comments about the practice of Partial Birth Abortion. I do believe that this debate is coming and that the more Americans talk about it, the more we will be forced to talk about it because Canadians consume far more American culture than Canadian.
Writing your MP's is never a bad thing, but after awile, it becomes moot.
You must also talk to people. That's the hard part.
It is also important when talking about this subject to never be hysterical or disrespectful. Try as best you can to be factual and not emotional. I know that is hard...but that is how debates are won.
I came across
this article in the Telegraph the other day concerning the Dalai Lama. He has been giving quite a few interviews lately and being more explicit about his beliefs than I have ever heard him be before.
I used to think that he was one of those amorphous types; y'know everything is like a
'Barney' song where if you love me and I love you we will all be alright. Turns out I was wrong, and so are the majority of his North American followers who do not know what he really believes.
"A gay couple came to see me, seeking my support and blessing. I had to explain our teachings. Another lady introduced another woman as her wife - astonishing. It is the same with a husband and wife using certain sexual practices. Using the other two holes is wrong."
At this point, he looks across at his interpreter - who seems mainly redundant - to check that he has been using the right English words to discuss this delicate matter. The interpreter gives a barely perceptible nod.
"A Western friend asked me what harm could there be between consenting adults having oral sex, if they enjoyed it," the Dalai Lama continues, warming to his theme. "But the purpose of sex is reproduction, according to Buddhism. The other holes don't create life. I don't mind - but I can't condone this way of life."He also is critical here and in other places of the practice of abortion.
"I see women who have had abortions because they thought a child would ruin their lives. A baby seemed unbearable - yet now they are older, they are unable to conceive. I feel so sorry for them."
They need to discover an inner strength, he tells them. "The West is now quite weak - it can't cope with adversity and it has little compassion for others. People are like plants - they can develop ways of countering negative forces. If people took more responsibility for their own problems, they would become more self-confident." I did some more research on the man and it seems he has very much been misinterpreted by his Western followers. I wonder how many Hollywood celebrities and New Age types who like the Dalai Lama are aware of what his views are on these subjects?
Another interesting article comes courtesy of Lifesite News regarding a recent anti-Catholic proclamation from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Now, when I say anti-Catholic I do not mean in the sense that it merely goes against Catholic teaching, I mean it actually says Catholics are 'undesirables' to society.
"The March 21, 2006 resolution alludes to the Vatican as a foreign country meddling in the affairs of the City and describes the Church's moral teaching and beliefs as "insulting to all San Franciscans," "hateful," "insulting and callous," "defamatory," "absolutely unacceptable," "insensitive[] and ignoran[t]." They are now being sued for this and the response by the Thomas More Law Center describes the language as follows...
"The demagoguery and virulent words of this resolution are reminiscent of the anti- Catholic bigotry of the Ku Klux Klan and the Know Nothings, which marred our Nation's earlier history. San Francisco may as well have put up signs at the City limits: 'Faithful Catholics Not Welcomed." Many people are not aware that Catholics were once targetted by the Ku Klux Klan. Similarly, there have been points in Canadian history where they were denied the right to vote in certain parts of the land and discriminated in the area of finding employment, especially in the early days of Protestant Toronto.
Can you imagine any Canadian districts issuing statements like this?
Perhaps a board in Vancouver or Toronto?
With
The Da Vinci Code fanning the flames, I do not think things will get any easier for Catholics in the West any time soon.
I suspect, based on comments I hear from aquaintances and friends...they will probably get a whole lot worse. People always use
'history' and
'fact' to justify their predjudices and bigotry.
They will hate someone based on lies that they
'know' are true and those lies then become part of the culture for usually a generation or two until new
'whipping boys' are found.
There was a time when it was acceptable to believe that the Jews controlled the international banking system.
There was a time when it was acceptable to believe that blacks were inferior.
Now I am not comparing contemporary attitutes towards Catholics to the Holocaust or slavery...that would be silly. But all bigotry and ignorance exists on the same gradient curve.
And they all have the potential to lead to the same place.
A question: Do you think the Dalai Lama is welcome in San Francisco?
