Years ago I knew a man whose knowledge of history stemmed nearly
entirely from what he gained through the viewing of Hollywood
movies. Given the breadth of subjects covered by that medium, his
knowledge seemed rather extensive. He was quite good at concealing
the fact that almost all the particulars he tossed about in
conversation were gleaned from the silver screen; particularly
those concerning World War II.
And in this, he wasn’t so bad off. Why sift through a lot of
research on the War when you could get quite a thorough tour of the
theaters of operation right in your own local theater with the
likes of John Wayne, Robert Montgomery and Robert Taylor leading
the way? The hundreds of films made during the era were of vital
interest to the folks back home and provided an emotional link to
their men overseas.
In those days, all of the media and particularly those in the
movie industry were keenly aware that it takes a whole nation to
support a war effort. Morale is always important in any such
endeavor, but more so in a democratic country where the support of
its citizens is especially critical. In WWII, all the cogs in the
national machine coalesced behind the Commander in Chief to produce
the desired result: keeping the world safe from oppressive tyrants
and their brutal ideologies.
Some think of those movies as nothing short of blatant
propaganda; but they got the main facts right and, more
importantly, they presented a united front to our enemies. Were
they cleaned up some to spare those on the home front the horrors
of war? Yes, but wasn’t that the point of the fighting? Yet the
toll of war was all too evident in their daily lives as was the
sacrifice necessary to see the country through to victory.
How times have changed and the nation along with them. Now the
real propaganda is out in the open for everyone to see, and the
aims of its purveyors appear at odds with those of the Commander in
Chief. Most of the liberal media seem determined that our War on
Terror will and must fail, and they seem equally resolute that the
rest of the country feel the same way. And it isn’t as hard a task
as it once might have been.
The tumult of the 1960s with its irreligious, free-love ethos
has eroded much of the country’s capacity for deep thought. The
evils of judgmentalism, having been laid bare to a culture eagerly
welcoming their revelation, have left each person free to pursue
the pleasures of life unencumbered by troublesome bouts of
profundity. Armed with such well-worn canards as “never discuss
politics or religion at a bar,” the liberal media will now do all
the deep thinking for us.
This is not to say that there are not those outside the sphere
of academia who spend considerable time in serious reflection;
thankfully they have always been with us. But a great majority of
Americans find it distasteful, or even rude, to entertain debate on
such topics as good and evil, life and death and, yes, war and
peace. Why bother with it all when corrupt politicians will do what
they want anyway? Besides, The Sopranos kicks off its new
season in a few weeks.
This attitude can best be summed up as the Scarlett O’Hara
syndrome: “War, war, war; this war talk’s spoiling all the fun at
every party this spring. I get so bored I could scream.” Yes, being
anti-war in a time of domestic prosperity and moral apathy is an
easy sell. And so all hope for a united front would seem to be
gone, not only with the wind but with the weather; a much more
pleasant and convenient topic.
Now that it’s August, the media will undoubtedly turn their
attention to the president’s vacation. Camped out at the gates of
his Crawford, Texas ranch, they will take up their yearly cudgels
to lament both the length of his vacation and, more importantly,
its location.
If there’s one thing more insufferable than having to deal with
weighty issues in the good old summertime, it’s a man who chooses
to meditate on them far away from the media glare. So get ready for
the close-up: “Bush fiddles while Mideast burns.” Coming to a
theater near you.
