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Is Thinking Obsolete?
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A Further Perspective
A Powerful Movie
Dinesh D’Souza’s 2016 is must viewing.
Years, and sometimes decades, pass between my visits to movie theaters. But I drove 30 miles to see the movie 2016, based on Dinesh D’Souza’s best-selling book, The Roots of Obama’s Rage. Where I live is so politically correct that such a movie would not even be mentioned, much less shown.
Every seat in the theater was filled, even though there had been an earlier showing that day, and more showings were scheduled for the rest of the afternoon and evening. I had to sit on a staircase in the balcony, but it was worth it.
The audience was riveted. You could barely hear a sound from them, or detect a movement, and certainly not smell popcorn. Yet the movie had no bombast, no violence, no sex and no spectacular visual effects.
The documentary itself was fascinating, as Dinesh D’Souza presented the story of Barack Obama’s life and view of the world, in a very conversational sort of way, illustrating it with visits to people and places around the world that played a role in the way Obama’s ideas and beliefs evolved.
It was refreshing to see how addressing adults as adults could be effective, in an age when so many parts of the media address the public as if they were children who need a constant whirlwind of sounds and movements to keep them interested.
Dinesh D’Souza’s own perspective, as someone born in India who came to America and became an American, provided a special insight into the way people from the Third World often perceive or misperceive the United States and the Western world.
That Third World perspective is Obama’s perspective, D’Souza demonstrates in this documentary, as in his book — and it is a perspective that is very foreign to that of most Americans, which may be why some believe that Obama was born elsewhere.
D’Souza is convinced that the president was born in Hawaii, as he claims, but argues that not only Obama’s time living in Indonesia but also his emotionally charged visits to his father’s home in Africa have had a deep and impassioned effect on his thinking.
The story of Barack Obama, however, is not just the story of how one man came to be the way he is. It is a much larger story about how millions of Americans came to vote for, and some to idolize, a man whose fundamental beliefs and values are so different from their own.
For every person who sees Obama as somehow foreign there are many others who see him as a mainstream American political figure — and an inspiring one.
This D’Souza attributes to Barack Obama’s great talents in rhetoric, and his ability to project an image that resonates with most Americans, however much that image may differ from, or even flatly contradict, the reality of Obama’s own ideological view of the world.
What is that ideological view?
The Third World, or anti-colonial, view is that the rich nations have gotten rich by taking wealth from the poor nations. It is part of a much larger vision, in which the rich in general have gotten rich by taking from the poor, whether in their own country or elsewhere.
Whatever its factual weaknesses, it is an emotionally powerful vision, to which many people have dedicated their lives, and for which some have even risked their lives. Some of these people appear in this documentary movie, as they have appeared throughout the formative phases of Barack Obama’s life.
The Reverend Jeremiah Wright is just the most visible and vocal of a long line of such people who played crucial roles in Obama’s evolution. When Jeremiah Wright thundered about how “white folks’ greed runs a world in need,” he captured the essence of the Third World or anti-colonial vision.
About the Author
Thomas Sowell is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305. His website is www.tsowell.com. To find out more about Thomas Sowell and read features by other Creators Syndicate columnists and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
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Appleby| 8.22.12 @ 7:06AM
I have a younger sister with this toxic worldview, and nobody in the family can figure out how she came by it. My sister was not brought up by third world parents in an anti-colonialist mileau; she would not even know what this meant. She has not been to University. She does not read philosophy, nor does she have friends who do. She does not read much of anything, in fact, nor does she attend church. She's a hard worker and a survivor. Nevertheless, she firmly believes that every dime in the world currently in the control of other people rightfully belongs to her. She cannot understand property rights, in the abstract or the concrete. I hear this all around me, and I used to believe that it showed defective upbringing and a narrowness of social circle. But there stands my sister who was brought up in a conservative, tea party, religious family and yet holds exactly the views of Obama. Where does this come from?
Dodd2| 8.22.12 @ 7:38AM
"Where does this come from?"
Could be mental illness.
Jacob McCandles| 8.22.12 @ 8:56AM
Could be mental illness, but almost certainly due to emotion, not awareness of the facts. I just had to have CBO statistics printed up for an intelligent liberal who REFUSED to admit GW Bush never ran a deficit over half a trillion. Her views are driven by emotion, in her case fear that social conservatives will harm her due to her chosen lifestyle.
Envy and fear are the most likely IMO. For the youngsters, it's usually fear of social isolation, or a desperate need to fit into a group fueled by deep-seated insecurities. For older folks, it's usually envy, or again, feeling like crap about yourself because others have proven themselves more able to succeed and be happy.
Pecos Pete| 8.22.12 @ 9:53AM
JMc: Excellent comment!
JD| 8.22.12 @ 10:53AM
Many liberals still think trillions in war costs aren't on the books for the Bush years. They wouldn't employ similar thinking to wonder about Obama's books, though.
Cobalt| 8.22.12 @ 7:49AM
Some people think it is "cool" to be liberal.
scotchieguy| 8.22.12 @ 9:37AM
That is exactly why Obama became president. He LOOKED hip, and that was enough for half the country who were blinded by idolatry to him while simultaneously perceiving McCain as old and tired looking.
Bob K| 8.22.12 @ 9:07AM
She chose to think this way.
"People don't have ideas, they choose them." So says John Lukacs in his 2005 historical essay: "Democracy and Populism -- Fear and Hatred." "It is that in the age of popular sovereignty our concern must be with how people think, how they choose to think, including how they are influenced or impressed to think and speak." page 47 in the Chapter "The Accumulation of Opinions."
"What governs the world (and especially in the democratic age) is not the accumulation of money, or even of goods, but the accumulation of opinions." p45. 350 years ago Pascal stated "Opinions govern the world." In our democratic age these opinions can be "manufactured and even falsified through the machinery of publicity....."pp45-46.
Controse| 8.22.12 @ 10:49AM
Sounds good to me. If there are no property rights the fruits of her hard work and "survivorship" must belong to me as long as I can take them and keep them. Please have her forward her bank account number to save me the hassle. Thanks.
Alan Obama Fan Brooks | 8.22.12 @ 11:14AM
"It is a much larger story about how millions of Americans came to vote for..."
Did the flick go into how the GOP wasted our time with John McCain? And this year you run a Rockefeller liberal? You gluttons for punishment!
Petronius| 8.22.12 @ 11:39AM
Her friends
Anthony| 8.22.12 @ 2:38PM
I see a certain similarity between your sister's entitlement mentality and that of Rep. Akin.
Decades of rampant leftism, self absorbedness, and the "me" culture have rotted the very soul of America, despite a good family upbringing.
It's no wonder Obozo has shown up at this time in our history to preside over the demise of America. He is the essense of the rot that has taken over America.
Mr. Akin "feels" this same sense of entitlement, hence, he will not think of the greater good. It's his time and he will not be deprived, because Mr. Akin sees himself and his needs as above those of everybody else, greater consequences be damned.
Despite being a good conservative, his soul has been rotted out by our sick culture. He will forfeit all that he claims to believe in because "it's his".
I don't want to get into the fairness of this or the hypocrisy of the left, we know all that. But Akin cannot put his country above his own desires, no matter how unfair it all is.
It reminds me of the tap dancing senator Craig, I believe, who was caught in the mens room trolling for sex. His first reaction was the honorable one, he said the nation's situation called for him not to be a distraction and that he needed to step down for the good of the country. That lasted 10 minutes and he did an immediate 180.
So Appleby, your sister's worldview is shared by millions, including many conservatives when the shit hits the fan.
We can only hope the sickness abates before it truly destroys us.
Mnestheus| 8.22.12 @ 7:26AM
That Dinesh has produced a movie verges on the miraculous; that Mr. Sowell should credence it is merely to be expected.
KennesawJack| 8.22.12 @ 9:02AM
Why is that, exactly?
Alan Obama Fan Brooks | 8.22.12 @ 11:15AM
"Why is that, exactly?"
Over your little head?
Tom Kyba| 8.22.12 @ 12:48PM
That you and this brooks boy think regulars at this site are moved by the potshots you take, having heard and read these boring grade 6 level snide remarks ad nauseum, is the real miracle.
P.S. You used the word miraculous. Careful, your cult leaders may not approve.
Indy| 8.22.12 @ 7:53AM
See the trailer and find a theater near you
http://2016themovie.com/
Take a friend, neighbor, co-worker, etc. I would suggest buying tickets online as showings are selling out and the chance to see it is limited.
Boar Hunter| 8.22.12 @ 10:23AM
Thanks for the link. : )
Indy| 8.22.12 @ 1:51PM
yw, I recommend visiting the site often, it wasn't until today that I realized there was a closer showing to me due to recent scheduling changes. I was prepared to drive an hour and now a showing is much closer. I actually plan to print off some flyers from the website and add movie times / locations and then hand them out at local stores.
Occam's Tool| 8.23.12 @ 11:15AM
It is coming to the movie theatre in my small town in Northwest MN. MUST SEE!
MK48| 8.22.12 @ 6:29PM
Indy..........just saw the movie wasen't worth the ticket price.
Dinesh did a good job on the movie for thoes who are uninformed and I mean deft...dumb....and...blind.
By now if you don't know what is going on with the state of this country you don't deserve to live here.
Occam's Tool| 8.23.12 @ 5:58PM
MK48: Yes, I am sure that I will know everything in the movie. However, getting a documentary like this one to slam up the movie theatres cash receipts is a good way to get more Conservative documentaries shown. Plus, my kids don't know about it all that much (they are 8 and 9), and so I am taking them to it this weekend. It is important that they get it understood well, and as easily as possible.
TSD| 8.22.12 @ 8:03AM
Thanks Thomas and Dinesh, it is high time (or maybe 4 years late) that the voters in America learn who this man is!! We have a big choice, fight for and keep the American Dream for future generations or let the social dreamers kill it. This is the election for our future!!!
Von Mises Jr| 8.22.12 @ 9:03AM
Dinesh D'Souza is also a great thinker and writer as is Dr. Thomas Sowell. Dinesh D'Souza is President of Kings College, served at the Hoover Institute and has documented stellar academic achievements.
He is author of several great books such as "What's So Great about America," "What's So Great about Christianity," "The Enemy at Home," "The Virtue of Prosperity" and "Letters To a Young Conservative" and other riveting books.
He is everything Obama is not. He is documented brilliant with SAT scores all in the mid-700 ranges, Graduated with Top Honors and is damn proud of his country (America), not AmeriKKKa.
My friends saw the movie and I will soon.
CJW| 8.22.12 @ 11:31AM
Von
Agree with you about Dinesh. Read some of those books, and saw him debating Christopher Hitchens about atheism. Dinesh was very good, sharp,as was Hitchens, not that I agree with Hitchens.
It should not surprise anyone that Obama does not like the USA. He promised to radically tranform our country. You can improve but why radically transform unless you do not like it.
O is a hypocrite. He spent maybe two hours with his father, who abandoned him to be supported by his white granny. Then O claims to be affected to honor his father when he visited Kenya. If he was serious he would have given some of his money, extracted from Rezko and Michele's $350,000 per year earmark job, to his brother and other relatives living in poverty.
Von Mises Jr| 8.22.12 @ 3:39PM
His brother George is not a communist, so he is SOL. Dinesh helped him out since he is a conservative like his book is titled.
It is always the conservatives that help people out while communist use class and race warfare to take their friends to "The Festival of Lights" for a cool $2M, and jet off to Maaathas Vineyard and Vale.
Bill8472| 8.22.12 @ 9:13AM
Jeremiah Wright says, "white folks' greed runs a world in need?"
Well, there are two options: (1) eliminate greed altogether, or (2) let "minority folks' greed run a world in need."
So, which of the two alternatives is most likely? Eliminating greed, or turning the running of the world over to black people and calling that an improvement?
Tom Kyba| 8.22.12 @ 12:50PM
Someone should ask Rev. Hate how big a house does he need.
Kilgore Trout| 8.22.12 @ 12:55PM
Take a look at Detroit for your answer.
Pecos Pete| 8.22.12 @ 9:56AM
Initially, I found it hard to imagine that Dr. Sowell watched the movie from steps in the theater when he could certainly have watched a private showing. Then I thought that doing so proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Dr. Sowell is one of us. A patriot.
Kwan| 8.22.12 @ 10:28AM
Con-men like Barack Obama and Bernie Madoff are masters of deception. Even with his 3+ years of abysmal failure before the electorate's eyes, the ultimate con-man Obama keeps up the shuck-n-jive hustle looking to fleece one more sucker of his vote, so that he can continue the destruction of the country he hates (Would you want to "fundamentally transform" something that you loved?).
OregonBuzz| 8.22.12 @ 10:39AM
"....Barack Obama's great talents in rhetoric, and his ability to project an image that resonates with most Americans,,," I find no "great talents" in the Liar in Chief, other than his skill at prevarication, and I find his "image" disgusting and an affront to liberty loving Americans everywhere. I also do not believe that he was born in Hawaii as the document he produced as a birth certificate is so obviously a forgery and has been proven so by several experts. Mr. D'Souza is deluded.
MK48| 8.22.12 @ 11:20AM
Call me a "berther" if you want but open your past "what are you hiding".
Remember the DUCK theory..............walks, talks, looks like.....need I say more.
Yesterday I heard that Paul Ryan dated, had a black girl friend in HS, also he has black relatives.
Wonder why the der media didn't say anything.....
BackToBasics| 8.22.12 @ 11:25AM
After the movie has made its circuit, it's too bad that no Conservative or Republican billionaire is stepping forward to pay for airing it on a cable channel for about 5 nights in early to mid October.
It's oversights like these that cost Republicans votes. If the dems had an honest documentary like this against Romney they'd step up to the plate with any funding necessary to advertise it, air it often nationwide in October on cable.
TeaPartyNow| 8.24.12 @ 12:07PM
It doesn't matter, people today want solutions. Not this. This movie offers no solutions, and therefor will not help the cause for freedom, if there even still is one. The right has no solutions, and merely points to other people and says "they are bad". We knew they were bad, but if the right isn't better, who cares?
Indy| 8.22.12 @ 8:40PM
I see the movie as a chance to wake up those who don't pay attention or who do nothing but watch ABC, CBS, NBC. Readers here for the most part are awake (we do have our drones, don't we). As Jake Tapper recently said, the media is letting down the country (can you say understatement). So many can recite the past 5 winners of American Idol but have no idea who Frank Marshall Davis is so I will continue to encourage as many people as possible to see it. Maybe it will be a disappointment but I'm willing to give it a shot. I'll take Sowell's recommendation. Any dollar I spend on a conservative movie is one that doesn't go to the Left. Thank you for your feedback.
Indy| 8.22.12 @ 8:42PM
This was supposed to be a reply to MK48, sorry about that.
TeaPartyNow| 8.24.12 @ 12:03PM
This will have zero effect on anything. It is preaching to the choir. You'd have to offer solutions to our problems before you see a positive outcome politically for liberty. This merely exploits and exposes our disease. It offers no cure. Sorry.