When you have a country of people led by lunatic celebrities who converse with the nation's enemies, or citizens too scared to say they love America...does a movie about the ultimate patriot have a prayer?
Comic book characters are often created to pander to the culture that said creators are seeking to entice. They are to be relevent and mirror our own fears and ambitions, as well as (at least as of recently) a depiction of the darkened world that we all now inhabit since watching America get attacked years ago. And this brings me back to Captain America. Captain America is unabashedly patriotic and completely ready to die for his country, which is not just ANY country, but The United States of America. I cannot help but think such unbridled patriotism will turn a lot of people off, and here's why:
I think America is without a doubt, the greatest country that the world has ever, or will ever see. However, I also think that many American PEOPLE have a VERY short memory and are VERY fickle. Case in point, those of you who are old enough to clearly remember 9/11, do you remember the surge in patriotism that the country felt immediatly after? The American flags everywhere? The patriotic songs on the radio? It was beautiful, but far too brief. The pride wore out quickly, and as soon as the Iraq War rolled around, people became very critical of their own country and to say you supported the troops, produced resentment from many Americans. You had celebrities equating American troops...who were fighting and dying for their country, for better or worse...to terrorists. You had morons like Sean Penn, going to Iraq to try to ease the tension, because everyone knows that short tempered ACTORS with big mouths have always been known to save the world, right?
With the election of President Obama, many American people believed that we would once again reign as the supreme nation, the one upon which God shed His Grace, and yet I don't see other countries embracing us, and I see this renewed sense of patriotism, as being yet another fad. And so, I fear that when all of this winds down, and the long-awaited Captain America movie finally hits theaters, the powers that be, will censor him, or water him down. Don't believe me? How bout in "Superman Returns" when Perry White says "Find out if he still stands for truth, justice...all that stuff" instead of uttering the immortal phrase properly "Truth, Justice and the American Way." I doubt that was a coincidence.
You see, here's the dirty little secret that no one wants to tell you...America IS the greatest country on Earth. Always has been. She makes as many mistakes as anyone else, but that doesn't change her greatness. And it's possible to love your country even if you loathe it's leader(s). And honestly, I think we will see that anti-patriot mentality...to SOME DEGREE...when we finally see Cap on the silver screen. And while I hope I'm wrong, I look at it like this: Captain America is a reflection of his nation's patriotism...the embodiment. Well the people of our nation seem to remember things that happened many years ago, better than they do 9/11. Not a day should go by when we don't think about our brothers who died that day, but I think that it's rare that most people ever make themselves remember. And I think that avoidance is indicitive of the stance many Americans hold about their country. They see it as a flawed nation that isn't the greatest, but merely a hinderence upon the rest of the world...a nosy neighbor that mixes itself up in other people's business. Well...that's pretty much the price you pay when you're the strongest. Loving your country should not be taboo. And it should not take the election of a person from one party or another, for someone to admit they love their country. They just should, regardless. So, I really hope people will love whatever kind of Cap movie comes along, and for more than just special effects, but I doubt they will, because in this kind of climate, how can even a super-soldier surivive?
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TheDurkinKnight
4/16/2009