AlterNet: What a Cheesy 1980s Teen-Flick Can Teach Us About the Bush Doctrine

[marmar]

What a Cheesy 1980s Teen-Flick Can Teach Us About the Bush Doctrine

By Brad Reed, AlterNet. Posted January 15, 2009.

From rejecting diplomacy to abusing prisoners to disdaining Europe, "Red Dawn" offers a blueprint for the Bush years.



Although movement conservatives routinely accuse Hollywood filmmakers of treason and sedition, they also spend a lot of time combing through Hollywood films searching for scraps of patriotic themes and messages to exploit. From the bodily function comedy Knocked Up to the homoerotic Greek sweatfest 300 to the summer bubblegum action flick Transformers, the members of the Right's Konservetkult have found an almost endless supply of pro-conservative messages in the unlikeliest of places. However, there is one film from the 1980s that conservatives can legitimately claim promotes their political worldview and values.

Red Dawn, an M-grade action-thriller starring a young Patrick Swayze, has been justifiably touted by movement conservatives as the defining work of the right wing's artistic canon. In his infamously short-lived blog on the Washington Post Web site, RedState.org founder Ben Domenech praised Red Dawn as "the greatest pro-gun movie ever" because "they actually show the jackbooted communist thugs prying the guns from cold dead hands." Meanwhile, one of columnist Jonah Goldberg's readers was even more enthusiastic about the film, saying that thinking about it made him want to "grab a cold one and shout ‘Wolverines!' from my roof deck."

Just what is it about Red Dawn that sends a thrill up conservatives' legs? Well the plot of the film, such as it is, revolves around the Soviet and Cuban armies invading and occupying the Colorado town of Calumet (Population: fewer than 8,000) and senselessly slaughtering patriotic Yankees who prove unwilling to part with their private property.

(Why the Soviets would need to use several tanks and helicopters to occupy such a small town in the middle of nowhere is never really explained. Presumably, the godless city-dwellers on the coasts failed to pose any resistance as they were too busy throwing surrender parades to honor their new overlords, thus leaving the burden of starting an anti-Commie resistance movement to the red-blooded Amur'kins living in the Heartland.) .......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/audits/119254/what_a_cheesy_1980s_teen-flick_can_teach_us_about_the_bush_doctrine/

[FSogol]

1. K & R.

Gawd, What a dopey movie that was. A masturbatory fantasy for Republicans and gun nuts.

[shadowknows69]

2. I personally think it's a lot more nuanced than that

It's really a very anti-war movie for both sides. The only real happy ending in it is that the war does eventually end. Frankly I think we should have all turned into "WOLVERINES!!!" as soon as the fucker stole things in 2000.

[ixion]

3. indeed..cheesy as it is, in large part thanks to C. Thomas Howell and Powers Boothe

I think that it was not a one dimensional story, despite the fact that it was contrived... and predictable. It did make many anti-war points. Unfortunately, these points were often laced with faux patriotism.

Jenifer Grey and Lea Thompson make it watchable, despite the silliness. ;)