The Poli-Sci of Sci-Fi

A genre of film that has been dismissed for decades by parents as silly futuristic nonsense is science fiction.  Many artists know a simple way to discuss taboo subjects of any nature is to weave them into a fictional story.  It is said that the Grimm Fairy Tales were used to help unify Austria.  How you might ask?  By telling the same stories to the same generation of children helped create a basis for a familiar culture, which that group could identify with.  George Orwell witnessed the rise of Communism after WWII.  His book 1984 paints a dark (yet sadly accurate) future of government control and violence forcing both physical and mental submission of the individual.  The 1950’s was awash with cold war era fears and artists used science fiction as a vehicle to exploit the public’s’ anxieties, with movies such as The Day The Earth Stood Still, Fail Safe, The Thing From Another Planet, Invasion Of The Body Snatchers.

After the turmoil of the 1960’s audiences looked to the hero’s journey in space with the infamous Star Wars franchise.  A long space opera weaving the rise and fall of the German National Socialist Party (A.K.A. Nazis Party) into its backdrop.  In fact the final scene of Star Wars was a shot for shot remake of a famous Nazis propaganda film Triumph of The Will. You can read more on this here http://www.swifteconomics.com/2010/11/11/star-wars-fascism/

Through the 1980’s to the present sci-fi fans have been over saturated with anti-capitalist, anti-corporation, pro Marxist themes.  It started with smaller subversive suggestions and has evolved to blatant implementation of political theory.  The landmark sci-fi film Alien portrays a blue collar group of minors who encounter a vicious alien.  Once the corporation that employs said miners realizes the possible value of the alien specimen they are quick to sacrifice their employees in order to obtain the alien.  The “evil” corporation theme is constant through the entire Alien franchise, portraying any capitalist as bloodthirsty and willing sacrifice anyone in order to make a buck.  The Robocop franchise attempts to tie in “evil” corporations with National Socialist politics, using Nazis Party imagery and having the poor being forced out of Detroit.  A city which has been bankrupted not by capitalists, but by socialist/Marxist ideology in real life.  Nevertheless filmmakers paint the capitalist as the antagonist.  In recent years this anti-corporate/anti-capitalist theme intensified with the Resident Evil franchise and Avatar.

Today Sci-fi has pushed beyond simple underlying themes to the realm of political propaganda.  The political theory of Vladimir Lenin is this “the belief in the necessity of a violent overthrow of capitalism through communist revolution, to be followed by a dictatorship of the proletariat (working class) as the first stage of moving towards communism, and the need for a vanguard party to lead the proletariat in this effort—developed into Marxism–Leninism, a highly influential ideology.”  That being said what are the major concepts of Elysium, In TIme, Snowpiercer, The Day After Tomorrow, Contagion, even The Matrix trilogy?  For Elysium, Snowpiercer, and In Time it is almost verbatim to Lenin’s political theory. Violent overthrow of the upper class in order to establish a communist system.  Sounds pretty sexy?  That is until you read about the actual history of communism and the amount of death that followed.  A fact that hollywood will never portray is that communism is responsible for more human carnage throughout history than any war or revolution, more than the crusades, more than the holocaust.  People will respond well it is a good movie, or I just wanna see the effects which is anyone’s right to do so.  I endorse the free market of ideas and all ideas are always welcome, no matter how great or terrible people think they are.  I do however fear the overwhelming tide of marxist ideology being washed over audiences in recent years and as Mr. Orwell foretold.  I too fear the future.  I close with this quote from one of the greatest propagandists of the twentieth century.  “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.” – Joseph Goebbels

Movie Picks to Celebrate American Independence

You cannot celebrate the 4th without films portraying the American Revolutionary War.  One of our longest wars in American History.  Mel Gibson’s The Patriot is a great starting place for the war.  The battles are epic and the desperation of fighting a guerrilla war in the southern colonies is captured very well.  Two mini-series that encompass the entire era HBO’s John Adams and CBS’s 1980’s mini-series George Washington (which is no longer in print, but you can buy DVD rips of the VHS tapes) which covers Washington’s entire life and is considered to be one of the best portrayals of him on-screen.  My Netflix pick is about the first skirmish of the war titled April Morning.  These films will help you get a taste of what the founders of this country accomplished.

Films that embody America and have inspired generations are great for remembering our founding and our Heroes who have sacrificed so much to preserve liberty across the globe.  The iconic Patton played by George C. Scott is a cinematic masterpiece giving one of the greatest speeches in film history.  The epic battle of San Juan Hill in John Millius’s Rough Riders has the greatest portrayal of Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt.  Performed by Tom Berenger.  Since I mentioned John Milius let us not forget Red Dawn (both original and remake) is a great reminder for America’s youth.  Last but never least is the one man who will forever be identified with America and that is the one and only “The Duke”  John Wayne.  You could probably just pick any of his films but to hand-pick a few Sands of Iwo Jima, The Green Berets, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and a family favorite McClintock.

If violence and battlefields bore you and you want something more for the homefront.  Have  no fear I have a few titles for you.  The Best Years Of Our Lives about three WWII veterans coming home after the war.  This is a must see for any military family.  A Hallmark film called An American Story which is based on actual events.  This film is about veterans who come home from the war find that their town has been corrupted by crooked politicians and war profiteers.  Jimmy Stewart’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is the all inspiring tale of good man comes to corrupted government.  Second Hand Lions is a great family film about teaching a young boy about becoming a man.  Finally a true story that can only happen in America is Will Smith in The Pursuit of Happiness is a wonderful reminder of what America is famous for, the place where anyone achieve greatness no matter their race, religion, or status.

There are many more films out there, but I hope this helps you understand why we celebrate Independence Day. “Posterity! You will never know how much it cost the present Generation to preserve your Freedom! I hope you will make good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in Heaven, that I ever took half the Pains to preserve it.”

― John Adams