Daniel Maibenco, Columnist
On Dec. 25, 2014, the film American Sniper was released. Numerous film critics have said the movie was brilliantly performed and the actors have raised awareness about the plague of PTSD that affects many soldiers, both on and off the battlefield.
It also pays tribute to the man who wrote the book American Sniper, Chris Kyle. He was a decorated war hero who was killed shortly before the film was released.
However, there is one unexpected twist in this American Sniper saga. That twist is the tweets film maker Michael Moore and actor Seth Rogen have made during the past week.
Moore said, “My uncle was killed by a sniper in WWII… We were taught snipers were cowards…snipers aren’t heroes.” Rogen tweeted how the film reminded him of a Nazi propaganda film shown in Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds.
Moore and Rogen have tried to undermine the success of the American Sniper film. Arguably, they have shown their true, unpatriotic colors.
They have since stated that their comments were taken out of context and were not meant to be taking seriously. But, unfortunately for them, their film audiences are not stupid.
The movie about Chris Kyle and the men he served with was not meant to glorify war. It was made to show how much war affects them during and after their military service.
I believe their comments have shown these two to be extremely out-of-touch with the symbolism of the film as absorbed into their own quaint realities.
Moore and Rogen say that snipers aren’t heroes and that Chris Kyle wasn’t one either.
By trying to slander American Sniper and Chris Kyle, it shows how much they do not respect any of our troops.
Above all, these comments about American Sniper speak ill of the dead. Chris Kyle fought for our country and had to deal with nightmares about his tours in Iraq. He died trying to help a former marine with severe PTSD. No one has the right to slander someone of upstanding character.
The film American Sniper was very successful, and even the antics of Moore and Rogen can’t undermine its universal praise.
If Moore and Rogen are willing and able to slander the dead, then we, the people, should send them a message. That message would be to boycott and avoid all their films.