bhkad

Pajamas Media Iron Man: Superhero Powered by Super-Shame

What would either of you say to this portion of a review of the film from Pajamasmedia?

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the makeout hobo

I think the reviewer was reading too much into it.

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bhkad

Noted. Thanks.

Thales

Same here. I saw it more as a corrupt businessman (the soon-to-be-Iron-Monger) representing the dark side of corporate greed, and Tony Stark as it's awakened moral compass.

People can read whatever they want into movies, often suiting their own political agendas.

I remember last year in history class, when we were studying Islam. Our teacher gave us an editorial about how Aladdin help propagate bigotry towards Arabs, then told us to write a page response on how it showed stereotypes. Two of the main points in the editorial were that Jafar gave off the impression that all Arabs were evil with scraggly beards, and also that the scene in which Jasmine's hand is almost cut off for stealing portrays Arab society in a bad light.

I thought this was reading way too much into a Disney movie, and that the children of America would certainly not care. But I responded to the points anyway.

In my response, I pointed out that all of the good characters like Aladdin, Jasmine, and the Sultan were all Arabs too. In fact all of the characters were Arab, so shouldn't the villain Jafar be Arab too? I also said that at the time, such corporal punishment for theft was common. In fact, such a punishment is stated in the Qu'ran and exhibited in Sharia, which obviously still exists.

But such a response was not appreciated in a freshman World History class, and my teacher simply wrote at the bottom of my page, "I understand you like the movie, but try to examine it from other people's points of view, not just your own."

Just as my teacher found Aladdin racist and I did not, this reviewer sees vilification of America where I do not. I just see them both as enjoyable films with far less inflammatory moral messages.

Zyphlin

You know, someone compared how good the movie was to transformers.

Funnily, there was also a big uproar about how Transformers was a "pro-military propoganda piece", where I also didn't view that as such either.

In both situations I can see how someone can twist them into what people are seeing, but I don't think it was the intent nor what someone would see if they weren't looking specifically for that kind of thing

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rivrrat

WTF?? Aladdin originated as a Middle Eastern story! One Thousand and One Nights, anyone? Arabian Nights? HELLO? Beuller?

I LOVE the stories in One Thousand and One Nights. Since I didn't see the movie, did they have a Jewish merchant in it that cheats Aladdin? Because there's one in the original story. The majority of the people in the story are Muslim because...well.. the story originated in the ME. Told by Middle Easterners. Verbally handed down for generations.

Your teacher was an idiot.

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bhkad

I'm not looking for anything of the sort. On the contrary, I have praised the positive things I have seen, read and heard about the film

What I have a history of doing for my entire posting history is allowing this community the benefit of my perspective.

Each of us have specific God-given talents which allow us to contribute something unique to this board and to life in general. At the risk of appearing self-serving, I believe one of my unique qualities is an ability to perceive things before others, a farsightedness. And from my experience I am about 6 - 12 months in front of the crowd.

Before others began doing so I was telling posters at other forums that there was more than one reason for the invasion, that oil was one of the main reasons, that our energy independence is crucial to our national security, that oil is running out and that Peak Oil is upon us, that Ann Coulter's attack on the "Jersey Girls" was a brilliant political move benefiting ALL partisan politicians in the long term and Republicans in the short term, how her attacks on John Edwards was also a deft surgical strike which helped shaped the current Democratic Party nomination situation and those are just a few off the top of my head.

And we all have seen some posters here at DP, or individuals in real life, who have different skills and talents than these I've mentioned. I trust that elaboration won't be necessary. And it isn't to say that those people are in any way inferior, we all just have different life experiences and strengths.

What I have seen from reading the plot of this film is an example of one of the subtle factors which have contributed to the negative changes in societal mindset and attitude over the years. Someone who hasn't lived long enough might not even recognize that there was any other way of life than what exists today.

Once upon a time there was an assumption that the United States was not only the most powerful nation on Earth, but also the BEST nation on Earth. We had our problems but we were proud of our policies, generally speaking, our elected representatives and most importantly, our principles.

So, for a significant number of American young people to start from the assumption that the government is the enemy and that the military is bad by its' very nature, well that is an abomination to me. And for some of us to somehow forget or not understand that the very principle of freedom which is our birthright is also the right by birth of every person on Earth, puzzles me. And when our young people casually enjoy their own freedom but deride our efforts we to help those other people on Earth to take back their right of freedom and liberty, it makes me wonder where they could have gotten such strange orientations.

The freedoms we fight to help Muslims attain is more important than the food supplies we might send these enslaved people. It is more important than the temporary pain these people may have to endure as they fight alongside us to gain their release from tyranny.

So, when I look at what once was and what now is and I see the wonderful, selfless AND selfish acts taking place in Iraq and realize that many young people automatically assume we are wrong, it makes me look at the possible causes.

And I believe one of the causes is a low level but steady demonization of different aspects of America. America is not perfect but for us to constantly see and hear others criticize America gives the unthinking person a license to repeat what they have heard and seen. And before you know it no one thinks there is anything wrong with this anti-American 'brainwashing.'

So there is little wonder you might think I'm looking to be offended.

I suspect you have been brainwashed for so long you know no better.

I'm pretty perceptive about these things and I love America and I have seen the difference between the way things are now and the way we once were.

If I were you I'd tuck this away somewhere in the back of my brain and keep my eyes and ears open and wait to see if there is another example which might prove or disprove bhkad's theory.

I don't look to be offended.

If I did I might find your post to resemble a windmill at which I might tilt.

But we're cool.

conquer

I agree with you. Who will take movies from hollywood seriously anyway?

Even the movies "based in a true story" are manipulated with fake events to make the movie more atractive.

conquer

The story belongs to the people who today is Iraq.

On the other hand, Arabians and Israelies are mentioned by both cultures in several ocassions. For example, the bible says in the common translation that the prphet Eliyahu was fed by "ravens" which provide him meat to eat.

What a fantasy, right?

But, by translating properly the Hebrew word "Oreb" as "Arabs" instead of "ravens", we find out that "Arabs" were Medianites who lived near the Jordan valley, and this Arabians -the enemies of the Israelites- were the ones feeding the prophet Eliyahu.

And this was the "miracle", that Arabs were feeding their enemy.

chrisyunke

OK, first of all, i just want to say, ARE YOU SERIOUS?!
The US Government HAS and WILL continue to sell our weapons and technology to other countries, be they good or bad. And it doesnt even have to be 'under the table'. The US Military sold nuclear weapons blueprints and weapons to Russia, Costa Rica, and various third world countries. What makes you think that this could not happen. And just because it would be stupid for someone to sell these weapons 'under the table', doesnt mean that they wont do it. All that they are thinking about it the money. They are not thinking about the consequences for their treason. Same thing goes with contract killers, they just think about the prize.

Do you honestly believe that that could never happen?

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