'American Sniper' Stirs Controversy Over Protagonist's Stature

[Stephen Retired]

Remember, Chris Kyle was killed by a man (Eddie Ray Routh) who suffered from PTSD because he had shot other human beings. The American Sniper's solution to help Routh? Taking him to a fucking shooting range!

American Asshole, fighting an Unnecessary War in Iraq, started by The Biggest Asshole In American History.

[livingonearth]

1. I'm not going to try and judge Kyle, but I don't understand his type of soldier.

The soldiers in my life weren't so quick to talk about killing, let alone write a book about it. In fact, they avoided the subject of war totally. My father never wanted to talk about anything he had to do in WW2. My cousin hated to talk about Vietnam. They didn't think it was right. With my wife's father it was the same. He stopped the conversation if it was about his time in the Second World War.

The fact that Kyle wrote a book about something every other soldier I have ever known avoided makes him very different to me. And, something tells me it's not a healthy difference.

[stuffmatters]

4. Agree...No WWII rels or friends ever talked about their battle experiences

I noticed this some years ago. I had an uncle in DDay , only after his death did I find out he was a survivor. War in the Pacific vets even more reticent; my father & friends' father survived Japanese prison camps & the war in the Pacific, never talked about it. And my Vietnam veteran peers, only talked about their experience in the framework of "never again" It's no coincidence that the Bush administration that lied America into the Iraq War was full of chickenhawks, not soldiers who'd experienced that war is hell.

There are many Iraq vets in Veterans for Peace. But the clearer it becomes to the general public that Iraq was
a con job & Afghanistan a quagmire, that both only increased hatred against America, the more shrill many of the Iraq vets voices become. Also the mainstream media, which blindly supported these two disasters, continues to canonize those vets.

I understand & support 21stcentury vets fighting for health and education benefits they were promised. But this country as a whole would be a lot healthier if that administration responsible for the lies, profiteering & atrocity of Iraq were prosecuted and if the mainstream media, who stenographed their lies, also apologized.

Our local San Diego CBS ran this "murder" billboard story & their newsmodel ...Barbara Lee Edwards...felt free to chime in with her blanket condemnation of this graffiti. Not even an inch of space in her brain or a clue at this tv station that the graffiti might be justified.

[Dustlawyer]

7. I have sat through so many asbestos depositions, thousands of elderly gentlemen, mostly Veterans.

Ninety percent didn't want to talk about it. Unfortunately, they had to as part of their case. I have heard so many horrible stories, though not all was bad, what was was really bad. Most of those guys wouldn't have a high opinion of snipers. Some of the worst stories I heard were about snipers and what it was like at the other end of the shot. One guy who testified that he had spent some time on Iwo Jima told us that "You ate, slept, and sh*t in your foxhole because there were snipers everywhere!" He said he saw these guys going up the side of the mountain and thought they were crazy. He said that "...if I knew then what I know now I would have done it too!"
I understand that in war snipers are necessary. But this guy, he was no hero. This guy was a psychopath.

[wolfie001]

2. When I grew up in the '60s and '70s, the US had .........

.....a very suspicious view on all things military. One example was the popularity of MASH. In hindsight, I feel this is a very healthy outlook for all citizens to have. This "hero worship" mentality has lead us down a very slippery slope. The RW fanatics don't want any discussion or negative feedback to their disastrous running of the country from 2001-2009. Plus, Obama and the drones....blyat! I'll never see this nasty movie. Fuck CE.

[stuffmatters]

5. And CATCH 22 was one of our generations favorite books!

[underpants]

6. On my birthday I watch two movies

Little Big Man and Catch 22 - I maybe one of the few but I thought Buck Henry's screenplay was as good as anyone could do

[Richard D]

3. "The ability to laugh through it all"

American Psychopath.