When I talk
about the liberty movement in movies or television, I don’t refer to Ron Paul
Flix or Rand Paul Flix (though those are both great venues and all Paul
supporters should check them out on YouTube as soon as possible). I’m talking about well-known and loved
Hollywood movies where the conservative/libertarian viewer can draw clear
parallels between the content of the film and a particular episode from his own
time as an activist. Once the viewer
knows what themes, archetypes, and patterns in character and plot development
to look for, there will be liberty movement parallels leaping at him from the
screen.
I won’t
include The Patriot in this rant, nor
will I include Atlas Shrugged, Margin Call, The Social Network, or any of the other movies favorably reviewed
by Jeffrey Tucker, Mark Thornton, and other Austrian economists. Why?
Those movies show the glories of voluntary association and individual
liberty while exposing the blatant evils of large, oppressive government,
intellectual property, Keynesian economics, etc. Basically, those movies all preach to the conservative/libertarian
choir.
Since I’m
feeling bitter and cynical, I want to have a good dark-humored laugh and make
light of the more trying episodes in our movement’s recent history. I want to be able to laugh at our
failures. Trust me, I’m not just some
nihilist—nihilists rarely apply themselves—I just think it’s healthy for us in
the liberty movement to be able to laugh at ourselves once in a while,
otherwise we’ll go crazy from all the setbacks and disappointments. Hence the popularity of the Ron Paul Problems
blog. Here’s a look at five movies with
scenes that serve as perfect metaphors for epic fails in our recent history:
1. Henry V. Kenneth Branagh’s portrayal of England’s King
Henry the Fifth (according to William Shakespeare) is nothing short of
excellent. The film and story truly are epic
(and enjoyable, despite the imperialistic overtones). The best scene of the entire film takes place
just after the Battle of Agincourt, where the English have defeated the French
but at a painful cost. Even the king’s
own squire was killed. The victors sing
the religious chant “Non Nobis Domine” as they wade through mud, blood, and
thousands of corpses to collect their own dead.
This scene reminds me of the day after the 2012 California Primary
Election where Ron Paul and a great many liberty candidates were annihilated by
neocons, yet we still managed to score a few victories for liberty candidates
who would survive to see the general election.
2. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. This movie is a classic for reasons I need
not explain. I’ll only mention that it’s
a great underdog story. Several of the
men in the asylum remind me of my comrades in our movement. Like them, people think we’re crazy but we’re
only playing their game because it serves our purposes. Unfortunately, the little rebellion in the
mental hospital was crushed by the vindictive nurse. At least the chief escaped! Most of our candidates may have been evaporated
in the 2012 election cycle, but some of them will live to fight another day.
Col. Claus von Stauffenberg |
3. Valkyrie. The Germans who conspired to take out Hitler
were by no means men of Ludwig von Mises’ caliber. Many of them were dedicated socialists and
more like rats on a sinking ship who saw how thinly stretched the Third Reich’s
forces were. Still, I have the highest
admiration for Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg who was truly different from most
of his co-conspirators in that he was never a member of the Nazi Party nor a
supporter of Hitler. Everyone knows the
July 20th plot to assassinate Hitler failed and Stauffenberg and company
were executed. This small group of
dedicated reformers who dared hijack the state, the Nazi Party, and the German
armed forces to enact instant change for the survival of their country remind
me of the vastly outnumbered Ron Paul delegates at the 2012 Republican National
Convention. What advice would I have
given the Paul delegates as they were being de-credentialed and swept aside at
the RNC? Stauffenberg’s words to General
Olbricht: “Look them in the eyes. That
way they’ll remember you.”
4. Richard III. Shakespeare has led us to believe that
England’s notorious king Richard the Third was a cruel and wicked despot whose
overthrow meant the liberation of his people from tyranny. Roy Morris Jr.’s editorial in the December
2012 issue of Military Heritage turns
that historical theory upside down since Richard had a legitimate claim to the throne
and the victorious Henry Tudor (Henry VII) was technically the usurper who
strong-armed his way to the throne in a bloody coup. Since Queen Elizabeth was a Tudor,
Shakespeare probably had to kiss ass in order to obtain the Queen’s political
favor by demonizing Richard III while making Henry VII look way more awesome
than even Ron Paul. Unfortunately,
Morris’ probably-true account doesn’t make good drama and Shakespeare’s
douchebag king does. Ian McKellen does
the role justice in the 1995 film paralleling the York regime with the Third
Reich. When the despot finally commits
suicide at Bosworth Field (with musical accompaniment by Al Jolson) the viewer
is left incredibly frustrated. Sure, it’s
great and dandy that the despot is dead, but everyone knows Henry should have
dealt the death blow! Picture the 2012
General Election: We’re all happy Romney got the crippling defeat he deserved,
especially after the millions he spent to sabotage Ron Paul, but it still sucks
that Paul wasn’t the victor in this election (and that we still have another
four years of Obama waiting for us).
5. The Empire Strikes Back. If anyone’s actually thinking of correcting
me for not writing the Star Wars Episode
V prefix, go punch yourself and bathe in cold water now. What happens in the
Empire Strikes Back? Just to name a few:
the Rebel Alliance get their asses handed to them in the Battle of Hoth, the
Alliance only narrowly survives after a fighting retreat, Luke Skywalker quits
his Jedi training early (and loses his arm in close combat), and Han Solo gets
frozen in carbonite and hauled away by Boba Fett. The gleeful days following the destruction of
the first Death Star are long gone, the Empire has regained the initiative, and
the Rebel Alliance is losing the war.
Welcome to the liberty movement today!
Ron Paul didn’t get the nomination, he’s now retired from Congress, a
great many liberty candidates didn’t get elected in 2012, Justin Amash and
other fiscal conservatives have been kicked off of key committees, and freaking
Jim DeMint left the Senate to go write fairy tales at the Heritage
Foundation. What the hell, man! But not all is lost. Rand Paul and Mike Lee are still the liberty
movement’s Dynamic Duo of the Senate; Amash, Bentivolio, Massey, and other
pillars of conservative/libertarian thought are still raising hell in the
House, and Judge Napolitano still hasn’t shut up.
Furthermore,
the final scene of The Empire Strikes
Back where Luke holds Leia is bittersweet but with a shade of optimism. Sure, it seems like the good guys are up shit
creek without a paddle, but the fact stands that Luke and Leia will live to
fight another day. The fact that members
of the liberty movement are reading this and agreeing with some of it means
that we will live to fight another day in the political process. Rand may even run for President in 2016! Together, you and I will push forward for liberty
and Constitutional government for as long as fifteen or twenty years if we have
to. (Because I’m also missing my right
arm, I get to be Luke Skywalker. No
discussions.) The statists may have won
this round but the fight ain’t over. I don’t know about all of you, but I don’t
intend to go quietly.
For liberty!
* * *
Film festival photo by "Borislavkf" and used via CC BY-SA 3.0 license. No copyrights were given or implied for the Stauffenberg photo. Both images were obtained from Wikimedia Commons. YouTube videos are not the property of Zach Foster but are used according to the Standard YouTube License. Intellectual Property can be a real pain in the ass sometimes. If it weren't I'd have used photo stills from Star Wars. Oh well. Add that to the list of things to bellyache about.
Excellent review, and a damn good read. There are also reinforcements coming; Check out David Kirk West's Buck the System productions. They've already released a short film with a libertarian hint of Red Dawn in One Man's Terrorist. They are currently working on a full-length feature which will be a libertarian-esque story of the war on drugs entitled The Smoking Gun.
ReplyDeleteI would also recommend checking into the making of a film to be called Gray State. David Crowley & Mitch Heil are attempting to create a real blockbuster for the anti-one world government crowd.
Libertarian talent is on the rise ;-}