War movies should be banned/regulated in America.

I feel that this is an important issue to address with the release of films such as The Interview and, more recently, American Sniper. American Sniper is a film about Iraqi War veteran Chris Kyle, detailing his experiences as the 'Deadliest Marksman in US History. Many are complaining that the film not only is an example of modern propaganda, but that it further sparks a sense of Islamophobia in Americans, and frankly, I think they're right. The first minutes of the movie consists of the main character shooting a little muslim child and then having a flashback to him hunting deer with his dad when he was younger. What does this imply? That the murder of a child was somehow sweet? Whether it was intentional or not, some say that it implies that people of colour are nothing more than animals and need to be slaughtered. It's no secret that America has some sense of Islamophobia. Ever since 9/11, there have been people who chose to blame the event on the entire Muslim population rather than the outliers who were truly responsible. And by glorifying a man who was known for killing Muslims, what kind of message is this sending? Chris Kyle should not be glorified to any extent. It is so common of Americans to classify anyone who served in the military as a hero. And, while it takes a lot of courage to fight in a war, it does not automatically make someone a good person, let alone a hero. Kyle writes in his autobiography, the basis of the movie, "Savage, despicable evil. That"s what we were fighting in Iraq ... I hate the damn savages. I couldn"t give a flying f**k about the Iraqis." (1) With the political outcry over former cancellation of "The Interview", there's no doubt the same thing would happen if this movie was pulled. "Freedom of speech!" they would cry. Well, yes, freedom of speech is important, but to what extent? In cases like this, freedom of speech is trumped. Lives are at risk because of this movie. Since its release, many have sent out tweets with hate speech and death threats towards Muslims and Arab-Americans. (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) In fact, some of the threats were apparently so severe that the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) sent out a letter to director Clint Eastwood and Bradley Cooper, the film's star. (7) Our rights are meant to protect us more than anything, and right now, it's clear that's not what they're doing. They're being abused, and instilling fear into many Muslims and Arab-Americans. "I'm scared to even enter a movie theater where American Sniper is playing," says one Muslim girl. "Many of my hijabi friends went to see the movie ... one of them got attacked last night while exiting the theater ... And security didn't do anything." (8) It's clear that some cannot handle watching a war movie without causing a violent backlash, and it's simply safer to ban them, or at least check them for accuracy. Yes, it would be unfair to those who are responsible enough to watch it, but it's just like in preschool: if one person can't have something, neither can anyone else. (1) http://electronicintifada.net... (2) https://twitter.com... (3) https://twitter.com... (4) http://electronicintifada.net... (5) https://pbs.twimg.com... (6) https://pbs.twimg.com... (7) http://www.usatoday.com... (8) https://31.media.tumblr.com...