good movie, but it panders to Scots-Irish socio-politics of America

Rating: 7/10 (1 February 2005)

This movie is a well made and rousing movie. It is a gritty movie.
And it taps deeply into the Scots-Irish socio-political background of America. And I would know--I am an American of mostly Scots-Irish descent.
The Scots-Irish socio-politics is maybe the biggest single problem with America, and the biggest problem with the world, at least right now.
There is a massive reservoir of cultural stupidity in the Scots-Irish culture. You can see it ALL OVER this movie. It is central to this movie. What it is, is the idea that fighting and dying for this ephemeral concept, freedom, is a Good Thing. What a sad sad idea that really is. Better to live and sabotage and fight a low profile cultural fight, rather than fight and die as they did in this movie.
Unfortunately, the Scots Irish has bought into this fantasy time and time again. But throughout history, it has never been the brave warrior-patriot-citizen who has exhorted the Scots-Irish and the American people to war for fight for "freedom." No, indeedy. Instead, it has been the rich, the powerful, and the corporations who have used this subterfuge in order to persuade the SCots Irish to fight and die. Corporate profits and more riches and estates for the wealthy have almost always been disguised as "freedom." Those Scots Irish wound up immigrating to America, and now they form the base of the Republican party. And now we have yet another faux warrior-patriot-citizen in George Bush, exhorting the Scots Irish to die for freedom. And once again, they are falling for the manipulation. Well, at least most of them. But not this old Scots-Irish....