What an indictment!!

Rating: 6/10 (5 October 2012)

Dear John..... Well, we've heard that line before haven't we? This could have been a beautiful movie but, for me, it was totally ruined because I spent the better part of it being incensed by the way young American men allow their government to brainwash them into some sort of belief that by throwing their country's weight about all over the world, they are doing some good. They really do believe this and it's SO sad. Once upon a time, when one country wanted power, they went along to another country and had a straightforward war in which the victor became the conquering ruler and, rightly or wrongly, that was that. In fact, when you think about it, the first European settlers did just that in North and south America. The native peoples were decimated under some guise of "civilization" (which is simply a word meaning "OUR way of thinking") in which untold atrocities were committed and it was all OK! The "cowboys" were the good guys and the "Indians" were the bad guys and no one ever disputed that (except, of course, the native Americans whose ancestral lands were simply annexed by the superiorly armed immigrants.)
Well, nowadays, that isn't so fashionable. Modern conventions dictate that, when one country colonises another, they not only reap the natural resources but they also have something called responsibility - and that can sometimes be expensive! So modern America has realised that a much more economical strategy is to simply "help" countries where there is political unrest to "democratically" install their own leaders (just so long as those leaders are the ones that America wants!!!) and then reap the benefits without any of the responsibility. (It failed miserably with the Taliban in Afghanistan didn't it?!! And now America is spending even more of her taxpayers' money and, in the context of this movie, her young men in a pathetic attempt to rectify it. And, what's even worse, by using bullying tactics like guaranteeing "security" to smaller nations, they have conned them into joining them in their conflicts.)
OK, so what has all this got to do with "Dear John" the movie? Who else but such a brainwashed, virile young man with a beautiful girl waiting at home to be his wife would volunteer to extend his tour of "duty"? I put the word "duty" in quotes because that is exactly what the American government have so successfully indoctrinated so many of her young men and women to sincerely believe it is - when, in actual fact, all they are is cannon-fodder for the politicians' power games. And what is truly SO sad is that they don't even realise it!!
A (very) few Islamic extremists committed vile atrocities on September 11th 2001 and, within hours, the American government assisted by the irresponsible American media succeeded in inflaming practically the whole population into a frenzied hatred of anything Muslim or even middle eastern (but they didn't stop them using middle eastern oil!!!). I believe that even after over ten years since the New York attack, there are still Americans who don't realise that it probably caused more embarrassment and shame to Islam than it did to anyone else. There will always be extremists in all walks of life. (What, for example, is the general American attitude towards the KKK right there in their own midst?) How many American citizens are Muslims who just want to live in peace with the freedom to follow their own faith IN America? And how many of them are ashamed of what a small minority are costing their country because their own government haven't got the brains to see what's in front of their noses?
But then I suppose there wouldn't have been a story if John had acted rationally and taken the opportunity to return to a normal life and be with his dad when he had a stroke and with his girl who gave him a hell of a lot more chance than he deserved! The love story of movie is lost in a sad political statement on corrupt American politics!