American Sniper
American Sniper is a powerful film, and book, that illuminates the war in the middle east from the perspective of an American Soldier. The film is quite moving as Chris Kyle is a very sympathetic and charismatic character, especially in my perspective. As an American this movie makes Chris Kyle out as a man who lays everything down for his country and is a model of what all Americans should aspire to be like. However, since becoming a “Global Citizen” I have learned to look at, for lack of better words, some of the not so obvious aspects of the film. Although I have great appreciation for the men and women serving in my nation’s military, American Sniper highlights many of the negatives aspects of a country and Culture which glorifies war. In the United states, since the events following September eleventh, there are strong notions of an “us vs them” dichotomy. This refers to tension in the United States around the government choosing to invade Iraq, even though many were against it. Even when proven to be a mistake the country, mostly conservatives, used this idea that the people of the United States can either be with or against the terrorists to justify wars in the name of counter terrorism. The attack on September eleventh, in some ways, ruptured the war culture so integrated into American Culture. Although many people wanted to go to war and find the people who caused the biggest shock of the twenty first century, there was no nation to fight. This, paired with a great sense of fear, left the nation stunned and angry. This anger and confusion was then integrated into a new age of patriotism and political extremes in the United States, changing the war culture in the United States. This change can be seen in American Sniper. Chris Kyle is a representation of the conservative view of the war, one in which people wanted revenge and felt the need to do something against the people who blew up the world trade center. Other soldiers, like Kyle’s brother and fellow soldiers, saw the war as meaningless and a waste of American lives, the perspective of the more liberal. This polarization seen in the film is a reflection of the divide amongst the people in the United States. This polarity and shift in war culture would set the stage for the Black Lives Matter movement and the response of the U.S government to it. As Patrick Deer points out, “America’s contemporary culture of war has struggled to manage this contradiction between the cultural authority of war discourse on the one hand, and the banalization of violence at home…” The American government responded to a rather peaceful movement in Baltimore by sending out the Maryland National guard. This not only shows the conservative views held by the heads of government, but the same reaction to unpleasant events wit the use of force. It was caused by the same sense of fear and anger, justified by peaceful intentions, but dragged out much longer than need. American Sniper is an important film not only because it tells Chris Kyles story, but it reflects the cultural and political atmosphere of the United States.