Clint
Eastwood’s new film whopped 105 million dollars in just its opening weekend. American
Sniper, about a U.S. sniper murdering Iraqis, has been a causing an uproar
with not only the critics but also the general population. Despite the movie’s acclaim;
Arabs all over the world were highly offended by American Sniper for its
dismal portrayal of Arabs as nothing but savages and terrorists.
This
animosity can be found in the film’s trailer as Chris Kyle, played by Bradley
Cooper, the most lethal sharpshooter in American history, is seen killing
Iraqis with so much tenacity that viewers would have to be blind to not realize
the sheer joy that Kyle experiences in taking peoples’ lives.
One
scene, that was particularly gut wrenching for me, was when after shooting an
Iraqi carrying an RPG, a small boy reaches down to pick up the rocket launcher,
this causes Kyle to utter the word “(d**mit)” and move his finger over his
rifle’s trigger. The screen then cuts off and a gunshot can be heard, suggesting
he shot the child.
In
fact the movie was so powerful in the delivery of its message that American Sniper
initiated a string of tweets by westerners who insulted Arabs with the highest
degree of vulgarity. For example one such person says, “American sniper makes
me wanna go shoot some (f***in) Arabs.”
What
baffles me though is the way this pathological individual is heralded by
Western society as a hero. In addition to the disgustingly vile insults towards
Arabs, people on twitter are praising Kyle as a noble man who simply wanted to
do what was right and just. One person says: @IAVA,
“American sniper is also a beautiful, everlasting tribute to one of the
greatest warriors of our time. RIP, The Legend, Chris Kyle.”
More
evidence of people’s blind admiration of this twisted man, who delights in the
mass murder of fellow human beings, can be seen on other websites as well. On YouTube
one person left a comment on the trailer of American Sniper stating: “At
the end of my life I can only hope that I have been at least a tenth of a man
that Chris Kyle was.” This comment garnered 1806 likes.
Whether
to make a quick buck or simply a display of racism, Clint Eastwood’s portrayal
of the murder of Iraqis as a noble act is not only in bad taste but also gives Westerners
another reason to blindly loathe Arabs. It further demotes the concept of
multiculturalism in this increasingly international world of ours.
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