Successful films fulfill our deep yearnings, whether in porn or action adventure blockbusters. Today we look at those showing — in Hollywood’s exaggerated fashion — our desire for a strong Leader. We might not get the action-adventure hero of these three movies (e.g., another Andrew Jackson or Teddy Roosevelt); we will eventually get a strong, capable, power-hungry leader. With our Republic’s machinery in decay, the public apathetic and weak, what will prevent him or her from taking our reins?
So let’s enjoy these films. Our future Leader might be less entertaining.
“People need stories, more than bread, itself. They teach us how to live, and why.”
— From the film “Arabian Nights” (2000).
Independence Day (1996)
President Whitmore in his F-16 leads the attack against the alien ship
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Air Force One (1997)
President Marshall singlehandedly kicks terrorists’ butts.
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White House Down (2013)
President Sawyer helps a cop kick terrorists’ butts.
Super President (1967)
As children the Boomers learned to idealize Presidents.
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Update about ObamaRambo from the comments
Two articles from The Duffel Blog: “The American Military’s Most Trusted News Source
President Obama Visits Afghanistan, Shoots Three Taliban Fighters, 3 May 2012 — Opening:
The White House Press Office announced today that President Obama will soon be inducted into the Special Forces Association and receive an honorary Green Beret. … The honorary beret comes in recognition of the President’s decisive role in covert operations throughout the world during his term — including the killing of Osama bin Laden last year in Pakistan, and his combat action in Afghanistan months ago.
During a late afternoon briefing, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney fielded questions, including one about the possibility of the President also receiving a Navy SEAL trident. “The President has in fact already received his Trident from the SEAL community,” said Carney. “He was honored to accept the insignia during a private ceremony in California, a week after his gutsy call where he singlehandedly took out bin Laden.”
President Obama To Receive Honorary Green Beret, Induction Into Special Forces Association, 30 August 2012 — Opening:
Today the American people are recovering from the shocking news that President Barack Obama came under enemy fire earlier this week in Afghanistan. While visiting with soldiers and key leaders there, the President came under attack from insurgents, cutting him off from delivering his speech. We must finish the job we started in Afghanistan, and end this war responsibly,” he said to a crowd of soldiers at FOB Salerno, near the city of Khost.
At that moment the base began taking mortar fire from a group of insurgents firing from some nearby hills. As Obama’s Secret Service detail threw him to the ground for protection, Specialist Hector Peterson ran over and handed him his M9 pistol, saying, “Here you go sir, you’ll need this.”
Obama then raced through the Entry Control Point with the Quick Reaction Force before anyone could stop him. Covering the 4 kilometers between FOB Salerno and the insurgents’ positions in just fifteen minutes, Obama and his men came under heavy fire from an enemy machine gun team positioned to ambush them. Obama then rallied the small squad of soldiers and encouraged them to fight by yelling, “Let’s give their mothers something to cry about!”
“He just opened up on them until his magazine was empty,” said Corporal Cyril Abrams, “then calmly reloaded and kept firing. When I tried to take cover, he grabbed me by the helmet and yelled, ‘What? Are you trying to live forever?’ and dragged me back in the assault.” Reaching the enemy mortar position, Obama killed two insurgents, then turned to face a third who had dropped his weapon and was raising his hands. “I don’t speak your ‘yabba-dabba-doo’,” Obama shouted, as he coldly shot him in the face.
At one point, after his pistol jammed, Obama surprised the troops by grabbing an AK-47 off one of the bodies and continued to put rounds downrange. “Guys, I spent part of my childhood in Indonesia,” he said while effortlessly conducting immediate action on the weapon, “It’s just like riding a bicycle.”
After killing the three Taliban, Obama then posed for a group photo with the soldiers while urinating on the corpses. “Go ahead,” he said with a smile, “try and bust me down.”
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For More Information
About heroes:
- A philosophical basis for the Batman saga, 23 July 2008
- Sources of inspiration for America’s renewal, 23 April 2009 – The Law of Equivalent Exchange
- The problem with America lies in our choice of heroes, 12 November 2010
- Robocop is not a good role model for the youth of Detroit, 12 March 2011
- We want heroes, not leaders. When that changes it will become possible to reform America., 11 January 2013
- Our choice of heroes reveals much about America, 2 June 2013
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