When the new version of True Grit came out, I went to see it by myself on Christmas Day, early afternoon. There were four other people in the larger room of a multiplex theater that day. I liked the new one, but Wayne's was better.
John Wayne
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Big, big fan of Wayne as an actor/filmmaker. I was especially shocked about this. Oh well, still like his films.
Apparently not. I too am a bit shocked. And maybe dismayed. It is sad that 45 years ago, one could still actually speak one's mind freely in public with mere overt common sense and not be mistook for or labeled a racist automatically, blindly, or some other label of a putdown. History is full of great wrongs, tragedies and mistakes to fill volumes, hindsight is always 20/20, and I love the Indian culture, but history is also first and foremost survival of the fittest. It has to be that way. Europeans were explorers and expanding, and the Indian had a great deal of land and very few on it.
Imagine if the Brits had not settled here, imagine a world without America to develop the industrial revolution, the automobile, the electronic computer and transistor, the television, radio, and light bulb. Imagine a world where America had not been there to save Europe from the Nazis, to build the A-Bomb first, and the rocket.
You and I would not be here to be having this polite conversation. And millions and millions never would have had the chance to get free of the tyranny of 1700‘s British rule. But there are never any perfect solutions are there, but the many mistakes and wrongs made along the way does not change the facts.
As to Mr. Wayne's other comments, I did not see them as being intentionally racist, but honestly PRACTICAL. His opinion was not born of skin color but rather, was one of BEHAVIOR. One only needs to look at the events of Ferguson, MO a couple years ago, or Baltimore, and the disastrous way in which people like Stephanie Rawlings-Blake handled the whole affair, or the outrageous charges leveled by and the horrifically biased handling of matters by Ms. Marilyn Mosby to see that 45 years after the fact, maybe Mr. Wayne had a pretty valid point, even if put forth in a somewhat poor and offensive way. A Hollywood actor, but smart enough to realize a truth that these years later we are now quite too brainwashed to ignore--- that most of the problems in the world today are largely due to the political correctness currently rocking Europe that forces us to structure our society based not on what WORKS WELL but rather on an ideal of how we WANT reality to work! Not on how things really actually are but on how we WISH they were. And more often than we care to admit, those few now who dare look at things openly, honestly and fairly, are quickly and harshly labeled racist or sexist or some other label by the very people who would themselves then put a person into office based not on their QUALIFICATION and competence, but rather, merely on their skin color or gender!!!
That is the definition of insanity.
One only needs look at history more honesty to see that John Wayne was not making or truly intending I think any real racist comment or view towards blacks or Indians or any other people per se, not on any individual, not expressing an opinion on how he wanted things to be, but rather, merely an open and candid critique of history and how he felt things needed to be. That is, if you wanted a world most effective and ordered. And history has since largely borne him out.
And the more we have steered away from his POV over the years, the farther we have gone into the world we have today. Read the paper recently?
The truth is that the American Indian was just in the wrong place and that is a sad fact. I wish things could have been done differently and better. And 45 years later, still, by and large, a great many, certainly not all, blacks in major cities often behave very irresponsibly.
One can debate the reasons. I do not pretend to know the answers. But the crime thing in most cities is way over the top. Out of control. And Baltimore has been the crucible for that litmus test. And failed very badly. It just has to somehow change. Baltimore is large RUN by blacks and that has not solved any problems.
Personally, I often feel the problem is just TOO MANY PEOPLE! Overpopulation.
Screw Playboy for getting it mostly wrong, and bravo to you Mr. Wayne, for your mostly erudite assessment of the world affairs. Too bad your some comments will be seen as white supremacist and racist when I really think you were just looking at what had worked in the past and likely better in your present. If only more of our leaders had the common sense and frankness you had; some of your words were rather cutting and easy to take wrong, but by and large, history reveals that had things been or stayed your way, probably the good would have greatly outweighed the bad.
But we will never know.
It is one thing to level the playing field, but quite another to force things level and equal whether things are actually ready and willing and able or not just for the sake of levelness, irrespective of the outcome. The Earth operates on its own anthropological timescales, mankind operates on his own imposed, social engineering desires. So far, the experiments haven’t worked too well, I think.
Now, I'm sure, some people will read into this far more than was said or actually intended.
Imagine if the Brits had not settled here, imagine a world without America to develop the industrial revolution, the automobile, the electronic computer and transistor, the television, radio, and light bulb. Imagine a world where America had not been there to save Europe from the Nazis, to build the A-Bomb first, and the rocket.
You and I would not be here to be having this polite conversation. And millions and millions never would have had the chance to get free of the tyranny of 1700‘s British rule. But there are never any perfect solutions are there, but the many mistakes and wrongs made along the way does not change the facts.
As to Mr. Wayne's other comments, I did not see them as being intentionally racist, but honestly PRACTICAL. His opinion was not born of skin color but rather, was one of BEHAVIOR. One only needs to look at the events of Ferguson, MO a couple years ago, or Baltimore, and the disastrous way in which people like Stephanie Rawlings-Blake handled the whole affair, or the outrageous charges leveled by and the horrifically biased handling of matters by Ms. Marilyn Mosby to see that 45 years after the fact, maybe Mr. Wayne had a pretty valid point, even if put forth in a somewhat poor and offensive way. A Hollywood actor, but smart enough to realize a truth that these years later we are now quite too brainwashed to ignore--- that most of the problems in the world today are largely due to the political correctness currently rocking Europe that forces us to structure our society based not on what WORKS WELL but rather on an ideal of how we WANT reality to work! Not on how things really actually are but on how we WISH they were. And more often than we care to admit, those few now who dare look at things openly, honestly and fairly, are quickly and harshly labeled racist or sexist or some other label by the very people who would themselves then put a person into office based not on their QUALIFICATION and competence, but rather, merely on their skin color or gender!!!
That is the definition of insanity.
One only needs look at history more honesty to see that John Wayne was not making or truly intending I think any real racist comment or view towards blacks or Indians or any other people per se, not on any individual, not expressing an opinion on how he wanted things to be, but rather, merely an open and candid critique of history and how he felt things needed to be. That is, if you wanted a world most effective and ordered. And history has since largely borne him out.
And the more we have steered away from his POV over the years, the farther we have gone into the world we have today. Read the paper recently?
The truth is that the American Indian was just in the wrong place and that is a sad fact. I wish things could have been done differently and better. And 45 years later, still, by and large, a great many, certainly not all, blacks in major cities often behave very irresponsibly.
One can debate the reasons. I do not pretend to know the answers. But the crime thing in most cities is way over the top. Out of control. And Baltimore has been the crucible for that litmus test. And failed very badly. It just has to somehow change. Baltimore is large RUN by blacks and that has not solved any problems.
Personally, I often feel the problem is just TOO MANY PEOPLE! Overpopulation.
Screw Playboy for getting it mostly wrong, and bravo to you Mr. Wayne, for your mostly erudite assessment of the world affairs. Too bad your some comments will be seen as white supremacist and racist when I really think you were just looking at what had worked in the past and likely better in your present. If only more of our leaders had the common sense and frankness you had; some of your words were rather cutting and easy to take wrong, but by and large, history reveals that had things been or stayed your way, probably the good would have greatly outweighed the bad.
But we will never know.
It is one thing to level the playing field, but quite another to force things level and equal whether things are actually ready and willing and able or not just for the sake of levelness, irrespective of the outcome. The Earth operates on its own anthropological timescales, mankind operates on his own imposed, social engineering desires. So far, the experiments haven’t worked too well, I think.
Now, I'm sure, some people will read into this far more than was said or actually intended.
I liked his movie about Ireland. Lots of fistfights and drinking, good normal healthy stuff like that. People are too "health" conscious these days and have forgotten to live well in the time they have. None of us knows when our expiration date is, and that's probably for the best, but we should enjoy our time whatever it is!
I visited Ireland about 15 years ago and was able to see where Quite Man was filmed. Beautiful country
Death, I'm real glad you liked that particular movie. It was Wayne's favorite. But you don't know the name of it is "The Quiet Man"?! I'm shocked and confused! A Wayne fan knows these things! Forsooth you must! Laughing...
Mac, the truth is I'm just terrible with names. That's it though: The Quiet Man. Great film. Makes me want to drink, smoke, fight and, er, speak to some young ladies.
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