Harbaugh & American Sniper
There is some controversy on campus about the University showing American Sniper. It was cancelled after some protest, but it has since been rescheduled. I know that politics aren't supposed to be talked about on the board, but it involves our beloved coach.
Harbaugh weighed in on the matter via twitter:
"Michigan Football will watch "American Sniper"! Proud of Chris Kyle & Proud to be an American & if that offends anybody then so be it!"
Apologies for not being sure how to embed twitter posts.
http://www.si.com/college-football/2015/04/08/michigan-football-jim-harbaugh-american-sniper-screening
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2015/04/08/after-university-canceled-american-sniper-showing-football-coach-harbaugh-made-this-announcement/
Harbaugh has stirred a bit of controversy on campus with this tweet- a minority of students have complained about this.
My personal opinion on this is that I like Harbaugh more because of it. He is not afraid to step on people's toes, and voice his opinion. He is unapologetic. That's exactly how a coach should be.
As far as the film goes, I would prefer the University show it. Although I am not a big fan of Chris Kyle, I can understand why people would be. There are a lot of inspirational things about him, but also some negatives. I think the film addresses the negatives of war adequately, and makes a nuanced argument- Kyle is a controversial figure.
[ED-Seth: Aaaaand we're locked. Handed out one ban. Leaving because it's news that Harbaugh waded into it. This is why we don't talk about politics. But see Comment 14 for a good example of why I wish we could sometimes.]
I think that was a cute way of saying that the OP's statement was an assumption and not based on actual data.
I tend to agree with Caesar that the failure of the tweet is that it basically says that you're not a patriotic American if you have a problem with the film.
Totally disagree with Caesar about whether Harbaugh should be speaking his mind.
"I tend to agree with Caesar that the failure of the tweet is that it basically says that you're not a patriotic American if you have a problem with the film."
That was my problem with the tweet as well.
college campus. Hey, Caesar and your denial...want to bet there is a much stronger sense of patriotism amongst those who support American Sniper than those who don't?
Being anti war shouldn't make you such an insulant ingrate that one cannot seperate the soldier from the politics.
Nope, he doesn't. It's so damn refreshing to have a leader who isn't overly concerned about playing politics with everything they say and do.
Football should be free of politics, really. Sports in general are able to bridge differences because of their general appeal and lack of politics/religion/other things that people disagree about.
If that's the measure, probably not a good representation. Ton of things could go into that, including the publicity of the issue prior to the signing.
Now about how it depicts Muslims...I know one of the "badly depicted" muslims in the film. He is a great guy in real life and this was a HUGE break for him to be cast in an Eastwood feature.
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Where free thought is squelched. Think like you're suppossed to or face retribution. Nice atmoshpere for academia.
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and I bet if they refused to show brokeback mountain, the LGBT crowd would be all up in arms. Glad to see UM do the right thing and show the movie as scheduled. Big boys and girls can make a grown up decision to not see the movie
I think in general it's best if coaches follow the Mgoblog approach to political (or quasi-political, which unfortunately the whole Chris Kyle/American Sniper controversy has become) stuff. Invariably, comments like that get drawn into the cacophony of hyperbole that is the political media outrage machine.
That being said, It's a bit refreshing to have a coach who doesn't give a **** about what people think, regardless of whether I disagree with him.
No excuse for cancelling American Sniper in the first place.
Disappointed, but not surprised, at the many UofM alumni and students who dislike Kris Kyle and others like him. Every combat veteran who put their lives on the line, on a daily basis, to protect this country, deeserve our thanks.
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You are allowed to thank them for one act and criticize them for others if warranted.
Chris Kyle, American Hero:
“I don’t shoot people with Korans,” “I’d like to, but I don’t.”
“I couldn’t give a flying fuck about the Iraqis.” “I hate the damn savages,”
Wonder why people in the middle east are so eager to join ISIS???
Have you ever fought in a war? Have you ever been shot at? Have you ever watch those you care about get killed right in front of you? Ever woke up wondering if this is the your last day on earth and was never going to see those you loved back home again?
When you have been it tends to give you strong feelings of dislike for those your govenment choose for you to go fight. It's a mental make up you have to create and believe to your core that they are the worst people on earth. If you don't you won't shoot back. It's survial. You may not understand it and call him "Racist". Thats your right and I hold no hard feelings towards you for that. Unless you have been there you don't understand it. You can watch movies, read books, even get a PHD in History and you still won't have a full understanding of it. Movies and books don't create the fear and smells of war that those who have been there can't get out of their minds.
Mr. Kyle would even be ok with your beliefs and judgements towards him because he understands that what you never will. For those who have been there they are THANKFUL that you will never understand what they have been though. Now go sleep tight knowing someones on that fence so your safe.
I understand the notion that being in a war and being shot at by a group of people over and over for years may tend to give you negative views of that group of people. However, statements like the ones mentioned above are inherently racist. They just are. Wanting to shoot every person with a Koran and calling every Iraqi a "savage" is just racist.
So while civilians might never understand what being in war is like, we do know racism when we see it. The source of it doesn't make it not racist.
I appreciate what the military does and I would never say that someone who served in the military wasn't brave. That doesn't mean they can't be racist, though.
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I don't care whether you watch it or not! I am thrilled that you have that choice!
Go Blue!! Back to football!
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It takes...stubbornness to make things democrat/republican, but politics pervades just about every avenue of life so it doesn't surprise me at all. War is inherently political, so it should not be a surprise to anyone that a movie about a complex war veteran stirs some political controversy
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You cannot talk about the war in Iraq without invoking politics - in the broadest sense - unless you are being wilfully ignorant.
I think Harbaugh made it political, which is probably the only reason this thread has survived this long. The notion that a movie about the Iraq war could not be political is just plain dumb.
that's not political. If you don't like <insert whatever movie title/event here> STFU and don't go. Problem solved.
Hahaha, yes. People seem to forget that they have choices.
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First, The post you replied to never said anything about freedom of expression, it simply suggested that if people don't like something, they make a personal choice to not go see it. The STFU was thrown in, as I read it anyway, to suggest that they don't whine about it.
Second, while I suppose that telling someone to STFU is technically an attempt to quell their expression, it is in no way encroaching on their freedom of expression. Those are two very different things.
FWIW I don't think that the university deciding not to air a movie violates anybody's freedom of expression, but it's still inappropriate based on the many things that have been pointed out by others.
I think those opposed to the movie would have been better served in creating a brochure or handout or something discussing why they dislike the movie and some thinking points for the viewers to have in the back of their minds while they watch it. As far as I know, there's not a recent history of violence or discrimination against Muslims at UofM so there's little reason to fear that there will be an outbreak of violence and discrimination as a result of people watching this film. I understand what they fear because after 9/11 and other events, Muslims have been targeted by extremists in the US. I'm a pacifist and don't approve of war, particularly many of the wars the US has entered, but I don't think trying to get something cancelled is going to get others to empathize with you or your views. Gotta show an alternative viewpoint in a peaceful, thoughtful manner. JMO
This is also further proof that we are definitely putting a 10 foot stake into the ground in 2016 at Spartan stadium.
There are those that want to silence anyone whose opinion or politics they don't agree with. It's not hard to figure out what side of the aisle consistently does this.
While I am a huge fan of harbaugh, I believe his larger role as a football coach is as a mentor to the athletes. When politics in inserted things can become murky. In his role there's a thin line between having your beliefs and putting them on to others (others being the players, not us mgobloggers).
From what I know about Chris kyle, he had serious issues. Hollywood has a way of turning mythology into history, I get it. But Chris Kyle is no Pat Tillman. If anything, hopefully this opens up some healthy dialogue.
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It's ok to protest. It's ok to show the film. It's ok to see it. It's ok to not see it. It's ok to tweet about it.
What's not ok is cancelling the film. That's like sending an apology letter to an arch rival coach for a belch of team bravado.
The movie is not mandatory, the university made undoubtedly the wrong decision in canceling it in the first place. No matter your opinion on the movie, it was not the University's place to censor a movie because it bothered select individuals. The truth is that a vast majority of students are ignorant to a lot of the facts surrounding the movie and Kyle himself (mental illness and all) but in typical U-M fashion there are those who feel that since they attend school here their thoughts are infallible.
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Greatly if you knew the exact facts before you have your discussion. The university did not cancel the movie, the Center for Campus Involvement did. The unversity then stepped in and gave the green light for the movie. Be upset at them.
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No politics is the rule around here. Time to lock the thread.
take your own advice and not comment on subjects you can't control yourself over. You truly get vile and rude which says a lot about your character.
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