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Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop
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Why do you have such a boner for Chris Kyle? The article doesn't even mention him -- just the movie, and the two things are not the same (if you had seen the movie you would known it is plainly fictionalized.)
A few days ago you said Chris Kyle was a "liar" -- noting that he had lost a defamation suit. The defamation suit was brought by Jesse Ventura, who alleged that Kyle's story about an encounter with Ventura was false. It went to trial after Chris Kyle was dead. Do you think there is any chance that a jury, that had to decide who was telling the truth about a conversation -- the oh-so-popular plaintiff Jesse Ventura, or the dead defendant -- might have gotten that wrong?
I saw American Sniper today (and was going to post about it, then saw your post). I cannot understand why anyone, right or left, is making such a fuss. The movie does not depict Kyle simply as a hero; it depicts him as an ass to his family, unable to leave the war, and a few other negative things -- and also as a guy who was very, very good at his particular job, and who (as a sniper) felt responsible for watching over American soldiers.
If the movie depiction of him was accurate (either as a reflection of the man or a reflection of the book, or both), then the guy clearly had difficulty with some of the things he did. His first kill (in the movie) was of a young boy who was carrying a bomb towards US soldiers. He didn't celebrate it, he wasn't happy, but he shot the kid to prevent the killing of US soldiers. Could you have done that? Could you say that he should not have? He also did not hate Iraqis; he referred to al Qaeda et al as "savages" but he also put his life at risk to try and save Iraqis from them.
I also cannot understand the fuss on the right. The movie itself is critical of the war, and of Kyle's attitude and what happened to him.
btw, the movie isn't great -- the script is a little silly. Though Cooper is pretty damn good.
If you are going to tell me that your problem with Kyle is that he hates Iraqis or takes joy in killing or anything else, then let me know if you are basing that on what his book actually said or just on what people have said about his book (often, as I've seen, after admitting that they hadn't read it but were just basing it on what they were told).
