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Thursday, January 29, 2015

The American Sniper Is No Hero

Despite what some people think, hero is not a synonym forcompetent government-hired killer.
If Clint Eastwood’s record-breaking movie, American Sniper, launches a frank public conversation about war and heroism, the great director will have performed a badly needed service for the country and the world.
Read it here.

3 comments:

Eric Hanneken said...

I read it on reason.com. Most of the commenters reacted emotionally. I see Timothy Sandefur, among others, is in high dudgeon on Twitter. I suspect nationalism.

Speaking for myself, I agree with you, at least in part. Volunteer soldiers are responsible for what they do, even when they are ordered to do it by their bosses. I don't know enough about the people Chris Kyle shot to have a firm opinion about them. Even if a distant government's army invades the territory claimed by your local government, I don't believe all acts of violence in retaliation--or even defense--can be justified. I presume you agree?

Sheldon Richman said...

"All acts" is a pretty broad category. I never referred to "territory claimed by your local government." I didn't care about the Iraqi state. Iraqis resisted the invasion and occupation.

Anonymous said...

I think you're right about nationalism, Eric. I've read a fair amount of what Sandefur has written, and my impression is that the state means everything to him.