The Kingdom - another pro-America, anti-Muslim action gorefest

[cleanup]

Has anyone seen this trailer (http://www.apple.com/trailers/universal/thekingdom/medium_3.html)?

To me it looks like another brown-guys-are-bad, white-and-black-guys-come-in-and-save-the-day sort of movie. I am so sick of the juxtaposition of scenes of Islamic holy rituals with those of a man firing an RPG at Americans/American soldiers/Middle Easterns wreaking havoc. It's crap like this that has given the word 'terrorist' a new, nearly politically-correct meaning as "Middle Eastern man with facial hair." It makes me sick to the stomach. The premise of the movie isn't necessarily offensive, but the trailer pisses me off. The American government and media have seriously turned the perception of some of the most intelligent, humble people in the world upside down. I've never lived in America, and granted I don't know many Americans, but it seems to me like the general American public is very uneducated about the world outside its borders and just sits there being forcefed ************ "support the troops and the freedom of Iraq" propaganda on TV. It makes me want to scream.

:mad:

[WildPalms]

Just a vehicle for Jamie Foxx.

[Blue Velvet]

This thread is a prime candidate for the PRSI forum. I'll check back on it in a bit to see where it wanders...

[Queso]

The entire premise of the film is crap. An FBI elite team sent to Saudi to find a killer? Pur-lease!! :rolleyes:

[bartelby]

The entire premise of the film is crap. An FBI elite team sent to Saudi to find a killer? Pur-lease!! :rolleyes:

Having just read the story on the official website I'd have to agree with your comment.

[mcarnes]

Needs more T&A.

[Stampyhead]

Slightly off topic, but I used to live in Arizona and this movie was filmed on an outdoor set about a mile from my house in Queen Creek last summer. The freeway scenes were shot on the 202 freeway in Mesa. I guess they think Southern Arizona looks like Saudi Arabia. I don't care for movies like this, but I'll probably go see this one just to see how it turned out.

[OnceUGoMac]

I've never lived in America, and granted I don't know many Americans, but it seems to me like the general American public is very uneducated about the world outside its borders and just sits there being forcefed ************ "support the troops and the freedom of Iraq" propaganda on TV. It makes me want to scream.

I'll agree with you once you admit that your government slaughtered several thousand protestors in Tiananmen Square. Which nation's media tells the more egregious lies?

[Peterkro]

I'll agree with you once you admit that your government slaughtered several thousand protestors in Tiananmen Square. Which nation's media tells the more egregious lies?

Hard one to call,China being more sledgehammer like the US more subtle but more pervasive.

[OnceUGoMac]

Hard one to call,China being more sledgehammer like the US more subtle but more pervasive.

True. It's a case of government-sponsored "truths" versus corporate-sponsored "truths".

[obeygiant]

Has anyone seen this trailer (http://www.apple.com/trailers/universal/thekingdom/medium_3.html)?

To me it looks like another brown-guys-are-bad, white-and-black-guys-come-in-and-save-the-day sort of movie. I am so sick of the juxtaposition of scenes of Islamic holy rituals with those of a man firing an RPG at Americans/American soldiers/Middle Easterns wreaking havoc. It's crap like this that has given the word 'terrorist' a new, nearly politically-correct meaning as "Middle Eastern man with facial hair." It makes me sick to the stomach. The premise of the movie isn't necessarily offensive, but the trailer pisses me off. The American government and media have seriously turned the perception of some of the most intelligent, humble people in the world upside down. I've never lived in America, and granted I don't know many Americans, but it seems to me like the general American public is very uneducated about the world outside its borders and just sits there being forcefed ************ "support the troops and the freedom of Iraq" propaganda on TV. It makes me want to scream.

:mad:


Sweeping generalizations in this thread.

[cleanup]

Sweeping generalizations in this thread.

Probably why I said, "It seems to me." :rolleyes:

For the record, I am Canadian. I am Chinese, but I am not a citizen. I just live here.

[obeygiant]

Probably why I said, "It seems to me." :rolleyes:


Oh sorry, I missed your disclaimer. :)

there being forcefed ************ "support the troops and the freedom of Iraq" propaganda on TV

You've obviously never watched Keith Olbermann.

[LethalWolfe]

It's a typical action movie, so what? After WWII every bad guy was german. During the cold war movie villains spoke w/eastern European accents. Then came the vietnam movies. Mexican and South American drug lords had their 15 minutes too but I don't think it was enough to get them their own genre. Putting a movie in the setting of a contemporary conflict is not a new idea.

Make a list of movies where the protagonist is a white dude and other list where the protagonist is a "Middle Eastern man with facial hair" and I think you'll find much more of the former.

There are plenty of things to get worked up over in the world today, but this isn't one of them, IMO.


Lethal

[Swarmlord]

Ok, I watched the trailer and I don't see where anyone would take offense. It even looks like scenes were shot in Riyadh or Jeddah. The Saudi National guard and local police fight wahabbists all the time. I can't remember a month that they didn't lock down all or part of the town searching for someone after a crime or at least the area around the airport where I lived and worked.

Are you saying the premise of this movie is far fetched?

[solvs]

I've never lived in America, and granted I don't know many Americans, but it seems to me like the general American public is very uneducated about the world outside its borders and just sits there being forcefed ************ "support the troops and the freedom of Iraq" propaganda on TV.

Yeah, most of us are pretty oblivious to the rest of the world, but over 70% are against the Iraq war.

[rhsgolfer33]

I've never lived in America, and granted I don't know many Americans, but it seems to me like the general American public is very uneducated about the world outside its borders and just sits there being forcefed ************ "support the troops and the freedom of Iraq" propaganda on TV. It makes me want to scream.

:mad:

Wait... Supporting your country's troops is a bad thing? Even if you don't support the mission of your country's troops you should still support the soldiers, it's not but very few of them that actually have any input into where they go to fight. And supporting the freedom of Iraq is a bad thing too? I think most people would support the freedom of the Iraqi people, or any people for that matter, it's just that our country's leaders, in both political parties and in the military, didn't go about getting it the right way. Also, what TV stations are you watching that spew such horrid material, heck, even fox seems to report mostly bad things about the war now days.

Stereotyping isn't usually a good thing, but it happens, it's just a movie, definetly not a big deal; if you want to scream about something scream about Darfur or the people in China working in sweatshops for pennies on the dollar manufacturing the electronics we all enjoy.

[solvs]

Even if you don't support the mission of your country's troops you should still support the soldiers, it's not but very few of them that actually have any input into where they go to fight. And supporting the freedom of Iraq is a bad thing too? I think most people would support the freedom of the Iraqi people, or any people for that matter, it's just that our country's leaders, in both political parties and in the military, didn't go about getting it the right way.

I think he meant the whole propaganda thing where they say the Iraq war was all about freedom and how anyone who even criticizes it supposedly doesn't support the troops.

[cleanup]

Ok, I watched the trailer and I don't see where anyone would take offense.

...

Are you saying the premise of this movie is far fetched?

No, I'm not saying that at all. Granted I went off a bit from my real main point. My main point was to point out the sort of stuck-in scene of dozens of Muslims praying in a mosque in the middle of scenes of carnage and shouting and RPGs being fired. I sort of lost it and started to rant about Iraq, the American media, etc., and that was stupid of me. My real anger is just directed at how the media juxtaposes terrorism/violence with Islam. Consistently. You never see a story about an Islamic or Muslim man/woman/child/people/country that does not involve extremism or violence in some way. While the scene of the mosque in this trailer is very subtle, it's got a sort of profound effect. You yourself said that you didn't see where anyone would take offense. You probably didn't even notice the scene. It's become so normalized in your head. I barely noticed it, and I had to watch the trailer again before I saw the scene and realized just how insidious it was. The trailer didn't even mention anything about Islamic extremism - it's implied. It just makes me feel sick how it's become such a politically correct thing.

And as for the poster who pointed out that movies about contemporary conflicts aren't a new concept, that is true. However, I feel like in this day and age people should know better than to label others and prejudice the minds of people in such a selfish, greedy way, just to get better ratings or get more people to come to the movie theatre. Whatever happened to the global village?

While most Americans no longer support the war in Iraq, most support the war on "terrorism," which to some people is a war against all, if not most, Muslims. It's things like that scene in the trailer that drive this sort of mindset.

[princealfie]

I'll agree with you once you admit that your government slaughtered several thousand protestors in Tiananmen Square. Which nation's media tells the more egregious lies?

Obviously both of them lie equally well. Don't trust anybody.

[princealfie]

No, I'm not saying that at all. Granted I went off a bit from my real main point. My main point was to point out the sort of stuck-in scene of dozens of Muslims praying in a mosque in the middle of scenes of carnage and shouting and RPGs being fired. I sort of lost it and started to rant about Iraq, the American media, etc., and that was stupid of me. My real anger is just directed at how the media juxtaposes terrorism/violence with Islam. Consistently. You never see a story about an Islamic or Muslim man/woman/child/people/country that does not involve extremism or violence in some way. While the scene of the mosque in this trailer is very subtle, it's got a sort of profound effect. You yourself said that you didn't see where anyone would take offense. You probably didn't even notice the scene. It's become so normalized in your head. I barely noticed it, and I had to watch the trailer again before I saw the scene and realized just how insidious it was. The trailer didn't even mention anything about Islamic extremism - it's implied. It just makes me feel sick how it's become such a politically correct thing.

And as for the poster who pointed out that movies about contemporary conflicts aren't a new concept, that is true. However, I feel like in this day and age people should know better than to label others and prejudice the minds of people in such a selfish, greedy way, just to get better ratings or get more people to come to the movie theatre. Whatever happened to the global village?

While most Americans no longer support the war in Iraq, most support the war on "terrorism," which to some people is a war against all, if not most, Muslims. It's things like that scene in the trailer that drive this sort of mindset.

well said for.

[yellow]

I've never lived in America, and granted I don't know many Americans, but it seems to me like the general American public is very uneducated

LOL!

Here you go with more stereotyping.

Please don't allow a FICTIONAL MOVIE shape how you believe 300 million people think. Hollywood is out to make a Buck.
Just because I saw Lord Of The Rings, doesn't mean I think all Elves shall diminish and go into the West.
I do fear the Transformers though!

:rolleyes:

The entire premise of the film is crap. An FBI elite team sent to Saudi to find a killer? Pur-lease!! :rolleyes:

Teehee. The FBI is purely a domestic agency.

[Aea]

...

Couldn't say it better.

[LethalWolfe]

My real anger is just directed at how the media juxtaposes terrorism/violence with Islam. Consistently. You never see a story about an Islamic or Muslim man/woman/child/people/country that does not involve extremism or violence in some way.
Pedophile priests and abusive cops make the headlines way more than churches helping the poor and cops helping the community so your assumption that the negativity is specifically targeting muslims is a bit off, IMO. The fact that there is violence and something bad happening some where in the world is the main draw. Who is committing the violence or doing the bad things is pretty much secondary.

And as for the poster who pointed out that movies about contemporary conflicts aren't a new concept, that is true. However, I feel like in this day and age people should know better than to label others and prejudice the minds of people in such a selfish, greedy way, just to get better ratings or get more people to come to the movie theatre. Whatever happened to the global village?

I feel like in this day and age people should know the difference between fiction and reality. Every story needs conflict which means someone, or something, has to be the antagonist. And no matter who gets written as the antagonist someone will complain. Some Italians complained about The Sopranos, the Vatican complained about the Da Vinci Code, etc.,. People need to take movies and the like LESS seriously and base their opinions on reality, not works of fiction. I think the global village would be a much cooler place to live if we all just chilled a little bit. You don't see me making a post blasting Turkish society and culture because they made a movie like Valley of the Wolves, do you?


Lethal

[cleanup]

LOL!
Here you go with more stereotyping.

Please don't allow a FICTIONAL MOVIE shape how you believe 300 million people think. Hollywood is out to make a Buck.
Just because I saw Lord Of The Rings, doesn't mean I think all Elves shall diminish and go into the West.
I do fear the Transformers though!

Please read my last post. I went off on a tangent. That's really not what I'm trying to say. And I'm not basing whatever I said just off of this movie or its trailer. It's just an example.

There is a difference however, LOTR and Transformers are fantasy movies and people can distinguish this. The Kingdom, however, deals with real cultures, people, conflicts and issues. Even the most uneducated person can tell that LOTR is fantasy. But even an educated person can walk out of the theatre after watching The Kingdom with the idea in his mind that Muslim men/Middle Easterns are out to get Americans.

The fact that there is violence and something bad happening some where in the world is the main draw. Who is committing the violence or doing the bad things is pretty much secondary.

Maybe this used to be the case, but now the main draw of these sorts of issues is "terrorism," "Islamic extremism," or the like. Violence has become so common that the only real difference is the perpetrator, and its consistently emphasized that these people are Islamic. I'm not saying that they aren't, but it seems like attention is always drawn to the fact that the wrongdoers are Muslim. Headlines and opening statements rarely do not sound like this: "Terror in London," "Islamic extremists bomb blah blah blah." "Terror" and "Islamic extremism" are the same thing in the media.

I feel like in this day and age people should know the difference between fiction and reality... You don't see me making a post blasting Turkish society and culture because they made a movie like Valley of the Wolves, do you?

No, I don't, but I do see ignorant people telling "sand ******s" to "**** off" before the marines crush their "sorry ***".

That was exaggerated. What I mean is in this day and age, some people don't know better. It's not up to the public to discern what is real, what is acceptable, what is correct. We are essentially told was is valid. And that's the problem here. You can't expect people to just ignore media influence.

[LethalWolfe]

No, I don't, but I do see ignorant people telling "sand ******s" to "**** off" before the marines crush their "sorry ***".

That was exaggerated.
Your hyperbole is blowing up in your face. First you blast Americans even though you admittedly don't know very much about Americans and now you are recounting very derogatory remarks you've overheard to back your position even though you've never heard anyone actually say them. I think I see what you are trying to say, you've just done an amazing poor job of communicating it in a way that isn't incredibly inflammatory to your chosen audience.

If you want to talk about how the media can help create and propel negative stereotypes feel free. But trying to push the opinion that Muslims are the only people/group to be affected by this is just completely false.

What I mean is in this day and age, some people don't know better. It's not up to the public to discern what is real, what is acceptable, what is correct. We are essentially told was is valid. And that's the problem here. You can't expect people to just ignore media influence.

Of course it's up to the public to discern what is real, what is acceptable and what is correct. Who else is it up to? The government? Corporations? I'm not going to deny the potential media influence on people, but I'm also not going to sit by and say it's okay for people to be non-critical thinking automatons doing whatever they are told. That's part of the problem w/the entire world right now (not just Americans). If people thought for themselves more, and let others think for them less the world would be a much better place.


Lethal

[cleanup]

Your hyperbole is blowing up in your face. First you blast Americans even though you admittedly don't know very much about Americans and now you are recounting very derogatory remarks you've overheard to back your position even though you've never heard anyone actually say them. I think I see what you are trying to say, you've just done an amazing poor job of communicating it in a way that isn't incredibly inflammatory to your chosen audience.

If you want to talk about how the media can help create and propel negative stereotypes feel free. But trying to push the opinion that Muslims are the only people/group to be affected by this is just completely false.



Of course it's up to the public to discern what is real, what is acceptable and what is correct. Who else is it up to? The government? Corporations? I'm not going to deny the potential media influence on people, but I'm also not going to sit by and say it's okay for people to be non-critical thinking automatons doing whatever they are told. That's part of the problem w/the entire world right now (not just Americans). If people thought for themselves more, and let others think for them less the world would be a much better place.


Lethal

I have heard such comments before. Not just from Americans, even from Canadians. I exaggerated the comment slightly to make a blunt point without being too wordy. At the moment I still don't quite know how to explain it—I believe that in general the perception of Muslims is extremely stereotypical, offensive and ill-conceived, largely because of the media. And people who say things like that are only proving my point.

When did I say that Muslims are the only one given a bad rep by the media? I just said that they are consistently portrayed negatively in the media. You never hear anything good.

In all honesty I can't think of another group that is portrayed so negatively and stereotypically as Muslims.

[LethalWolfe]

I have heard such comments before. Not just from Americans, even from Canadians. I exaggerated the comment slightly to make a blunt point without being too wordy. At the moment I still don't quite know how to explain it—I believe that in general the perception of Muslims is extremely stereotypical, offensive and ill-conceived, largely because of the media. And people who say things like that are only proving my point.
And your solution is censorship as opposed to education?


When did I say that Muslims are the only one given a bad rep by the media? I just said that they are consistently portrayed negatively in the media. You never hear anything good.
I brought up other groups that are typically shown in a negative light by the both the news media and the entertainment media and you've continued just to talk about the Muslims like they've been singled out like no other group ever has.

In all honesty I can't think of another group that is portrayed so negatively and stereotypically as Muslims.
Off the top of my head I'd argue that Gays, Atheists, Blacks, Mexicans, Germans, Japanese, Chinese and the poor have all had a tougher row to hoe in America than Muslims. IMO, because of 9/11 there has been an increased desire to understand Muslims and the Middle East in general by Americans in recent years.

Lastly I can't help but mention the irony that you are condemning the stereotyping of Muslims by feeding into the stereotype of the idiot American.


Lethal

[yellow]

The Kingdom, however, deals with real cultures, people, conflicts and issues. Even the most uneducated person can tell that LOTR is fantasy. But even an educated person can walk out of the theatre after watching The Kingdom with the idea in his mind that Muslim men/Middle Easterns are out to get Americans.

Actually the entire movie is fiction. There's nothing real about it. I certainly can't help that some people aren't educated enough to understand fantasy from reality. But you seem to indicate that the majority of Americans fall into this category, while you admit that you don't know any Americans. So... where exactly is your sweeping generalization of 300 million people coming from?