I hate westerns. Why? I hate them because they are stories of good and evil, innocent and corrupt, black and white - nothing in between. They are biblical stories for people have no right to be biblical.
The American West is an odd phenomenon in World History. Or maybe its not. I’m still unsure. Here we have the odd case of a group of people invading a land, a land they are sure they have a right too. The indoctrination of Manifest Destiny convinced this mass group of people that they were chosen by God to take land from someone else. Now land right disputes aren’t original but I find that few people defend their right to such land into the present day. At least, not in Western Civilization.
Yet, we still defend it; till the bitter end. I’m currently watching The Searchers and though the massacre of a family is a horrible event, we aren’t shown what these people or other peoples did to the natives. Imperialism is a nasty business, generally on both sides. The natives are mocked, the natives are bedeviled, the natives are the ‘bad’ guy. John Wayne portrays the knswledgable cowboy. He knows ‘Engine’ custom enough to know how to “kill ‘em.” My favorite character is the reverend. Nothing like a holy man with a gun, he is descended from crusading stock I would imagine. At least in saving some of the wounded he has shown some moral fiber.
At one point we are even told the distinction between a human and an indian. In war, soldiers are forced to produce some kind of moral relativism. Its how they stay sane. Those who later realize what they have done go insane - to some degree. So I can understand in the hunt making the distinction. Of course these distinctions also allow horrible acts to be committed. Slaughter and genocide because the criminal is sure he is right.
The point of me watching this movie is to look for the racial undertones. Filmed during a time of great upheaval in America, The Searchers has a lot to do with race. John Wayne plays a very sombre veteran of the Civil War (CSA Veteran to be exact). So that is your first clue to the race. Wayne’s dismissal of his ‘mixed’ adopted nephew is also telling. But, I think the man tries to prove he is mostly good & white, which serves as his deliverance. Apparently being white isn’t a right, its a state of being. John Wayne proclaims the insane woman isn’t white anymore. Debbie claims she has new people, I guess she isn’t white anymore either.
Its obvious that the entire movie is in reality the 1950s, they simply replaced cars with horses. Some of the women wear pants, Obviously John Wayne decided to start his own race war in his movies - Rush Limbaugh would be proud. I did enjoy the traditional domestic violence that accompanied the ‘50s portrayed in 1868. John Wayne is indeed the crazy white guy. Just watch him shoot at the buffalo, though his reason is practical if he was engaged in actual war, he must realize that he’s starving Debbie too. Moe’s wish for just a humble home and a rocking chair is also reminiscent of the ‘50s, simple values. We tend to forget also that Scar’s sons were killed by the white ma, maybe just an eye for an eye.
How The Searchers manages to vilify official U.S. imperialism through the Yankee army but support personal U.S. imperialism is absolutely insane. On the bright side, I have learned to fully understand the psyche of our current president, there isn’t any! Wayne’s comments about speaking Mexican and American seem to pervade into our current society. The difference between American and English is the IQ of the beholder, I believe.
The American West is an odd phenomenon in World History. Or maybe its not. I’m still unsure. Here we have the odd case of a group of people invading a land, a land they are sure they have a right too. The indoctrination of Manifest Destiny convinced this mass group of people that they were chosen by God to take land from someone else. Now land right disputes aren’t original but I find that few people defend their right to such land into the present day. At least, not in Western Civilization.
Yet, we still defend it; till the bitter end. I’m currently watching The Searchers and though the massacre of a family is a horrible event, we aren’t shown what these people or other peoples did to the natives. Imperialism is a nasty business, generally on both sides. The natives are mocked, the natives are bedeviled, the natives are the ‘bad’ guy. John Wayne portrays the knswledgable cowboy. He knows ‘Engine’ custom enough to know how to “kill ‘em.” My favorite character is the reverend. Nothing like a holy man with a gun, he is descended from crusading stock I would imagine. At least in saving some of the wounded he has shown some moral fiber.
At one point we are even told the distinction between a human and an indian. In war, soldiers are forced to produce some kind of moral relativism. Its how they stay sane. Those who later realize what they have done go insane - to some degree. So I can understand in the hunt making the distinction. Of course these distinctions also allow horrible acts to be committed. Slaughter and genocide because the criminal is sure he is right.
The point of me watching this movie is to look for the racial undertones. Filmed during a time of great upheaval in America, The Searchers has a lot to do with race. John Wayne plays a very sombre veteran of the Civil War (CSA Veteran to be exact). So that is your first clue to the race. Wayne’s dismissal of his ‘mixed’ adopted nephew is also telling. But, I think the man tries to prove he is mostly good & white, which serves as his deliverance. Apparently being white isn’t a right, its a state of being. John Wayne proclaims the insane woman isn’t white anymore. Debbie claims she has new people, I guess she isn’t white anymore either.
Its obvious that the entire movie is in reality the 1950s, they simply replaced cars with horses. Some of the women wear pants, Obviously John Wayne decided to start his own race war in his movies - Rush Limbaugh would be proud. I did enjoy the traditional domestic violence that accompanied the ‘50s portrayed in 1868. John Wayne is indeed the crazy white guy. Just watch him shoot at the buffalo, though his reason is practical if he was engaged in actual war, he must realize that he’s starving Debbie too. Moe’s wish for just a humble home and a rocking chair is also reminiscent of the ‘50s, simple values. We tend to forget also that Scar’s sons were killed by the white ma, maybe just an eye for an eye.
How The Searchers manages to vilify official U.S. imperialism through the Yankee army but support personal U.S. imperialism is absolutely insane. On the bright side, I have learned to fully understand the psyche of our current president, there isn’t any! Wayne’s comments about speaking Mexican and American seem to pervade into our current society. The difference between American and English is the IQ of the beholder, I believe.
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