Do libertarians have a different sense of life to objectivists?
Sarcasm has its place, but is addiction to sarcasm symptomatic of a non-heroic culture? In response to a libertarian site's question about the most libertarian movies ever, I listed Conviction, Agora, and On the Waterfront. They got no other votes. The Castle got the most votes. So long as it is anti-authority and anti-Government, libertarians seemed to not care about the absence of steely heroism in their nominations.
SOURCE URL: http://archive.lewrockwell.com/orig5/cust1.html
The movie asks the question if Americans have more violence b/c of guns but says that is not the case by pointing to other country where guns are widespread and have low rates of violence. The movie is talking about the culture of fear. I don't agree with every point in the movie, but I really love it overall. I was living away from Madison and working at Jabil Circuit, and I felt like there were only a few liberals / libertarians around. There's a lot of paranoia in that area. I loved the anti culture of fear message.
this is actually a great list of movies and shows you, Mike, and khalling are coming up with. I've been wanting to compile a "recommended reading list" for folks on this site. a "recommended watch list" is just as good. keep them coming, please.
As for the others... yeah... I get it... but you know a movie (or book) must be more than barbarians yelling about freedom.
I saw this on Objectivist sites with "300". I understand Thermopylae. In fact, I understand it so well that I know to pronounce it correctly:
As if in English "t-HAIR-mo-PUH-lay." But the 300 Spartans were not models of libertarian or Objectivist morals or our bourgeois quest for civil liberties in a pluralistic urban society. (What we might recognize as laudable in Spartan society was not evident in the movie, for example, the fact that land was registered in the name of the WOMAN of the house). All you had was men in sandals using the word "freedom" in a sentence.
With Firefly, it was not just the libertarian politics, but the fact that the actions of the characters came from the choices they made based on their conflicting values.
In our home, we are working our way through Deep Space Nine. We have problems with the militarist universe of Star Fleet and the denigrated comical status of the Ferengi traders and merchants. Still, we appreciate the fact that complex conflicts bring values into sharp focus and individuals make choices - and learn from their experiences.
The same drove our appreciation for the first two seasons of Battlestar Galactica.
And again, The West Wing remains a series in which the values of the characters define the actions they take. Complex problems force people to think about what they believe and why.
the only other show that captures my attention in the same way is the sopranos. I'm sure it espouses the merits of capitalism in one way or another...
Lew Rockewell recommended some other shows, none of which met our standards.
I understand The Dukes of Hazzard. We watched it when our daughter was a child. Boss Hogg is corrupt; the courts are unjust; the boys work things out with a minimum of violence - their being barred from owning guns makes that a requirement. And Daisy can wear short shorts and be treated with respect. The downside was the yokel aspect. The boys do not actually produce anything. Skeeter's gas station is the extent of the industry and the restaurant is the sum of their commerce. They just live a simple life absorbing nature... and driving fast...
Like Lord of the Rings, Star Wars presents good-versus-evil in an uncompromising narrative. Nonetheless, within the story line, the traders are morally corrupt and the simple farm boy is everyone's last hope. (LOTR glorified the mythical preindustrial manor village and its sturdy uncomplicated folk. Even at the Prancing Pony, as the boys order ale - "It comes in pints!" - not a coin is to be seen, another instance of working magic.
Granted that it is easy to pick apart anything and dislike everything, we still find positives where we do, including Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. We own all seven seasons of The West Wing. But I would not buy "South Park" in the bargain bin for a dollar. Cute as it can be in a libertarian sort of way, South Park is just cheap junk. I grant, though, that its popularity reflects a libertarian substrate within the viewing audience.