The hateful, self-loathing and oft-incorrect Sarah Palin and her wild ranting about Barack Obama's "terrorist connections" got me thinking today about pop culture, language and an easily manipulated public.
For instance, it's amazing how quickly those on the far right decry Obama's ties to Weather Underground founder Bill Ayers, no matter how flimsy (or even non-existent) they might be, simply because Palin uses the dreaded t-word to describe the now professional Ayers and his former associates. I also find it to be endlessly confounding how many of my most liberal friends in New York and Los Angeles loved The Dark Knight, a movie whose main point seemed to be that the PATRIOT Act is righteous and necessary. How frightening the word terrorist has become in our zeitgeist, and how easily grand explosions and attractive movie stars can mold peoples' perceptions.
I decided to highlight this phenomenon with a non-comprehensive list of the American public's most favorite terrorists. You'll notice that many of the people after the jump have been described as "freedom fighters" (what a cute little shift in terms) by the men portraying them, all of whom are handsome and white.
As always, feel free to use the comments section for complaints about omissions or inclusions.
Editor
Not complaining, but adding to the list:
Jesse James
The entire cast of the Godfather trilogy
Joe Pesci's characters in every movie including My Cousin Vinny
evil twin, that is HILARIOUS.
"the two utes."
that's terrorist pronunciation right dere.
The Departed. There's one for the list.
Maybe it's just me, but being from Boston I get so tired of people glorifying 'Southie Mobsters'. A week doesn't pass where you don't see an article in a local newspaper either posting the latest b/s 'Whitey Bulger sighting', or just some random article on one of his flunkies.
My thing is this: Those guys stole, killed and sold drugs just like other gangs. The Crips, or Latin Kings or whatever other gang you want to name all do the exact same thing. If these gangs traded in their bandanas fo neck ties, would they be in the papers all the time like celebrities??
i'm not sure i understand the point of this exercise, because i is stoopid, but:
the sopranos
the fools in american history x
jack bauer (reverse terrorism)
the menaces in menace to society
the menaces in don't be a menace to society while drinking your juice in the hood
care bears
the dread pirate roberts
Smurfs
The taxi driver chick in Pulp Fiction
Yoda
Stephen Baldwin
SMURFS! LOL
So imagine you're a little dee-a. You put your little deer mouth to the bubbling brook with your little deer lips, and BAM! Sarah Palin blows your fucking head off! Now. Would you care what kind of pants the son of a bitch who shot you was wearin'?!
I take offense to comments being complaints. I know we don't pay for your advertising but that's BS.
Every Cowboy and Indian film ever made.
Oh, BeA, you know our little Cordy McCordster is a wee on the sensitive side.
Sigh. I know. I'm all grumpy today. I'm sick of politics and sick of the rain and sick of money worries. Plus I'm not too clear on what the hell this post is about….
I need a Tom-ba.
ET how are you? Employed? Unemployed? I haven't seen you on here in awhile- of course I have stopped reading 3/4 of the postings (they're all the same).
I had better days, myself. I am a casualty of the newspaper industry, so I am currently lending my craft to the good folks of MG.
However, I still have unlimited funds to spend on Tom-ba. Here have a case on the house.
Have you considered starting your own blog ET? I'd read it.
Especially if it had little squiggly white lines on it and pictures of Bale and Depp.
@ Be Adequite!
"I take offense to comments being complaints."
What? I said use the comments section for complaints. How does that equal "comments are complaints"?
And what's unclear about this? If you're saying that it's unclear what our nation considers terrorism, I agree.
Dang! You better check yoself BA!
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS a pinky from Stinky!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This reminds me of comedian Reginald D. Hunter's take on the The Dark Knight during his appearance on Have I Got News for You (British TV panel game). He said, "I don't respect the concept of Batman because of what I understand about politics now. Rich dude, owns a corporation, has state of the art equipment, and he uses this to beat up on street level crime. He doesn't mess with the industrialists, or the super-capitalists, or the Murdochs, or the the Trumps. He'd rather just fuck with the purse snatchers on the corner. Batman is a conservative's wet dream. Fuck Batman."
What I'm trying to say is I'm tired of Cord's soapboxing on all the issues. I'm tired of the election. I'm tired of both of these politicians.
COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN
It's worth noting that the United States has conducted and sponsored terrorism in other countries. U.S.-sponsored terrorists used violence and intimidation of citizens to destabilize the Sandinista government of Nicaragua in the 1980s, and the U.S. mined Nicaraguan harbors and then ignored a World Court verdict that it was violating international law. Then there's all the efforts to instigate "regime change" in Cuba since 1960.
Those are just two examples.
Well, The Govna' Palin has to say something that's been scripted and memorized, that that they be factual. But at least memorized. The far Right is so damned angry and desperate that I don't think that they even look at the facts anymore. And what a shame that is, that they can't look at facts and make a decision beyond their own, miserable party. We need change. I like this blog post a lot.
MacChick do you like Macs?
BeA! Well done! I had a feeling you were going to rouse the sleeping beast on that one. It must be the Tom-ba. It drives Cord wild.
Go take a nap, ba.
Tim McVeigh - Homegrown rightwing terrorist.
Stoney- wake me up Nov 5- either way I promise to be in a better mood by then.
Prescot Bush - George HW's father. During WWII he wanted the US to side with the Nazis. Another rightwing terrorist.
Papa Joe Kennedy
Patti Hearst
Arnold Schwarzenegger (on & off screen)
Tiny Tim
One of the good things about being here in Canada is that our elections last about 2 months. It feels like in the states it goes on for over a year, is that true? It feels that way.
It goes on for about eleventy billion years. Or so.
Who was the guy that killed some innocent people at a mall or something recently? I think he killed himself too. When they went to his house, they found books from Hanity, and O'Reilly and Limbaugh.
I completely forgot his name but another example of a homegrown, rightwing terrorist.
yeah the thing is they vote all the time in Canada, we have set dates,we have to build up to it for a year. *cue eye of the tiger*
only 30 more days to go BeAd. 30 more days and I can read D-listed without feeling like I really ought to be reading Huffington Post.
Re money worries, if you come up with a good counterfeiting scheme or a good plan for a jewel heist, count me in.
the primary season started WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too early this year.
even i'm getting burned out… so much so i nearly slammed the door in this friendly DNC canvasser's face on saturday. i did shut (not slam) the door on him, and then immediately grabbed my shoes, ran outside, wrote him a check for a hundred bucks and listened to him lament about all the people that had slammed doors in his face, and one douchebag who spit on him through his screen door.
le sigh.
Che Guevara was a murderer and your t-shirt is not cool. (Not white, I know, but the subject of at least one movie and a silly t-shirt.)
@ JD: Well, I guess that GHWB paid penance for his father's sins?…
I would like to add Heidi and Spencer to the terrorist list.
while we're at it, can we add andie macdowell?
i just hate her.
and can we add PETA?
and people who don't eat bacon?
actually, just put the bacon in a pita and email it to me. i'm hungry.
kthxbai.
@ 26 JD
Don't forget Prescott Bush plotted to overthrow FDR.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_Plot
mmmmmm, bacon…
:drools like homer simpson:
I don't trust anyone who doesn't eat bacon.
keebler, i think you and i inadvertently just labeled all muslims and jews terrorists.
um…. whoops!!!
Wait huh? Weather Underground? Like wunderground.com? Are they supposed to be a terrorist clan of meteorologists? What's happening??
Be Adequite: Yes, I love Macs other Apple toys.
nevermind i clicked the link. it was hard and tiresome but it was worth it.
in other news i can't really go back to weather underground anymore, knowing their name is a twisted parody of a disturbing event.
I eat turkey bacon. I don't eat pigs for reasons.
KNOWN TERRORISTS:
Captain Kangaroo
Mr. Greenjeans
Kukla
Fran
Ollie
Thelma
Fred
Speedy Gonzales
Michigan J. Frog
Malificent
Betty Rubble
Pebbles Flinstone
H R Pufnstuf
Johnny Quest
El Kabong
Boo Boo Bear
Ratso
Batso
Aquaman
Wonder Woman
Anyone associated with "Schoolhouse Rock"
@ sar: Terrorist meteorologists! That's a sitcom waiting to happen. Or a band to be featured on one of those hip CW shows.
Ollie North
lol stay… Tia and Tamara Mowry are calling their agent as we speak.
oh i thought you meant oly
this was one of the most refreshing posts on Mollygood, very interesting.
Mollygood rules… you go, Cord, keep posting awesome articles.
Paris Hilton…for terrorizing popular culture and dumbing down America
Perez Hilton, for the same reasons
Sarah Palin…if it moves, shoot it
Tom Cruise, for crimes against..well, everything
Fox News, for continuing to use the slogan 'fair and balanced'
Puff/Daddy/Diddy - or whatever - please hide under a rock for the next 50 years
Betty Rubble? no way - she's hot
Your most liberal friends weren't duped into liking the Dark Knight. The Patriot Act interpretation is made by people who see George Bush as a "martyr" (like Batman). This is how the Wall Street Journal defends this interpretation: "is at some level a paean of praise to the fortitude and moral courage that has been shown by George W. Bush in this time of terror and war." And, yes, Batman can eavesdrop on any telephone conversation he wants, but the film just proves how it's dangerous for this power to land in the wrong hands.
Wait a minute… Tyler Durden was shown to be too radical and calloused at the end. And Robin Hood would fight against tyrannical leaders. And he would steal, but only because he was forced to if he wanted the poor to live well. Not fair to say these two make "killing countrymen look cool."
Some right-wing nuts see the Zapatista Army of National Liberation as a group of terrorists, but smart people don't. Of course what we define as terrorists is subjective. Terrorists disrupt the peace, but it depends on what you consider peace. It's obviously going to be unclear.