Argo Screw History: Liberal Culture Versus The Conservative Truth
The Mission Was Real. The History was Malarkey.
One of the better movies I’ve seen this season is Argo, directed by and starring the talented and appealing Ben Affleck. The movie tells a fictionalized version of the true story of how a CIA operative helped six Americans escape from Iran during the hostage crisis of the Carter administration.
I, of course, had no problem with the filmmakers adding fictional dollops of drama, danger and adventure to the story. But I did object very strongly to the rewriting of history purely for purposes of pro-Democrat propaganda. The running gag in the movie concerns a make-believe sci-fi film called Argo that the CIA uses as a cover story. The battle cry of the good guys is, “Ar, go, f*** yourself.” But, as so often in Hollywood, it’s the political truth that gets f***ed.
Bad enough that the entire hostage crisis was subtly and not-so-subtly blamed on America in the movie. Even worse is the fact that the Democrat president’s idealistic incompetence in withdrawing American support for the Shah is completely passed over. It was this bone-headed Carter play that opened the floodgates of Islamo-fascism, allowing Ayatollah Khomeini to come to power — a bone-head move that Obama stupidly repeated when he withdrew support from Mubarak in Egypt and essentially handed the place over to the Muslim Brotherhood. As the Wall Street Journal’s Bret Stephens recently said, “In the middle east there are two kinds of regimes — those that could be worse, and those that couldn’t be worse.” Carter and Obama both opted to abandon the former and allow the latter.
Also smoothed over in the movie is the president’s fatal incompetence in allowing a poorly planned rescue operation. At one point in the film, Affleck’s CIA agent is told to ditch his mission because the White House is mounting a rescue of its own. This is a suspenseful moment because we know Carter’s Eagle Claw plan will be a fatal failure, leaving eight U.S. servicemen dead in the desert. But the disaster is never mentioned in the film. Why not? Guess.
“…eight U.S. servicemen dead in the dessert.”
As typos go, that takes the cake.
“We need to conquer that country.”
We’ve been hearing that since Libertas came on line 5 years ago and the progress so far towards that goal has been negative. Whining about the left culture doesn’t seem to be moving the needle much. If future talented artists are raised by left leaning TV shows and educated by the teacher’s union, it’s going to get worse before it gets better and I’m still waiting to hear some kind of concrete proposals rather than continual hand wringing.
My two cents: Scholarships for talented conservative artists to conservative colleges. Colleges with the environment and programs to specifically counter the left culture.
Anyone else have a suggestion?
1. Opt out of public education. Private school if you can afford it, homeschool if you can’t. As I mention to family members who send their kids to public school but expect them to turn out all right: you can’t dip your kids in sewage six hours a day and not expect some of it to stick.
2. Actively pursue media with the real-world view, and shun media that showcases the liberal fantasyland. If you’re not supporting creative endeavors that show reality, you’re part of the problem. If you’re giving your hard earned money to the people attempting to propagandize your kids… you (and they) lose.
3. Talk with your kids about the liberal media’s bias. Point out when the TV story conveniently leaves out the fact that 1,00 jobs were lost to save six unarmored three-spined sticklebacks, or when “tax cuts” means a reduction in the rate of increase. You can’t prevent them from seeing the left’s propaganda, but you can help them see _through_ it.
Thank you, Andrew, for identifying the problem. Now what?
Sam Schulz says it well. “We need to conquer that country.” Okay. What do you want me to do? I understand your goal. How do you plan to get there?
Andrew I agree with you but I will add two things: First the US Gov and the CIA intervened in 1953 in the internal affairs of Iran by overthrowing the popular Mossadegh elected government. After the coup succeeded, many of Mosaddegh’s associates were tried, tortured and executed. Mosaddegh was kept under house arrest until his death in 1967. In light of this a case could be made that the hostage crisis can be blamed (in part) on America.
Second William J. Casey a close aid of Ronald Reagan during the campaign of 1980 and future CIA director, made a deal with the Mullahs not to release the hostages until Reagan moved to the White House. in exchange the Reagan administration turned a blind eye on the sale of us military parts to the Iranian gov.
The first point, which is made in the film, is fair enough. The second is an unsubstantiated conspiracy theory and strikes me as wholly implausible.
Alex also doesn’t know what he’s talking about re the overthrow of Mossadegh. The U.S.-inspired coup failed. A MULLAH-inspired riot against Mossadegh–supported by, among others Khomeini and his teachers–overthrew Mossadegh a few days later. They feared his secularism.
THIS is why there is NO Mossadegh street, avenue or boulevard in modern Tehran. There is, however, a freeway named after the leader of the Islamist terrorists who shot Mossadegh’s foreign minister.
Klavan is of course right about the unsubstantiated conspiracy theory concerning Reagan, the mullahs, and the 1980s election. It’s a left-wing fiction