A lot of speculation is going on as to why American Sniper has done so well at the box office. It’s supporters claim that it is because the film celebrates our veterans like no film has before, and/or it’s an excellent piece of filmmaking. It’s detractors say it is because Americans are by-and-large angry and/or savages and/or stupid.
These arguments don't seem to get close to the actual reason this movie is defying expectations. Firstly, we have already had a movie that celebrates Iraq War veterans while acknowledging the PTSD they acquire; it was called The Hurt Locker and the Oscars awarded it Best Picture in 2010. To the excellent piece of filmmaking argument, I would direct you to any scenes in American Sniper involving the clearly plastic, lifeless baby. And speaking to Americans being stupid, angry savages, I’d say that is a gross overgeneralization and not worthy my time.
For me, I thought American Sniper was decent and average. If you haven’t seen it, it’s basically Dirty Harry with a sniper rifle. It was nothing to write home about. It could have been a major film to write home about had the filmmakers been bold enough to forego dramatizing the record holding sniper’s many kills (previous sniper films already have done that to death- no pun intended) and instead had more than two scenes at a VA hospital. Maybe even give Sienna Miller new dialogue rather than just have her repeat “Don’t go” over and over again. But I digress.
If you really want to understand American Sniper’s success, I think you have to look at when it made its money. American Sniper was released, wide, on January 16. It has made its astonishing gross in the two weeks leading up to Super Bowl Sunday.
Just like American Sniper’s success, people have speculated how the NFL is now more successful than ever. The sport is thriving despite a year dripping with controversy including domestic violence, child abuse, and most recently cheating. The NFL Commissioner admitted “It’s been a tough year.” He did not clarify what was tough though. One can only assume they are running out of places to put money, even after stashing a few bills in the “No More” Campaign ads.
The NFL has it’s own PTSD problem it’s dealing with, but it goes by a different set of letters- CTE. CTE stands for chronic traumatic encephalopathy and it’s been found in the brains of many football-
What’s that? I’m ruining Super Bowl Sunday?
Okay. You're right. My apologies. But for a full list of players past and present who have been diagnosed with CTE, they actually have their very our Wikipedia page listing all-
Okay, okay, okay. I'll get off it. The point I'm trying to make is that the Super Bowl is a celebration just like American Sniper is a celebration. Super Bowl Sunday is a day where Americans gather together to eat tasty fried foods while staring at a TV screen in which a war is being fought. Not a literal war, a figurative one. No participants are going to die, probably. Of course everything comes with a risk. But these guys are trained professionals at the top of their game. Each player is a single link in a chain of command that works tirelessly towards one goal- victory. It may be violent, but war is hell.
I mean, God forbid, if one of the football players actually did die, it most likely will not be out on the field. It will be years later after his career is over. And if it turns out that a medical condition brought on by his profession caused great suffering and ultimately his death, Americans would honor him. In fact, if he happens to hold some great record, we will probably make a movie about him.
Sure, there will be those that cry we are all responsible for creating the conditions that led to his tragic end, but the movie will mainly focus on his glory on the field. It will not show his horrific end, but we'll get a title card that says what happened. The movie probably won’t even mention PTSD until the last thirty minutes...I mean CTE. Sorry, I must have been thinking about that scene at the end of American Sniper where everyone gathers at the Dallas Cowboy football stadium to honor Chris Kyle.
Seriously though, our veterans deserve better than what we give them. I am all for reconfiguring our defense budget so that we make fewer unused tanks and guns, and more, better equipped VA hospitals. I’d vote for a second Veterans Day on the calendar if we all agreed it would raise more awareness. The defenders of our country deserve to be honored, but they deserve to not be put in harms way unless it is absolutely necessary and a last resort after all diplomacy has been deployed.
Similarly, I don’t think it’s necessary that football players put their mental health in jeopardy for a few months of entertainment. I know they make more money than our war veterans- which is fucking ridiculous, by the way. But we are basically creating a new kind of veteran with mental problems that we will have to take care of in the years to come. And so far the NFL is doing about as good as job taking care of it's fallen players as the US Government does caring for it's veterans.
And what is the cause that football players are fighting for- buffalo wings.... Go Daddy commercials... Billionaire owners... Teams with offensive names who refuse to change...
I just don’t think it's worth it.
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