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From: mkr@mmm.UUCP (MKR)
Newsgroups: net.followup,net.politics,net.movies
Subject: Rambomania
Message-ID: <818@mmm.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 8-May-86 17:44:19 EDT
Article-I.D.: mmm.818
Posted: Thu May  8 17:44:19 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 11-May-86 07:54:09 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: none
Lines: 62

["Sir?"  "Yes?"  "Do we get to win this time?"]

	Boy, all this Rambo-bashing on the net is somewhat humorous.
I feel compelled to defend the defenseless young man :-)

>"man on the street" polls to see that.  However, don't assume that every
>person in the US has been "brainwashed" into the Rambo mindset.
>
>so that we wouldn't have looked quite so much like trigger-happy Rambo's 
>(or cowboys, or state terrorists, or whatever you want to call it).
>
>But until this right-wing, aggressive, John Wayne/Rambo/kick-their-asses 
>attitude swings back toward a more normal outlook, and we replace Reagan with 

>>> Just look at the popular movies in the
>>> US to see the general attitude.  Rambo, Rocky, Phantom Commando, etc.,
>>> etc., etc.  "Kill those guys, they are the Enemy!!!!!!!!!!!"
>>
>>	Those are *movies*, buddy. Get real. I don't know about you, but
>>most Americans can tell the difference between reality and a movie
>>fantasy.
>
>
>I don't know if I agree.  I seem to remember Reagan at various
>times identifying with Dirty Harry and Rambo.  I even remember him
>saying once in a previous "crisis" that "I saw "Rambo" last night
>and I know just what to do" (yes, this is a paraphrase but I
>

	Many of the same attitudes about Rambo are found throughout
American media and in countless private conversations. The surprising
thing is that many of these opinions come from people who have seen
both movies.

	The consensus seems to be that Rambo is a "let's go kick some
ass just 'cause it feels GOOD" kinda guy. The amusing part is that
proponents and opponents of this philosophy both attribute it to Rambo,
when in fact John Rambo, the character in the First Blood movies, was
a peaceful guy who didn't want to hurt anybody - he just wanted to be
left alone and not be messed with. Rambo was actually a very admirable
man - he never wanted to hurt anybody, but people kept pushing and 
pushing until he was compelled to respond.

	If people would watch the movies (especially the first one, the
second was largely a shoot-em-up with lousy acting, weak plot, bad 
direction and stupid stunts) they should be able to see that Rambo is
actually a very worthyideal to emulate - he is a peaceful man who
just wants to be free to lead his life in peace - but when he needs
strength and violence is the only solution - he's strong.

	I think this misinterpretation of Rambo speaks more towards
the shallow knee-jerking types who decry violence at any cost than
it does to America's violence-prone nature. On the other hand, people
who *like* violence also have the same attitude towards Rambo. I guess
itjust demonstrates people's needs for simple one-word images so they
can pigeon-hole people and problems without really understanding them.

Sad.

--MKR

"Murdoch - I'm coming for *you*!!!!!"