The Patriot Still Lives and Stays The Course By Cindy Furnare
Rightgrrl Contributor
July 4, 2000
My husband and I saw the newly released movie THE PATRIOT on June 28. In a movie theater almost packed to capacity sat groups of university students as well as us older people. The crowd was polite, but a bit restless, talkative, and somewhat inattentive as the promos ran their course...and then...the featured movie, The Patriot, with Mel Gibson, finally came up on the big screen. Folks, you could have heard a pin drop in there. The crowd was focused and it appeared that all eyes were glued to the screen. What was it about this movie that grabbed our attention?
FAMILY. The traditional family structure was honored even though the lead character was a widow. Family was important in this movie and keeping the family together was even more important.
MEN AND WOMEN. The role of the man and the role of the woman was clearly defined and distinguishable. There was no blurring of the genders.
DUTY. Every member of the family and every member of the community was duty bound...some more, some less. Women had their chores and the children to take care of. Men had to take care of the family and the family estate. Men had to protect their family and their community.
CHURCH. The church was the central focal point in this movie. The church was not only the place of worship; it was the meeting place for the community.
GUNS. Guns were important to protect the family, protect the community, and hunt for food. Males were taught at a very early age how to use a gun and shoot straight.
THE FLAG. The flag symbolized freedom and all that freedom stands for. Like I have told you folks, to the point of exhausting the point; freedom is not free! This movie makes that very clear. Some people were injured and many more died for the cause of freedom, duty, and protecting their families.
WAR. War is bad. War kills people. No sane person likes a war. Throughout our nation's time line, war, as objectionable as it is, may be the one and only effective option for a nation to become free and remain free.
STAY THE COURSE. No discussion of low self-esteem or silly excuses in this movie. THE PATRIOT reminds us that goal setting, staying focused, having a plan, and just plain staying the course is the old-fashioned, tried and true method for achieving our goals and seeing our plans carried through from start to finish.
PATRIOTISM. Love your country. Protect your country. Hey, that's what patriots do. That's what our forefathers did. Have we forgotten that?
So, this great movie THE PATRIOT ended, the credits were rolling, and most of the crowd was still in their seats. Finally, as the crowd exited the theater, I wondered....will we remember THE PATRIOT on July 4th as we celebrate Independence Day? Hmm...maybe...if apathy doesn't kill us.
CINDY'S NOTE: For all of you history buffs, don't bother writing to tell me that THE PATRIOT was not historically accurate. I know. The movie should have had a disclaimer that read: This movie is based on a true story.
CINDY'S NOTE 2: Why did we go see this movie? Simple. The liberal media has been touting how awful this movie is. Traditional values are not politically correct, don't you know.
Cindy's personal home page: Conservative Education Forum
This article copyright © 2000 by Cindy Furnare and may not be reproduced in any form without the express written consent of its author. All rights reserved.