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To: DoctorMichael
That I "feel that a movie made by a homosexual British writer/director whose point was to lampoon America's middle heterosexual class had very little to offer me as far as valid criticism and insight into the current state of U.S. affairs".

Sir, with all due respect, I believe either you saw a different "American Beauty" than most people, or that idea was put in your head before you saw the movie. Let me explain my POV.

The marine dad was obviously a "repressive queer". He knew his "homosexual feelings" were wrong, and had spent his entire life being the most "manly man" he could be to hide and supress his feelings. He was ashamed and had been tormented all his life by the feelings(hence his attitude twoards his son when he thought he might be queer). Then finally, when he expressed his feelings to someone(Spacey), who he had misunderstood, he was so ashamed he killed him.

Secondly, everyone in the film was outwardly accepting of the two queer neighbor guys - except the marine dad who we later find out about. So to say the film was some sort of "lampoon" on the "heterosexual middle class" is quite funny to me. Its almost as if you watched the film hoping to see come away with that impression. If there had been more queers in the film, who were protrayed as "normal", then youy may have a valid point. But the two queers were really incidental characters - only there to convey the marine dad's feelings to teh audience.

17 posted on 07/10/2002 9:23:28 AM PDT by FreeTally
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To: FreeTally
You bought into the construction of reality that Mendes is selling, and, it appears, you are unaware of it.

Mendes' very subtle, even somewhat subliminal, techniques were consciously designed to undermine and mock the very idea that psychological norms exist and are worthy of emulation and adherence. The Marine colonel is a caricature --- not a character that one finds in real life. The hardass colonel represents homophobia, a nonsense word whose etymology is purely political. As an actual, diagnosable psychological syndrome, it doesn't exist. Violence springs from homophobia in Mendes' construct, for all heterosexual men fear hidden homosexual urges, and they lash out rather than face the truth. Sexual ambivalence and bisexuality are universal and their denial is the source of the rotten core at the heart of every American middle-class family. For Mendes, only homosexuals possess true authenticity.

If this message is unclear to you, Mendes has done his job well. He meant to confuse the message, and, as I say, deliver it subliminally.

19 posted on 07/10/2002 10:22:33 AM PDT by beckett
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To: FreeTally
The marine dad was obviously a "repressive queer".

Sorry, with all due respect, I disagree. I believe either you saw a different "American Beauty" than most people, or THAT idea was put in your head before you saw the movie. Let me explain my POV.............

Using the article I posted for this Thread as a reference point................the marine dad/character obviously was put there to JAM; ie. the character illustrated one of the points of the strategy listed above in the article.

In other words he was there to Jam homohatred [i.e., opposition to homosexuality] by linking it to the military (Nazi horror). Much the same as Kirk and Madsen urge the association of all detractors with images like “Klansmen demanding that gays be slaughtered,” “hysterical backwoods preachers,” “menacing punks,” and a “tour of Nazi concentration camps where homosexuals were tortured and gassed”..............the homosexual screenwriter/propagandist links 'homo-hatred' to this military dad. The dad beats up his neighbor for showing, what the believes to be homosexual tendancies!.........How horrid of him!; How non-open-minded!, How repressive!, How unliberated!, How antiquated!; How close-minded!; How American middle-class! How military of him!

NOT ONLY THAT BUT.............the dad beats up his son for loving a girl! Therefore additionally, by having the same character show disdain for both his neighbor's AND his son's behaviors the writer not only accomplish the 'Jamming' but he successfully links in the viewers mind natural heterosexual yearnings for love AND homosexual lust.

Bottom-line on my POV: Congratulations! You have been successfully programmed by the screenwriter!

36 posted on 07/10/2002 11:39:40 AM PDT by DoctorMichael
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