Small Step For Man, Giant Leap For Rewriting History

[Paul]

I'm British, I have no loyalty to the USA, your flag or your history. However I find this to be wrong, very wrong, and I am wondering how it is going down in America itself.

Just read that in the new movie about the Moon landing they have deliberately left out the planting of the American flag on the Moon. The reason they give is that the Moon belongs to the world, not just America. Yes, well fair enough, that is true. But the fact is that an American planted his flag on the surface of the Moon and to leave that out for "political correctness" is just plain "editing history to suit the current political situation".

I live in part of Europe, and most of the continent dislikes America, in many cases to the point of racism. These are the people that the film panders to - racists. Leaving that scene out is like having a white actor play Malcolm X because you don't want to offend the Klu Klux Klan. And the really stupid thing is that no non-American would actually object to the flag scene. In fact I suspect most will wonder why such an iconic scene has been left out of the film. Even the America hating racists.

Editing history to suit your agenda is never right. The Nazis tried it, now Hollywood is doing the same thing, and on an important event in history. Not cool. Not cool at all.

OK that is my over. I would be interested to hear what Americans feel about this.

[Michael Murphy]

I find the movement to rewrite history disturbing.  During the 70’s a southern train station was converted to a museum the whites only signs above the water fountain were removed.  The fact that they are a ugly part of a ugly period in American history.  One of the reasons that the current presidunce is allowed to spew his racist bigotry is that most Americans forget the pasts horrors and long for the past that never was.  We are a great nation that is not perfect but we have strived in the past to fix our mistakes.  Even the current fight over confederate symbols is becoming a wave to forget our tragic past.  The confederate battle flag was not flown in the south for a century but was used in the 1960’s as a way to repress the civil rights moments.  It should go.  Robert E Lee monuments are a other story, in 1865 after Appomattox many in the South wanted to continue with a gurrilla war against the
North.  Lee by the force of his personality stopped that madness and convinced  the south that it was time to rejoin the union.  We would not be the nation we are today without that period in Lee’s life.

[lulu836]

Unless you were born and raised and currently live in the South you do not have permission to tell us what we should or should not do!

Save that Confederate money boys...........The South shall rise again.

Who said the Civil War was over?   Lee handed his ceremonial sword to Grant because Grant admired it and wanted to see it up close.  Being a Yankee, Grant kept the sword because his sword paled in comparison.

[Michael Murphy]

Actually Grant let Lee keep the sword.  And the war ended after the Union under Grant stopped trying to conquer the south and  instead began a raiding campaign that completely destroyed the confederate ieconomy.  The south’s biggest mistake was not trying for a negotiated settlement after the loses at Vicksburg and Gettysburg.   It’s now a common history belonging to all Americans.

[MooseMom]

I have not seen the movie yet so will reserve judgment.  However, I am never going to let the likes of Marco Rubio form my opinion.  I am inclined to give more weight to the thoughts of Neil Armstrong's sons.

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2018/09/04/neil-armstrongs-sons-biographer-push-back-criticism-biopic/1189098002/

[MooseMom]

When is the movie due to be released?

[willowtreewren]

It is supposed to hit theaters in October.

[Bill Peckham]

I'm British, I have no loyalty to the USA, your flag or your history. However I find this to be wrong, very wrong, and I am wondering how it is going down in America itself.

Just read that in the new movie about the Moon landing they have deliberately left out the planting of the American flag on the Moon. The reason they give is that the Moon belongs to the world, not just America. Yes, well fair enough, that is true. But the fact is that an American planted his flag on the surface of the Moon and to leave that out for "political correctness" is just plain "editing history to suit the current political situation".

I live in part of Europe, and most of the continent dislikes America, in many cases to the point of racism. These are the people that the film panders to - racists. Leaving that scene out is like having a white actor play Malcolm X because you don't want to offend the Klu Klux Klan. And the really stupid thing is that no non-American would actually object to the flag scene. In fact I suspect most will wonder why such an iconic scene has been left out of the film. Even the America hating racists.

Editing history to suit your agenda is never right. The Nazis tried it, now Hollywood is doing the same thing, and on an important event in history. Not cool. Not cool at all.

OK that is my over. I would be interested to hear what Americans feel about this.

What are you reading? The outrage is being ginned up so you're stating you've bought into the outrage industry's explanation rather than taking the director's explanation of the choice he made at face value. One of the earliest choices he made that the movie would focus on Armstrong's personal experience something I for one have never really thought about.

I, having never met Mr Armstrong, doubt that the planting of the flag was front of his mind before or after his singular event. His singular event was not planting the flag. The film focuses on Armstrong looking back at earth from the Moon!!! Which do you find more interesting:
What was he feeling when he planted the flag?
or
What was he thinking looking back at the Earth. The tiny little Earth? A sight no person had ever witnessed.

And as long as we are ranting. Political correctness is not a synonym for manners, courtesy, empathy or artistic judgement. Nor as it is so often used in the US a synonym for being correct.

[Paul]

Unless you were born and raised and currently live in the South you do not have permission to tell us what we should or should not do!

Well, shut my mouth! I'm from the South too!
The South of what?
The South of London.

(OK so it is from "Way Out West", but I am from the South! )

[Paul]

What are you reading? The outrage is being ginned up so you're stating you've bought into the outrage industry's explanation rather than taking the director's explanation of the choice he made at face value.

Actually I was reading what Buzz Aldrin said, and I think he has more right to an opinion on the Moon landing than any movie maker.
 

I am inclined to give more weight to the thoughts of Neil Armstrong's sons.

Or the sons of his co-astronaut for that matter.

[MooseMom]

Oh, please.  Buzz Aldrin didn't say anything.  He tweeted some ambiguous message with all sorts of hashtags about being "one nation".  That's pretty contrary to the message Marco Rubio is sending.

Besides, the movie is not called "Second Man".

[Paul]

That's pretty contrary to the message Marco Rubio is sending.

That's sort of the point I was making, but coming to a different conclusion from it.

[Rerun]

We NEVER landed on the moon!  It was a Total Hoax!  So there! 

I will not go see the movie.  To keep the fairy tail real they should have planted the Flag!  And had Armstrong go down on one knee!  Wearing a pair of Nike Moon Boots! 

[MooseMom]

We NEVER landed on the moon!  It was a Total Hoax!  So there! 

Yeah, a hoax, sorta like the Holocaust and 9/11. right?

[Michael Murphy]

This is not the first time Hollywood rewrote history.  Historically 1/3 of cowboys were black, how many westerns had blacks in the 30’s through the 80’s.  The first black cowboy I remember was Danny Glover in Silverado.  Recently Eastwood romanized the Japanese in Sands of Iwo Jima.  The Japanese history during the war years was horrid.  Starting with the rape of Nanking, treatment of men and women in the Philippines, Singapore, and American Pow’s was on par with the German record in WWII. Mistaking the WWII Japanese with the Postwar citizens is absolutely bad history.
















Sp mod Cas

[Simon Dog]

I had an older friend who I knew served in WWII, but never talked about it.  I do know he hated the Germans and the Japanese until the day he died.

I had to wait until he died to learn about his interesting history as an actual spy.   I knew him as a retired chemical salesman.

https://www.amazon.com/My-Fathers-Secret-War-Memoir/dp/140135226X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1536287967&sr=8-1&keywords=my+father%27s+secret+war+lucinda