No. “They” — that is the Writers Guild of America — went after Tyler Perry for his anti-union (and anti-writer) PRACTICES. They weren’t trying to “shut him down” but to pay residuals and a fair market value for the labor of his writers.

And when Perry signed a WGA contract, that was it. Perry can think and say whatever he wants, as long as he pays his employees fairly.

Why is that so hard to understand?

Wait a dang minute…

And maybe you’re right that the crazed vet isn’t a Hollywood stereotype but it certainly is a liberal one. I don’t just imagine the breathlessness that greets any news that supports that stereotype of the broken, drug addled, messed up killer. I saw it with Scott, “Oh, he really tells it like it is!”, Beauchamp, or this latest guy, Joshua Keys, I think his name is. Anything that shows soldiers as disciplined or well adjusted is judged a white-wash because it doesn’t play like Hollywood Viet Nam, which is *highly* romanticized, just not in a good way. People are actually *disappointed* if our guys aren’t cold blooded murderers or junkies or rapists. They want this fantasy of barbarism to experience vicariously and they don’t like that fantasy world threatened.

PTSD is serious, of course, but in general terms the most common manifestations are ignored by television, the watchfulness or the flinch, getting nervous in public places with too many people, nightmares, those sorts of things. And what we see on television is the fellow walking down the street entirely unable to tell where he is, babbling on about combat stuff in some sort of never-ending flashback.

It doesn’t have to be a white-wash. But it would be nice to have more representations of veterans who strengthened by the experience, which is every bit as true, if not more-so. More representations of very young men who have that maturity of experience and responsibility that their civilian peers lack.

And it isn’t fair to say that Hollywood created Rambo. It was really the work of Sly Stalone, a star big enough to get the backing to do whatever he wants, just like Eastwood.

Critically, Rambo seems to be the doppelganger to Rocky, the darker side of the same personality. Both men are trained to fight, but unlike Rocky, Rambo doesn’t have an arena in which to fight his battles. He is without a legitimate war.

Rocky is a romantic hero and Rambo is a tragic hero, a tragedy in the after math of Viet Nam. Perhaps that is what right wing ideologues don’t like about Rambo. The movie does not glorify the Viet Nam experience. But Rambo the soldier is noble and that is why audiences connected. He is a classic underdog and Americans love underdogs.

Flashing for the warrior
Whose strength is not to fight
Flashing for the refugee
On his unarmed road of flight
And for each and every underdog
Soldier in the night
We gazed upon the chimes
Of freedom flashing

Perhaps the truth is that children with two parents never have problems and can’t have adventures?

I don’t think so.