There’s a special place in my heart for 1980s and 1990s American blockbuster cinema. The film where a brawny muscular hero saves the day and kills all the bad guys while exemplifying all the positive attributes that America values. I will never get tired of these films, and while I understand that they’re a product of a different time and have a myriad of problematic things about them, I will always cherish them.
In those times, the Soviet Union was the antithesis of everything America. America needed a bad-guy and the Soviet Union was it. The entire country could rally against this evil foreign entity that was slowly (seemingly) taking hold of the world one country at a time – creeping ever closer.
Finally, when the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan asked the Soviet Union for assistance and the Soviets moved in their 40th Army, the American government has had enough. In Operation Cyclone they funded, supplied and trained a multinational organization of brave Islamic freedom fighters known as the Mujaheddin – which is another term for Jihadists.
Sylvester Stallone joined in to help the Islamist Mujaheddin in the movie Rambo 3. In the movie, his friend goes to train the Mujaheddin forces, and is captured by the Soviets. The Soviets hold him prisoner and interrogate his friend. Rambo goes off on his quest to infiltrate the Soviet compound and free his friend from the clutches of the evil Soviets.
The Mujaheddin were shown in a positive light in various parts of American cinema. For example, the James Bond film “The Living Daylights” features Mr. Bond gaining help from the Mujaheddin and assisting them in order to defeat the evil KGB agent General Georgi Koskov. Islamist freedom fighters were seen in a positive light in American media.
However, after the September 11th attacks American’s view changed on Islamist Freedom Fighters. All of a sudden, these people, that were there to help the American good guys fight against the foreign bag guys, became the bad guys. Using bombs to blow up imperialist Soviets was good in The Living Daylight, but using bombs to kill imperialist Americans was a deal breaker.
Rambo 3 was released in 1988. In Metal Gear Solid V, a Japanese video game released in 2015, our brave American hero also interferes in the Soviet-Afghan War. The hero named Snake finds out that his friend went to Afghanistan in order to train Mujaheddin fighters. But, Snake’s friend is captured by the Soviets and is being interrogated! Snake must infiltrate the Soviet compound and free his friend from the clutches of the evil Soviets.
Sounds a bit familiar despite the 27 year difference. Maybe the Japanese didn’t get the memo.
Miscommunicating Communication 