If we’re going to rage against cultural atrocities, let’s make sure we target the right ones

9 January 2010

James Delingpole says You Know It Makes Sense

For any conservative looking to take offence, there is, I would concede, an abundance of rich rage-fodder. You could get irritated, for a start, by the wearisomely overfamiliar, oh-the-Truffula-trees eco-theme. Or by the film’s depiction of the US as heartless, fascistic, greedy, militaristic and utterly callous towards other races, other planets. Or by the explicit comparisons it invites with Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, and the way it encourages its audience to take the side not of the crop-headed American boys selflessly risking life and limb for their country, but of those occupied peoples who seek to destroy them. Or just by the unutterable, ‘only connect’ hippy bollocks in its portrayal of the Na’vi, up to and including the infuriatingly smug apostrophe in the middle of their name.

It’s at this stage in my argument that I need Paul Johnson. The great Paul I’m sure could give me — straight off the top of his head, without having to look a single thing up on the internet like the rest of us do, or could do, if we were bothered — a list of all the writers, film-makers, playwrights, painters, poets, sculptors, actors, directors, musicians and so on from history who weren’t incorrigible libtards.

This list, I imagine, would be very short. I know Dr Johnson would be on it, because he quite rightly said that the first Whig was the Devil; George MacDonald Fraser would be there too of course; as too would composer James MacMillan; Clint Eastwood, Chuck Norris and Kelsey Grammer (of Frasier fame: a registered Libertarian). And Michael Caine, he’d definitely be on the list — do you realise he chose as his Desert Island book Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead?

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A. MacAulay

January 9th, 2010 8:50pm Report this comment

The Pandora film reflects all those computer games wherein a world, planet, continent, etc. is invaded ny marines who fight and massacre the natives and steal their resources. The winner has the most resources = points. The connection to the aimed at audience with Iraq, etc. is not so strong as to the play world they've grown up with.

In this sense the film is an ethical breakthrough in that it places the interests of the invaded on the emotional menu.

A. MacAulay

January 10th, 2010 1:18pm Report this comment

I also take it as given that you mean Browning the poet as opposed to Browning the pistol.

Vernon Goddard

October 27th, 2010 5:47pm Report this comment

Loved the review but you were terribly nasty towards poor lovable AB who is not in a position to defend himself given that he never boxed for Warrington or any other Northern city, never played Rugby league for Warrington,. You see what I mean..........

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