'Red Dawn' Doles Out Tea Party Patriotism

According to merriam-webster.com, one of the definitions of the term “tea party” is as follows: an exciting disturbance or proceeding. Basically, a protest. Well, while everyone was out catching the Black Friday Deals (I caught a few myself), I decided to have my own little tea party and share the story with some fellow patriots.

My girlfriend’s mother is hosting two foreign exchange students this year. One is from China and the other is from Thailand. For the sake of anonymity, we will refer to them as E and F. As I was searching for a film to kick off Thanksgiving weekend, I kept running into the mainstream reviews of the “Red Dawn” remake. To mention them specifically would be a disservice to my intelligence and yours. Anyway, I decided in protest of this lame and lazy smearing of the new “patriotic” film that I would go see it. But, I took E and F on the offhanded chance the film would capture the same American patriotism that the original practically defined for a generation of Americans.

I wasn’t expecting much as the three of us took our seats in the packed theater. And they were simply following my lead expecting just another movie. I’m a big fan of John Milius’s original film, and what I was expecting was a politically correct remake without an iota of intelligence in its head. But when the lights went down the three of us were subjected to a two-hour film filled with great action, unabashed patriotism and love for freedom.

We got “Red Dawn.”

Sure, the film skimped on character development, but then it played “Long as I Can See the Light” by Creedance Clearwater Revival and all was forgiven.

After the film I was incredibly interested in how this plain endorsement of patriotism and Americanism had affected my guests. When we got back to my truck, I began to grill them for details. E’s first question was, “does everyone in America own a gun?” I laughed, explained our Second Amendment and said that in our country we had fought tyranny and now preferred for the power to be in the people’s hands rather than with the government. I asked F what his favorite part of the film was and he responded, “I liked that they fight.” 

I noticed they wouldn’t look at me while I questioned them. They both stared out the truck windows in deep thought. It was as if their eyes were searching for something. Maybe searching the America outside the vehicle for what exactly it was that made those small town heroes pick up arms and fight back for a freedom they “inherited.” Soon E looked my way and asked me about a specific part in the movie that he could not understand.

(Spoiler Alert) Near the film’s end one of the heroes realizes he is being used to track the rest of the group. He makes the decision to be left behind with nothing but a SAW machine gun to take as many commies as he can while his friends run off safe and sound. E asked me if the boy had died. I said yes. He looked confused and asked why. I told him that the boy had sacrificed himself for a greater idea. The concept seemed completely foreign to my two friends. I went through America’s history and explained how heroes put it all on the line every single day for this greater idea of a free America.

As we sat and discussed the fact that people could own guns without the government knowing and the very idea of freedom that made the Wolverines fight even in the dourest of odds, I could see them smiling and soaking it all in. They clearly enjoyed the film and were feeling enlightened by this discussion of America and freedom. I concluded by telling them that Americans are “headstrong.” They didn’t understand, so I explained a bit more. I told them Americans always want more freedom and we push ourselves to make things bigger and better. We would always fight because the idea of losing makes no sense to us. They laughed and shook their heads.

As we began to drive off and the boys returned to their looks out the windows, I heard E say to himself or perhaps to all of us, “I like America … because I have more freedom.” I smiled and thought, “Wolverines, baby.”

So here’s a challenge, fellow patriots and movie lovers. Go see “Red Dawn.” Just don’t see this patriotic film by yourself. Take a friend, a neighbor, a liberal, anyone. Take people who don’t understand the ideas of freedom and individualism. Show them an old-school endorsement of an idyllic American attitude.

And afterwards discuss, explain, anything. Post about your own “Tea Party with ‘Red Dawn.'” This movie is for all of you. Libertarians, conservatives, Republicans, whatever. Go celebrate freedom and flag waving America with fellow patriots or those devoid of such ideas. Ignore the reviews (I know you will) and join the Wolverines in spreading the very ideas of individualism and America.