On October 12, "First Man" hits theaters. The plot is great. It’s about the U.S. winning the space race. You’ve all seen Apollo 11’s iconic image of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walking on the moon and planting the American flag. Game. Set. Match. The Russians lost. We won. It’s a great moment in American history—and Hollywood decided to whitewash it. The trailer for the film is great. You can already tell the film will detail the trials and tribulations of the U.S. space programs as it desperately tried to catch up to the Russians during the Cold War.
Admittedly, I’m a sucker for space movies. Armageddon, Apollo 13, The Right Stuff, even Space Cowboys are all decent movies. Armageddon is totally ridiculous—an asteroid the size of Texas—but still entertaining. For some reason still, space, and the stars—it all fascinates America. The solar eclipse was a national event. In Rosslyn, everyone was out there peering through his or her special glasses to catch a peek. Some were even sharing their glasses with the homeless who had also meandered onto North Lynn Street to catch a glimpse.
This could have been one of those movies. Instead, political correctness decided to infect it. First Man reportedly nixes the famous flag planting. Buzz Aldrin responded to the controversy by simply tweeting a photo of the two planting the flag with the caption, “#proudtobeanAmerican #freedom #honor #onenation #Apollo11 #July1969 #roadtoApollo50.”
Armstrong died in 2012, but his sons say the film is not anti-American (via Hollywood Reporter):
It is clear from the post that Aldrin, the second man to step foot on the moon, is not pleased the upcoming film about his crew-mate and first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling), will not show the planting of the American flag on the lunar surface.
[…]
Gosling defended that decision, saying the moon landing “transcended countries and borders.”
Still, the decision has not sit well with others, including politicians such as Marco Rubio, who blasted the absence of the flag moment.
Armstrong's sons defended the decision and said the film is not anti-American.
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Now, the Foundation for Liberty and American Greatness is calling for a boycott, establishing a petition on Change.org. Here’s a statement from the organization’s CEO Nick Adams:
I guess I shouldn't be surprised when Hollywood types take a new opportunity to bash America. That's old news. But what's especially infuriating to me, as a recently-minted American originally from Australia, is to see someone like Ryan Gosling come down from Canada and try to "re-educate" Americans on an integral moment in American history. His attitude and that espoused by his movie are doing the worst kind of disservice to this history of America and the world. And as an American, this is my history, and I take that personally.
It was brave Americans like Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins who risked their lives to fly to the Moon. There were American flags emblazoned on their spacecraft and they planted an American flag on lunar ground. Yes, it was an achievement for all mankind, but carried out on mankind's behalf by intrepid Americans exercising the indomitable spirit that helped forge the greatest nation in the world. Nothing Ryan Gosling or any Hollywood playboy says can change that. I hope this movie inspires people to read about the true heroes - true American heroes - who made that epic journey.
About the Foundation for Liberty and American Greatness:
FLAG’s mission is to educate Americans about the values and principles that make our nation exceptional. To achieve this mission, FLAG works to promote and provide high-quality civics education and preserve American values for generations to come. By providing kid-friendly versions of our founding documents, classroom visits, compelling guest speakers, captivating educational videos, and high-quality professional development programs, FLAG is equipping America’s teachers and students with everything they need to be informed and engaged patriots.
The petition is trying to get 1,000 signatures. As of today, it has a little over 600. Now, I’m not a fan of boycotts, but with anything in America, I support one’s right to express their views and feelings—even if they’re straight trash. That is not to say FLAG’s motives are trash—that’s more for the progressive snowflakes that can’t deal in the Trump era. But this is a tragically absurd move by the Hollywood Left. The omission is just unnecessary. In fact, it hurts the movie, as this part is key to the story. This is like doing a film about the American Revolution and omitting George Washington and the Second Continental Congress. It just doesn’t work. Or better yet, a film about the American Civil War and not having Robert E. Lee or the Confederate Army in it.
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