This Is Not America

If you're a regular here, you already know that I almost never miss a chance to link some of my favorite music and films to the topics I discuss here. Such a chance has presented itself once again because we now so often here "this is not us", "this is not America" or "this is not what America stands for" after the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

As it happens, the song "This is not America" by David Bowie and Pat Metheny Group, is al all time favorite for me, and this song was made for a very good film as well: The Falcon and the Snowman. Be advised that there will be major spoilers ahead, so watch the film first if you have the chance; it's worth it. In a nutshell the film is about two young men, masterfully portrayed by Timothy Hutton and Sean Penn, who stumble upon highly classified information from the C.I.A. and sell this information to K.G.B. agents in Mexico. One of the young men, Penn's character, is also a drug addict and dealer nicknamed "The Snowman" while the other is a falconry expert who owns a pet falcon named "Fawkes". It doesn't end well for our two protagonists, mainly due to the drug-induced erratic behavior of Penn's character, and they both end up in jail at the end. In one scene, after he's arrested in Mexico, he shouts in his defense: "I'm an American!" It is the answer to that desperate plea that is the title of the song: "This is not America".

This story is about two young men who saw their American Dream shattered, tried to build their own version of it by selling state secrets to the enemy, only to see all their dreams shattered again. Our "Falcon" is the son of parents who are with the F.B.I., and he lands a job that allows him access to several secret documents. One day he loses his love for his country after he's confronted with C.I.A. documents in which it becomes clear that the U.S. plans to depose the Prime Minister of its ally Australia. At this point it's good to mention that the film is based on a book that is based on actual events, and that the C.I.A. was allegedly involved with the 1975 Australian constitutional crisis, with actual involvement of our "Falcon", Christopher Boyce.

In today's news, the phrase "this is not America" is heard many times, meaning that the storming of the Capitol on January 6th is un-American. But if we're honest, this is exactly what America is in the year 2021; this event is nothing less than the definitive sign that the American Dream is truly dead. Trump and his backers in the cabinet are as opportunistic as The Falcon and The Snowman, betrayed their people with lies and saw the Executive Branch foment a violent attack on the Legislative Branch, while trying to turn back the outcome of the elections that saw them lose the White House. Not only did Trump instigate this amateurish coupe, he also made sure that the Capitol didn't have the defense of federal law enforcement agencies; allegedly he even refused to call for the National Guard when the attacks were well underway. The reaction by law enforcement in general wasn't even half as timely, organized and forceful compared to the BLM protests last summer, and laid bare in plain sight the white supremacy at the root of America's systemic racism.

This is America, there's no two ways about it. I can only hope that enough Americans have woken up to the fact that the events of January 6th were a clear sign of fascism on the rise. Above I've linked a few key scenes from the film for those who haven't seen it and aren't planning to see it. And I'll close with the David Bowie song, linked below. The lyrics seem to refer to a dying (American) dream and to promises unfulfilled - "this could be the biggest sky"... Instead tomorrows clouds will be bloody red - "so bloody red, tomorrow's clouds"... It's a sad but beautiful film, and a sad but beautiful song; enjoy!

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