Everyone Needs to Stop Fighting Over ‘American Sniper’ [OPINION]

Michael Moore, Seth Rogen and Kid Rock are all making headlines in what is possibly the dumbest and most pointless controversy in recent history -- the online pissing match over people's opinion of 'American Sniper.'

*The opinions stated in the article below are those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect those of Banana 101.5 or Townsquare Media.

There has been a lot of debate in the public forum over people's opinions on 'American Sniper.' People attacked Michael Moore for his comments about snipers. People attacked and misspelled Seth Rogen's name over his comparison of the movie to aspects of a fictional Nazi propaganda film featured in Quentin Tarantino's 'Inglorious Basterds.' Kid Rock jumped in and said they both needed to be punched in the face and that Rogen's uncle molested him. Rogen clarified his initial comment and then said that Kid Rock was that uncle. Honestly, all of it was incredibly stupid, but many exchanges like this are going on between regular American folks too.

People have taken this non-controversy (or "non-troversy") too far. 'American Sniper' might be an incredible film, but it's not the Declaration of Independence. It's a Hollywood movie, not a documentary. It is based on Chris Kyle's book of the same title, but one man's account of events rarely qualify as history or fact. Once you factor in all the Hollywood bulls--- that gets added in over the course of a production you usually end up so far from the truth of the actual events that inspired the film that you can barely see them with a telescope. But I don't want to speculate too much about a movie I haven't seen based on a book I haven't read, because it's irrelevant to my point.

If you did not like the film 'American Sniper,' it doesn't make you any less patriotic or supportive of the troops. Hell, your right to say what you want and choose what you enjoy (i.e., freedom) is exactly what people like Chris Kyle lay their lives on the line for. You can dislike this movie and still be supportive of the troops. The two things aren't mutually exclusive.

Another thing everyone needs to realize is that seeing 'American Sniper' does not count as "supporting the troops." It does, however, support the ease with which Clint Eastwood's next project will be greenlit and the studio's desire to exploit people's patriotism (no matter how misguided) for profit.

I know I will take heat for this article, especially after witnessing how hard some people came after us for posting about the laughably fake baby used in the movie. Almost nothing was said about the film on a philosophical or political level, but several people still lambasted us on Facebook just for sharing it. Some even swore off listening to our station for good. I really wish I could be a fly on the wall when they tell that hardass story to their friends.

Do I appreciate the troops and what they do to protect our freedoms every day? Hell yes I do. They're doing something that I would never have the stones to volunteer for and I have a very deep and profound respect for their service and bravery. It is that same respect that drove me to write this article.

My dad is a Vietnam vet. I've seen first-hand how the atrocities of war affect a man, even decades after they occur. No matter how many times I watched films like 'Full Metal Jacket,' 'Platoon' and 'Born on the Fourth of July,' it never helped with my father's undiagnosed PTSD. It's amazing to think that my enjoyment or disapproval of those movies had no effect on the well-being of the troops past or present. It's funny, I also don't remember the American people resorting to some sort of half-assed McCarthyism when others stated their distaste for those films. The times they are a-changin'.

Here's a thought -- If you really want to show your support for the troops... do it. Instead of going to see 'American Sniper' in the theater for the second time, you could donate your $13.50 to the Disabled American Veterans, the Wounded Warrior Project or one of the many charitable organizations that, literally, support the troops. You could also show actual support by voting for candidates whose policies you feel would best help our troops. If somebody takes issue with either of those, then you have an actual reason to question their patriotism.