Jewish World Review Dec. 7, 2005 / 6 Kislev, 5766
Michael Medved
Making Indian warriors into pacifists
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"The New World," a film slated for Christmas day release, tells the romantic story of Pocahontas and John Smith, but ads for the movie tell a more depressing story of political correctness.
A glossy magazine layout says that what settlers "named the Jamestown Settlement was already home to a noble civilization."
On my radio show, I mocked the idea that the pre-literate, stone-aged Powhatan Indians of Virginia constituted a "noble civilization," and in later version of ads for the movie, the word "noble" disappeared.
In its place, however, New Line Cinema included an even more absurd declaration, claiming that Jamestown "was already home to a civilization that had lived in peace for hundreds of years."
This notion that local tribes exemplified pacifist virtues is actually an insult to formidable, bloodthirsty warriors who battled constantly with their neighbors and rivals and who, by the way, are portrayed with realistic ferocity in the film itself.
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Michael Medved hosts a daily three-hour radio talk show broadcast in more than 120 cities throughout the United States. Comment by clicking here.
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