Back in February, 2020 President Trump held a Rally in Colorado. He said “Can we get movies like ‘Gone with the Wind’ back, please?” when referring to the then recent Academy Awards.
Now, this famous movie has been deemed offensive and has been pulled from streaming services. So much has changed in the past 4 years, hasn't it?
It is well worth looking at this masterpiece in light of the current insanity that has turned our world upside down with racial division, rioting and destruction of history. " Gone with the wind " is a stark portrayal of human nature and how we were, are and always will be.
In 1936, Margaret Mitchell wrote her one and only novel and it became one of the most recognised and critically acclaimed novels of its’ time. Set in and around 1864, against the rather privileged background of pre civil War Atlanta, it portrays an indulged, spoilt brat of a woman named Scarlett
As the Civil War escalates and Sherman marches to the sea, Scarlett’s wealth, position and youthful fancies are stripped away and she finds herself fighting for survival.
The main characters are ( of course ) Scarlett – the least likeable heroine of any book I have ever read ( I have never been a fan of silly, self obsessed, nonsensical women who think that being cute gives them a license to be selfish and annoying ) – Ashley – the honourable man ( who, quite frankly I have always found quite irritating because he was such a milk sop) ; Rhett Butler – the handsome, reckless hero who sees Scarlett for the shrew she is – and then the calm and gentle Melanie who is so kind and nice that, despite my desire for her to be less like Mother Theresa and more like Ridley in “ Alien “ , I accepted as the epitome of the quiet American who sees good in everyone.
And who could forget Mammy? The voice of reason and commonsense? Personally, I always loved Mammy and the long suffering maid Prissy, one of the most loveable and endearing characters I have ever seen. )
The phrase “ Gone with the Wind “ comes from a poem written long ago and is accepted to mean something that is gone and cannot come back. Margaret Mitchell chose her title well, because the Civil War did in fact change America forever… and, I might add, in my opinion, for the better. However, in recent times, I have cause to consider how perhaps that improvement might be regressing into a shadowy world of slavery and Carpetbaggers yet again.
While many school children may have been taught that the North were “ the goodies “ and the South “ the baddies “ it must be said that many in the South hated slavery and helped the slaves to escape through the underground railroad.
Many northerners profited from slavery so there was not a consensus based on strictly geographical lines.
Abraham Lincoln fought hard to abolish slavery. Coming to power in 1861, he had the challenging job of uniting a disunited States of America.
He was a tall man, 6 foot 4 inches - imagine what a figure he must have cut in his top hat…. A giant of a man in all respects.
Without turning this into an American history lesson, we have many similarities today with our modern world.
We have a petulant group of thugs that believe they can stamp their feet and receive their demands. We call this tantrum throwing group of ill educated selfish idiots “ leftie luvvies “.They should actually watch " Gone with the wind " and get an insight into what a masterpiece it truly is.
It took losing everything for Scarlett to realise that only hard work and true grit could bring success. Student loans and studying a degree in southern charm and pertness did not guarantee her a job.
We have the Ashley Wilkes of this world – idealists in many respects.
We have rogue Rhett Butler who is prepared to fight for money and essentially has no moral scruples… at the end of the day, Rhett was about Rhett. About money. Much like our Politicians, many businessmen and women and others who would sell their soul if there was a buck in it.
Yet even Rhett eventually saw the error of his ways.
In the middle of this, we have the quiet, gentle “ mother figure “, Melanie, who soothes, forgives and gently goes about her life without hatred or malice.
Maybe I was too harsh on her all those years ago?
She is, after all, the epitome of everyone who stays below the radar never " rocks the boat. "
The American Civil War was fought on the back of slavery, money and power.
Though, as our writer and commenter Happy Expat said once " The Amerian civil war was not about the abolition of slavery. That was only the justification. The war started because the Confederate states wanted to leave the union and create their own independent country. Admitedly the reason why they wanted to secede was bacause they were opposed to the abolition of slavery but the fact is slavery was widely practiced in the north as well as the south. The biggest slave owner was Thomas Jefferson who owned over 1,000 slaves. "
Abraham Lincoln used his wisdom and skill to navigate a sea of disunity, aggression and division.
A tall man, a good man and a brave man who dared to tackle the most divisive issue of his time:
Inequality.
The way I see it is that it took a Civil War, led by a brave man to finally sort the mess out. Yet, even then, it seemed to create more problems than it solved. We still have inequality, though, these days, it seems to be like a photographic negative and everything is reversed.
Americans and citizens of most western nations around the globe are facing that terrible moment where they have to decide what character they play in the coming years.
We were fortunate to have President Trump yet even he was not strong enough, tall enough, brave enough to withstand the enemy he faced.
If something does not happen soon, our way of life, our culture and our entire future prosperity will be Gone with the Wind.