MovieChat Forums > Full Metal Jacket (1987) Discussion > The most "racist" soldiers here are in f...

The most "racist" soldiers here are in fact the bravest fighters...

posted 8 years ago by al666940-3
4 replies | jump to latest

Anyone noticed that?

Example being Animal Mother:
- He says horrific things to Eight Ball (like every possible racist insult imaginable)
- Yet when Eight Ball is under sniper fire, who didn't hesitate to risk his own life (and being court martialed) to try rescue him, by himself if needed? Animal Mother of all people.

I guess that's thanks to the military training that turns them into a fighting unit, no matter what cultural/racist background they may have?

Because Eight Ball never once seems to be offended, like he knows it's just talk and when push comes to shove, he can nonetheless count on Animal Mother to have his back (which turned out to be true).

If that's how boot camp can break through racial/cultural barriers and achieve racial cohesion/harmony, then maybe we should get the WHOLE country through boot camp, don't you think?

[–] stevekaczynski 8 years ago

He actually only goes out after Doc does and gets hit. By that time, Eightball is long dead. Anyway, Boot Camp in the first half of the film culminated in a fragging and suicide, so the Road Of Social Renewal it certainly is not.

"Chicken soup - with a *beep* straw."

[–] al666940-3 8 years ago

"He actually only goes out after Doc does and gets hit"

But isn't that when they realize it's a sniper and not a random shot? That's why they first send the squad's medical person (Doc).

Before that they didn't know Eight Ball was gunned down by a sniper, otherwise they would have never allowed Doc to go in alone without cover fire.

And as for the fragging and suicide, how many times does that happen in boot camp in real life? I bet more lynchings take place in Mississippi alone...

[–] ncdwbmk6 8 years ago

Animal Mother wasn't a racist. He made a remark that sounded racist, but was just talk. He and Eight Ball were friends.

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Fowler's knots? Did you say ... fowler's knots?

[–] gallileo60 8 years ago

Animal Mother wasn't a racist. He made a remark that sounded racist, but was just talk. He and Eight Ball were friends.

Yep you are right, back in the day a lot of people talked *beep* and thats all it was, was talk.....

You Have a Hard Lip, Herbert..

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