People scuffled in the streets, shot at each other inside buildings, and used blood and fire against their compatriots...... This is not in the war-torn Middle East or Africa, but in the "not-too-distant future" of the United States, as portrayed in the new Hollywood film "American Civil War".
On January 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C., supporters of then-President Donald Trump held a demonstration outside Congress, and some demonstrators stormed the Capitol and clashed with police, resulting in the death of one person and the interruption of a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives that was being held at the time to certify the election results. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Jie
Mapping "Soul Sickness"
Despite the controversy surrounding the United States, The New York Times named the film one of the best films of the year, and the Associated Press called it one of the "most explosive" films of the year.
Alex Garland, director of "American Civil War," said in an interview that it was a political film about polarization, division and the slide of populist politics into extremism, hoping to warn of the dangers of extreme partisanship.
Critics believe that the reason why "American Civil War" has left many American viewers deeply uneasy, worried and struggling is precisely because the film reflects reality through a "fictional" plot. The phrase "What kind of American are you" that touches the audience's heartstrings in the film, with its implied feelings of division and antagonism, and the violent impulse of "do it if you don't agree with each other", reflect the current situation of American society, which is the shocking core of the film.
Manohra Dargh, chief film critic for The New York Times, said "The American Civil War" was like an X-ray that clearly reflected a country's "sick soul." Variety's chief film critic, Irving Gleberman, also noted that the film "mirrors the anger that overflows from the political, spiritual and ideological rifts in the United States."
This video footage taken on October 22, 2020 in Arlington, Virginia, shows then-US President Donald Trump (left) and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden participating in the final presidential candidate televised debate in Nashville, Tennessee. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Jie
Public opinion believes that with the approach of the US presidential election, the struggle between the Democratic and Republican parties is becoming increasingly fierce, and the significance of this film is to warn people that the current political confrontation and social division in the United States are in a serious situation that has not been seen in decades. Although the film does not mention the specific reasons for the outbreak of the new civil war, nor does it reflect obvious partisan leanings, many viewers can't help but think of the "Capitol Hill riot" on January 6, 2021.
The Capitol Hill riot was one of the largest incidents of political violence in modern American history. An investigative report by Reuters in August last year pointed out that after the "Capitol Hill riots", there were 213 cases of political violence in the United States, about two-thirds of which were initiated by "lone wolf" attackers or between opposing groups at demonstrations and rallies. This proves that the United States is facing the worst wave of political violence since the 70s of the 20th century.
The Hollywood Reporter noted: "We are approaching one of the most contentious election years in American history. Bitter divisions have made the increasingly outdated term 'United States' a laughing stock. People are anxious because they fear that the outcome of the presidential election will anger one of the parties and may incite violence. This atmosphere seems to create the ideal atmosphere for the release of "American Civil War". ”
U.S. police confront demonstrators outside the Capitol in Washington through a barrier inside the Capitol Building on January 6, 2021. On the same day, the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States Congress held a joint session to statistically authenticate the results of the Electoral College votes in each state in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Shortly after the meeting began, some pro-Trump demonstrators who had gathered near the Capitol stormed the Capitol. Xinhua/AP
Witness the "Big Year" of Violence
Some media outlets have pointed out that the threat of violence has become a new reality for American politicians, and holding an election against this backdrop may make this year a "big year" for political violence. Trump, who has already secured the Republican presidential nomination, recently gave an exclusive interview to Time magazine, and when faced with the question of "whether it will lead to political violence if he loses the election again this year": "It depends on the fairness of the election." ”
A recent poll conducted by National Public Radio, PBS and Marist shows that about one in five American adults believe violence can be used to resolve internal differences, leading some experts to worry that public sentiment will put the United States in extreme danger in an election year.
The recent trial of two "historical firsts" in the United States has further intensified the election competition between the two parties.
Trump was convicted of all 34 felonies in his hush money case by a jury in a New York court late last month, making him the first former president in U.S. history to be found guilty in a criminal case. A few days later, Hunter, the son of Democratic President Joe Biden, was convicted by a Delaware jury on three felony counts of illegal gun possession, becoming the first sitting president in U.S. history to be convicted.
This screenshot of the April 15 video shows former U.S. President Donald Trump arriving in a criminal court in Manhattan, New York, to appear before a trial of his alleged 2016 falsification of business records to cover up a "hush money" payment to an actress. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Ding Ye
After Trump's conviction, threats of violence against judges and prosecutors involved in Trump's lawsuit appeared on American social media from time to time. In Fox News and other right-wing media, Trump supporters angrily scolded judges, prosecutors, President Joe Biden and even the US judicial system, and far-right people even shouted "to defeat the evil forces that are destroying this republic" and demanded that the list of Democratic officials who need to be jailed be "pulled up".
Public opinion fears that the angry rants of right-wing forces are destroying the American public's trust in the country's core institutions, which will have a lasting impact on the legitimacy of the rule of law in the United States. Stephen Smith, an African-American sports presenter, said after Trump's conviction that Trump, who is still huge, will divide the United States, "everything points to a civil war in this country" and that "we are all pawns, at the mercy of politicians."
Barbara Walter, a political scientist at the University of California, San Diego who studies the American Civil War, recently warned that the United States may face political instability and frequent violence in the next one or two decades, and even assassinations of political and judicial figures.
On October 25, 2023, the House of Representatives of the United States Congress held the fourth round of voting for the speaker election on the 25th, and Republican conservative U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson from Louisiana was elected Speaker. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Aaron)
Facing a "State Divorce"
Although it has been more than three years since the "Capitol Hill riots" ended, the aftermath has not yet subsided, and the internal antagonism and division in the United States are still expanding. Adult satisfaction with the functioning of the current American-style democracy is at an all-time low of 28 percent. According to the Washington Post, the issue of abortion and immigration is a fierce point of conflict between Biden and Trump in the second election, with both sides trying to influence the public with topics that have their own advantages.
The Associated Press believes that there is no doubt that the obvious policy differences between Biden and Trump on abortion, immigration, taxes, and many other issues such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict suggest that the person elected by American voters in November this year will seek to shape the face of the country's social life in a very different way.
In addition to the fictional civil war scene in "American Civil War", some politicians have mentioned the possibility of the United States splitting into two camps. Republican Congressman Marjorie Taylor Greene advocated that Republican-controlled "red states" and Democratic-controlled "blue states" should have a "national divorce" based on political ideology, citing that the differences between the two parties on policy issues such as immigration control and "woke culture" cannot be bridged.
Abortion rights supporters demonstrate in New York, USA, July 4, 2022. On June 24, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a precedent that established the right to abortion at the federal level nearly half a century ago, and removed the constitutional protection of women's right to abortion, which sparked widespread controversy. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Guo Ke)
"Woke culture" refers to left-wing political movements against discriminatory practices such as race, gender, and sexual orientation, as well as other injustices, which have broad political and social implications, and are also the focus of the "culture war" between the Democratic and Republican parties. Green's remarks have not been seriously discussed so far, but Bruce Stokes, a visiting senior fellow at the Marshall Foundation, a US think tank, believes that the prospect of the United States facing a "national divorce" cannot be ignored.
Stokes believes that during the election four years ago, there was a clear divergence between the "blue states" that voted for Biden and the "red states" that supported Trump. But in addition to the differences that can be seen from the ballot box, the American people are more seriously divided in reality on a series of social controversies, and the "two Americas" have emerged. Not only is it unlikely that these differences will be resolved as a result of this year's election, but they will certainly intensify as the current situation develops.
As the election approaches, he argues, talk is beginning to be made about whether another "civil war" that threatens America's future has begun to brew. While armed conflict will not break out immediately in the United States, the public's "exaggerated insurgency" suggests that there is a growing awareness that American society is more divided in ideology and politics than at any time since 1850. "America's friends and allies need to understand that the 'United States' has become a 'divided nation.'" There are actually 'two Americas' at war. ”
Source: Xinhua International Toutiao WeChat public account
Reporter: Gao Shan
Editors: Haiyang, Jiang Guopeng