'RAMBO' UNLIKELY MEDIUM FOR PROTEST INFORMATION

Published Feb. 18, 2008 in "The Oklahoma Daily"
Viewable Online Here

John James Rambo has gone down in American film and cultural lore as the quintessential no-holds-barred action hero. From the jungles of Vietnam to the deserts of Afghanistan, he was the idealized poster-man (no one can call him a mere poster-boy) of the American way, triumphing over communists of all ilks in years past. With the recent release of the fourth film of the series, simply titled “Rambo,” our hero has turned into a resistance fighter of sorts. More importantly, he has become something of a real-life hero for the present.

This most recent film finds Rambo, played by the seemingly immortal Sylvester Stallone, at a Thailand monastery. As the movie progresses, he journeys into war-torn Myanmar (formerly Burma) to aid Karen tribal resistance fighters. There are the requisite explosions, machine-gun fire and general mayhem. Instead of the Soviets or the Viet Cong receiving Rambo’s ire, this time, it’s the military of Myanmar.

That’s the same military that happens to control basically everything in Myanmar. They have done so for more than 40 years. In the process, Myanmar has become one of the most brutal authoritarian states in history. Anything remotely resembling is discord or democracy immediately squelched. Some of the more brutal examples include the 8888 Uprising in August of 1988 and the protests of a few months ago led by Buddhist monks.

News coverage of such demonstrations is sporadic and extremely limited, even by today’s sound-bite news standards. Part of the reason for this is the total lack of press freedom in Myanmar and extremely tight government controls on Internet and other media outlets. News of much of the brutality that regularly occurs in Myanmar simply does not spread outside its borders.

Many things, however, do make it inside its borders. These include contraband goods, weapons and even bootleg DVDs of “Rambo.” The anti-military junta message of the film has provoked the anger of the ruling authorities. Anyone caught watching or possessing the film can be punished by 20 lashes or 10 years in prison. In a country as oppressed as Myanmar, that threat falls on deaf ears, as many people continue to watch and distribute the film, according to the few journalists allowed to operate in the country.

After the brutal crackdown of all public forms of dissent, the simple act of watching a banned DVD can become an ideal way to defy a heavily-armed government. Banning the DVD in the first place shows the disconnectedness of the wildly unpopular junta that is stubbornly clinging to power solely by the power of bullets. Its idiosyncratic and oppressive policies have once again taken center stage.

While that alone will not do much when it comes to fighting a force such as the junta, it does raise the world’s consciousness of an old and forgotten corner of Southeast Asia. Stallone himself has become an advocate for the people of Myanmar through the filming and promotion of the film. Stallone, though almost ancient by Hollywood terms, still commands attention and wields significant fan clout.

Celebrity power has launched more than one successful protest movement. It also has served to educate adoring masses about the cause the celebrity du jour happens to be endorsing.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t favor mindless celebrity adulation. But as a means to raise consciousness, there are few better vehicles. This is evidenced by a marked increase in the coverage of Myanmar in the media.

At the moment, “Rambo” the film and Rambo the character seem to be the faces of the global Myanmar junta protest movement. While the merits of either in this role are open to debate, such figureheads are sorely needed. The true warrior and deserved face of the struggle for democracy and freedom in Myanmar, the eminent Aung San Suu Kyi, is under strict house arrest by the Myanmar military. Suu Kyi has not been seen in public for years. She is the rightful Prime Minister of Myanmar, according to the last elections held in 1990. However, the results of those elections were summarily invalidated by the military.

Sly Stallone is no Suu Kyi. Not even close. But he and his recent film are continuing the work to which she has dedicated her life. Though both Stallone and “Rambo” seem unlikely vehicles of protest, they seem to be working, at least for the time being. It remains to be seen whether the recent fervor with Myanmar will continue, and more importantly, will have visible results on the global stage. That is what the people of Myanmar, and, free people everywhere, must hope for.
The fall of the Berlin Wall often is connected with former President John F. Kennedy’s long ago uttering of “Ich bin ein Berliner.” The fall of the Myanmar junta, if it happens, may well one day be connected with Rambo’s bullet-ridden triumph over the Myanmar military.