Talk:American Sniper/Commentary

Portrayal of Iraqis
In American Sniper, the Chris Kyle-based character targets Iraqi insurgents. The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee said with the film's wide release, there was a "dramatic increase" in hate speech on social media against Arab and Muslim Americans. The committee contacted director Clint Eastwood and actor Bradley Cooper asking them to condemn the threats. They avoided calling for a boycott of the film, expecting that the call would have the opposite effect and draw more moviegoers. The committee's president Samer Khalaf said the film's dialogue referred to Iraqis as "ragheads" and "savages".

Other news outlets also reported instances of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim sentiment on Twitter. Conservative news outlets, which supported the film, considered the claims of hate speech to be "out of touch with the American public". Breitbart's John Nolte called the committee's claims a "hoax" and said it was promoted by the media due to dislike of the film and its fans. Warner Bros. studios released a statement denouncing "any violent, anti-Muslim rhetoric" including those from viewers of American Sniper.

Consideration of veterans
The Washington Post's Cecilia Kang and Terrence McCoy said while one side called American Sniper  "jingoistic propaganda", the opposite side considered it "a paean to the country's underappreciated veterans". The Post reported that veterans such as country singer Craig Morgan criticized Michael Moore and Seth Rogen's negative assessments of the film. Kang and McCoy said there were less Americans serving in the armed services, leading to "a widening cultural divide between civilians and combat veterans" but that the film's popularity "transcended" that divide. They said, "The movie stirred up a host of questions surrounding the way we treat veterans, whether the wars were worth the immense sacrifice, and how to judge actions taken by soldiers in the heat of battle." The Christian Science Monitor said many combat veterans saw American Sniper and that while they disagreed on the portrayal, they agreed that the film gave them an opportunity to talk about their own experiences.

Actor Bradley Cooper, who played Chris Kyle, said, "If it's not this movie, I hope to god another movie will come out where it will shed light on the fact of what servicemen and women have to go through, and that we need to pay attention to our vets. It doesn't go any farther than that." The First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, responded to criticism of the film, "While I know there have been critics, I felt that, more often than not, this film touches on many of the emotions and experiences that I've heard firsthand from military families over these past few years." 