This summer, the movie “2016: Obama’s America,” became the highest grossing conservative documentary of all time. “2016” is a documentary based on Dinesh D’Souza’s best selling book, “The Roots of Obama’s Rage.” The slogan of the film is “Love him or hate him, you don’t know him,” and this movie attempts to change that by exposing aspects of President Obama’s troubled childhood and upbringing in order to provide insight to his methodology as head of the United States.
Though at times the documentary seems a bit dry and slow paced, I did feel I gained a lot of knowledge.I was interested to learn of the huge impact the absence of Obama’s father has had on our president. D’Souza claims that Obama’s father harbored very anti-western, anti-colonial and anti-America principles, which were common in his country of Kenya, a nation once colonized by Britain. Obama spent most of his life growing up in Hawaii, where he was surrounded by the ideologies of Hawaiian natives who often resent the original colonization of Hawaii under the United States. They saw the becoming one of the 50 states as a marginalization, stripping them of their unique culture. Many natives wish to become their own Hawaiian Kingdom again. D’Souza claims that growing up around people with this philosophy most definitely impacted Obama’s view on the United States.
One of the main themes in the movie is the idea that Obama was originally elected President because Americans fantasized over the idea of being part of history: electing the first black president. D’Souza, the narrator of the movie, encourages voters to think deeper into the 2012 election than they did in 2008. He stresses that if Americans fail to do so, our country may be in serious trouble come 2016.
I feel a huge issue in this year’s presidential election is national deficit. It’s undeniable that our nations economy is descending and it’s also undeniable that since Obama has been in office, things have only gotten worse. “2016” only briefly touches on the topic of national deficit.
This movie is clearly in support of Mitt Romney in the upcoming election, and is in favor of the conservative party in general. However, it can be appealing to any audience, regardless of political preference. The material is presented in a very unbiased and neutral way. The documentary presents the facts and allows the viewer to do with it what they may. Anyone who intends to vote in this year’s presidential election should make it a point to see “2016: Obama’s America.” It can only further your knowledge of the election and, more importantly, of our current President. Become educated in politics instead of following political and social trends. Cast a well-informed vote, not a mere notion.