Who Is Forrest Gump A Disrespectful?

On July 6, 1994, Paramount Pictures brought Winston Groom’s novel Forrest Gump to life in theaters across America, totally unaware of the success that would ensue. The great enthusiasm and adoration viewers had for such a simple minded character came as a shock when Tom Hank’s innocence and charming performance under the role of Forrest Gump earned the film a gross of twenty-four million dollars on its opening weekend (Shimon, 2014). Adding to the film’s success, at the 67th Academy Awards in 1994, Forrest Gump swept the Oscars with a grand total of thirteen nominations for moviemaking accomplishments in the film industry, six resulting in wins ("THE 67TH ACADEMY AWARDS"). The awards received included Actor in a Leading Role (Tom Hanks), Directing

Nathan Bedford Forrest. A picture of Nathan Bedford Forrest is then presented where his face has been replaced with Forrest Gump’s. Gump’s description of this scene is what makes it disrespectful, in that he naively describes his heritage and components of the Ku Klux Klan to a black woman waiting at a bus stop. Forrest casually tells this unknown woman about the distant relative he was named after “started up a club” and rode around in bed sheets like spooks. According to the Civil War Trust’s website, Nathan Bedford Forrest was the founder of the Ku Klux Klan and was given the title Grand Wizard. The Ku Klux Klan, also known as the KKK, was notorious for its poor treatment and lynching of African Americans, as well as violence towards republicans and northerners in the 1860’s ("Nathan Bedford Forrest"). At meetings and when terrorizing their enemies, members were adorned in white robes with pointed hoods that covered their faces (Gitlin p. 3). The actual depth of this reference is far deeper than the shallow description that Forrest gave. Ku Klux Klan members were much more than spooks; they were sinister people that terrorized innocent individuals. A group as serious as this should not be tamed through ignorance for the amusement of

In Richard Nixon’s book, the first line states, “[n]o event in American history is more misunderstood than the Vietnam War. It was misreported then, and it is misremembered now” (Nixon, 1975). The battle scenes in the film including Forrest, his equally unintelligent friend, Bubba, and the other members in his platoon certainly do not enhance viewers’ knowledge on the brutality of war or on the intelligence and bravery that those men and women actually had during battle. On the front line, an injured Forrest shows bravery when he rescues wounded members of his platoon after he was given orders to fall back. Because of his heroism, Forrest is given a Medal of Honor. Unfortunately, Forrest did not take this prestigious honor seriously when presented with the medal. After shaking hands with President Lyndon B. Johnson, Forrest moons the crowd to show off his battle wound. According to author James Willbanks, the Medal of Honor is the highest award for military valor and is given when one risks his or her own life to go above and beyond the call of duty (Willbanks 2011). Such a high honor should not be mocked for the sake of laughter when so many men and women have received and truly deserved the