You Don’t Have to Look Far to Find a Certain Kind of Freedom
Liberty is important, not for its own sake, but because it’s the condition that allows life to flourish. So, you could call the list below “pro-life.” However, since we don’t want to confuse this with an abortion debate, let’s just call it “Pro-Freedom.”
Two weeks ago, I published a list of important history books. Now, I’d like to start a list of pro-freedom entertainment: films, TV shows, and music that inspired me towards freedom, or opened my mind, or encouraged me, or in any way (to use a great but forgotten word) edified me. I’m casting a wide net.
I should note, by the way, that these are not all serious works – some are comedies, even a stupid comedy or two – but that doesn’t mean they aren’t valuable in their way.
I made this list fairly quickly, which means that I’m probably missing an awful lot. So, please add to the list if you can.
Here we go:
Films
Alongside Night
Atlas Shrugged, Part 2
The Fountainhead
The Dead Poets Society
PCU
Fahrenheit 451
They Live
Casablanca
Enemy of the State
Rocky
Rocky Balboa
Moneyball
Apollo 13
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951)
Chariots of Fire
Awakenings
October Sky
The Sound of Music
Gandhi
Phenomenon
Young Sherlock Holmes
The Time Machine (1960)
The Legend of 1900
Television Series
Star Trek, Original Series, especially episodes #28, 34, 55 & 63
Have Gun Will Travel
The Twilight Zone, original series
Kung Fu
Kung Fu: The Legend Continues
Northern Exposure
Music
Steve McQueen, Sheryl Crow
Icarus: Bourne on Wings of Steel, Kansas
Purify, Lacuna Coil
Going Mobile, The Who
Won’t Get Fooled Again, The Who
I’m Free, The Who
Dream On, Aerosmith
Taxman, The Beatles
Hand Me Down World, The Guess Who
At The Stars, Better Than Ezra
Woodstock, Crosby, Stills & Nash
Carry On, Crosby, Stills & Nash
Highway Star, Deep Purple
Already Gone, The Eagles
Roll With The Changes, REO Speedwagon
Riding The Storm Out, REO Speedwagon
Ventura Highway, America
Born To Run, Bruce Springsteen
Étude in C minor (Revolutionary), Frederic Chopin
Polonaise in A Flat Major (Heroic), Frederic Chopin
Born To Be Wild, Steppenwolf
I’ve Got A Name, Jim Croche
Hero, David Crosby
The Morning After, Maureen McGovern
The Grand Illusion, Styx
Come Sail Away, Styx
Errata
Here are a few things that seem to have been important to a number of liberty people when they were young:
Peter And The Wolf, the audio version narrated by Sterling Holloway
Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions, by Edwin Abbott (Yes, this is a book.)
Deus Ex, a video game, versions 1 and 3
So…
What can you add as great examples of Pro-Freedom (pro-life) Entertainment?
Paul Rosenberg
[Editor’s Note: Paul Rosenberg is the outside-the-Matrix author of FreemansPerspective.com, a site dedicated to economic freedom, personal independence and privacy. He is also the author of The Great Calendar, a report that breaks down our complex world into an easy-to-understand model. Click here to get your free copy.]
How’s about some of the great TV series that have been spawned by a free market competition. IE The major networks were not able to deny them as AMC and FX created them and gave the show’s creators plenty of freedom to fulfill their vision without tons of notes and idiot middle managers making changes just for the sake of changes, in other words, to justify their salary.
Sons of Anarchy
Breaking Bad
Deadwood
Boardwalk Empire
Also there’s some great liberty oriented podcasts out there.
I listen to the Adam Carolla podcast almost every day, I don’t live the live shows as much as the in studio shows.
The Lew Rockwell Show
Hardcore History by Dan Carlin
Common Sense by Dan Carlin (not George’s son or brother)
He listed Star Wars episode 4 but Empire Strikes Back was liberty oriented as well.
Pink Floyd’s The Wall needs to be on that list.
cool hand luke, bonnie and clyde, the graduate were all counter-establishment epics.
Stuck, thanks for your kind words, I am sure llpoh found solace in your empathy as well. I thought I’d offer you a gift of a show I really enjoyed. since you are into healthy stuff, and they say humor is good medicine, I hope you like this show.
I detest mexican ‘novelas’ or what are called serials here. they have left off story telling and gone for the lurid and the steamy with scandal and constant fighting thrown in for good measure. I would like to line up all the fuckers who come up with this shit and have them shot, or at least force them to watch Korean soaps so they can get an idea of what it is they are supposed to be doing.