Look, I get it. We all want to look at our parents as superheroes and these wonderful human beings, but at the end of the day, they’re just human beings, and they have their faults. Not all of our parents have faults like Dick Cheney, that result in the death of millions because of a war we didn’t need to be a part of—but still, faults nonetheless.
Liz Cheney, it seems, thinks her father is a “real” superhero.
Maybe it’s because I’m old enough to see the faults in my own father, but I never would call either of my parents “superheroes.” Sure, I respect them both for different aspects of their lives, but then again, they also didn’t make money off of 9/11 and the subsequent war.
Dick Cheney is a war criminal, not exactly someone I would consider a superhero in any regard. So sure, she meant her comment as a dig at Christian Bale (who said Satan inspired his Cheney performance and has played Batman in the past), but even Bruce Wayne could recognize the faults in his family. Liz Cheney thinks her father has done nothing wrong (which is, arguably, an extremely dangerous way to think in general).
There’s a great monologue at the end of Vice that shows exactly the message the film was trying to put out:
“I can feel your incriminations and your judgments, and I am fine with that. You want to be loved? Go be a movie star. The world is as you find it, you’ve gotta deal with that reality that there are monsters in this world. We saw 3,000 innocent people burned to death by those monsters, yet you object when I refuse to kiss those monsters on the cheek and say ‘pretty please’. You answer me this, what terrorist attack would you have let go forward so you wouldn’t seem like a mean and nasty fella? I will not apologize for keeping your family safe. And I will not apologize for doing what needed to be done so that your loved ones could sleep peacefully at night. It has been my honor to be your servant. You chose me. And I did what you asked.”
It’s simple: No human being is perfect. No one is a superhero, and Dick Cheney is, especially, not a perfect person. In fact, he’s pretty monstrous, with his dedication to his own goals and what he thinks is best for this country. So while you Cheney wants to support her dad, maybe she shouldn’t act like he’s above anyone else.
Even George Bush Sr.’s book painted Dick Cheney in a light that let us all know just how dangerous he is. So, maybe calling Cheney a supervillain is more fitting.
(image: Annapurna Pictures)
Want more stories like this? Become a subscriber and support the site!
—The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—
