Abstract
In the opening scene of the 1970 film Patton, the World War II general (played by George C. Scott) stands before a huge American flag and tells his men, “Americans love a winner and will not tolerate a loser. … That’s why Americans have never lost and will never lose a war: because the very thought of losing is hateful to Americans.” It is ironic that this film was playing in theaters as Americans were indeed losing a war, a time when thousands of soldiers were dying in a conflict that would never earn them the love reserved for winners.