I recently tuned in to the documentary The Relentless Patriot released last July. It covered the life and work of controversial and fiery artist Scott Lobaido, a self-proclaimed patriot and enemy of the woke left. After the first few lines of Scott cursing out anyone disrespecting America’s image, I knew I was in for a ride. The documentary had the same energy as Toby Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue,” with montages of pictures and videos from Scott's antics set to the tune of patriotic songs, interrupted by Scott constantly yelling F-bombs and throwing middle fingers into the camera at anyone who dared to defy the Ol Flyin Glory. Pickup truck horns blare, smoke from Marlboro red cigarettes fills the air and beer flows freely - some pinnacles of traditional conservative culture. Similar to a Portrait of Jason, Scott recalls wild stories from his career, including acts of protest against un-American agents of evil. Patriotic acts such as hurling horsesh*t at the Brooklyn Museum wall and unveiling a painting of Hunter Biden smoking crack while drawing stick figures. With such heroic bravery, some even consider him the second coming of George Washington. Unlike the portrait of Jason, nothing is left up to our imagination. We can see every part of Scott waging his war, with the battles usually ending with a shot of Scott cursing out the police, who are locking in his handcuffs.
Love him or hate him, it is clear to anyone who watches to see that Scott is vehemently committed to what he believes in and deeply devoted to veterans. The documentary shows how Scott will do everything in his power to uphold the traditional patriotic heart of America, which he believes has been eaten away by the sharp gnawing teeth of the left. Also similar to Portrait of Jason, Scott is rarely seen without a drink and cigarette in his hand. This creates a more authentic feel of the documentary - neither Jason nor Scott have restrictions on what they can and cannot do on the set. Both Jason and Scott have the opportunity to say whatever is on their mind in an unfiltered way - but the difference in their messaging was extremely apparent to me by the end of Scott’s chaotic rant.
The Relentless Patriot was put together nicely. Interviews from friends and family of Scott - even including people who think the guy is absolutely bonkers add various perspectives. However, the documentary ultimately lost me in its message. The Relentless Patriot tries too hard to push its agenda and ends up contradicting itself in many ways. In contrast, Portrait of Jason demands nothing from the audience. Jason simply tells us his story and allows the audience to make his own conclusions. Scott’s narrative that America’s glory is being destroyed by leftist culture seems like another one of my drunk uncles' rants at the Thanksgiving dinner table. And Scott does everything he can to shove traditional conservatism down the audience’s throat. The interviewees talk about how democrats cannot agree with anything the right says, and their disagreements lead to rioting and violence (uhhhh did they forget about January 6th?!) Scott also states that America is accepting of all peoples, races, religions, and creeds, but is then followed by good old Rudy Giuliani stating that the terrorists who committed 9/11 come from a “1000-year-old culture that kills people.” To me, the patriotic smoke and mirrors from the images of flags and “amazing grace” playing in the background are drowned out by Scott constantly attacking people who disagree with anything he stands for. To me, American identity has everything to do with differing opinions. Americans will always find something to disagree with, but true patriotism should be accepting, not vengeful and aggressive. Scott references the founding fathers frequently, but he seems to forget the phrase “united we stand, divided we fall.” While the documentary provided an interesting summary of Scott’s debauchery and his work, I would have much rather looked at the Twitter of middle-aged dads reposting Donald Trump Jr. to get this kind of conservative narrative.
-April 7th 2025
No comments:
Post a Comment