So, I haven’t seen either Selma or American Sniper, so I can’t comment on the technical merits, the acting, or the stories embodied in either movie. But I can comment on the fact that some people have turned both into a litmus test of sorts.

Chris Kyle was a flawed person. We all are. He was a sniper in the military, and while the movie is supposed to focus on his exploits overseas, and some of the consequences of his actions when he returned back home, it offers up a limited view of what he actually did.

His estate’s battles with Jesse Ventura (another servicemember who served in the SEALs before going into the WWF and then politics), for one. Kyle’s estate lost a defamation suit, which raises questions about Kyle’s honesty and actions before his untimely death at a firing range where he was trying to help another servicemember who was dealing with PTSD.

So, it is possible that the movie was faithful to Kyle’s book and family’s views, and the artistic choices to limit what made it to the screen can serve to turn what’s a largely biographical story into a hagiography.

Meanwhile, some of the same criticisms are being leveled against Selma, which takes a look at MLK’s life during the period around the Selma march. It’s a limited snapshot of MLK’s life, rather than a sweeping view of his entire life. Those limitations and choices are also questioned when dealing with how LBJ was portrayed.

Well, having studied the civil rights movement way back when in college, and also visiting the LBJ ranch this past November and reading up on his actions in the civil rights legislation, the fact is that LBJ was a SOB and the question is not whether he was for or against the civil rights agenda, but rather how he could make it work for him politically. At points, MLK and LBJ could work together on the subject, but at others, they were at loggerheads. It was a complex relationship - as most relationships are.

But in the end, we’re talking about movies here; they’re entertainment. I’m not going to see them for education purposes. I’m certainly not going to see them for the history or autobiographies of either Kyle or MLK.

If they get you thinking about the civil rights movement (in Selma’s case), then that’s awesome. Then go get yourself a copy of Eyes on the Prize or other extraordinary books about the civil rights movement and just what was at stake here.

Or that the civil rights movement didn’t end with the passage of the VRA or CRA; the battle for equal rights and equal protection under the law continues to this day as unequal protection under the law continues with racial profiling and officer-involved shootings and excessive force incidents where those who are killed are disproportionately black and the law enforcement members are not indicted, let alone prosecuted (or convicted). It’s an ongoing struggle.

If American Sniper gets you thinking about what we order our troops to do, and the lack of support once they return stateside, then that too has served a purpose. Far too many people who saw combat overseas do not get sufficient support for their mental health; which is just as critical as their physical health. PTSD is insidious and takes many forms, and can lead to suicide or physical harms to others. We, as a nation, simply don’t do enough to care for those who serve once they return stateside. Out of sight, out of mind.

And that has to change too.