It’s probably no surprise to those who know me that I was eager to see Michael Moore’s film, Fahrenheit 9/11. My wife and I were among those in the full house of the first showing on opening day at our local theater. I expected to enjoy the movie, and I did. Anyone who’s seen one of Moore’s previous documentaries, regardless of whether you’re supportive or hostile to the points he makes, has to admit he’s a skillful filmmaker who is viciously funny.
What I was not prepared for was how viscerally moving the movie was. There are certainly plenty of laughs, just about all at President Bush’s expense. But there are also many parts that are difficult to watch, particularly the graphic scenes of wounded and dead Iraqis and Americans in Iraq, recovering soldiers in the U.S., and grieving families who wish their family member had only been wounded.
And for what? Weapons of mass destruction? An immenent threat to the United States? Any connection to Al-Queda or 9/11? A warm welcome from liberated Iraqis suffering under despotic rule? What? The justifications just don’t hold any water. George Bush, our court-appointed President, used the tradgedy of 9/11 to carry out his own agenda of an unjustified war against Iraq. It’s that simple. And they impeached Clinton for lying about sex.
So can a movie make a difference? My own feeling is that anyone who saw Fahrenheit 9/11 would be very hard pressed to challenge the facts it presents. We’ve seen them all before, strung out over the last three years, from the complicities of Bush’s ‘win’ in Florida, the obliviousness to terrorist threats pre- 9/11, and the trampling of civil liberties post. But when pulled together and viewed in a grander context, you are reminded, embarressed, and angered. Hopefully angered to action.
If the movie can make a convincing argument against the re-election of George Bush, the challenge lies in bringing the audience to the movie, and I can imagine three general types of individuals who might be in the audience; the choir, the undecided/uninvolved, and the Bush believers.
‘Preaching to the choir’, is a well known idiom meaning ‘Trying to make believers out of people who already believe’. It’s an expression of futility. In this instance, I’m in the choir, so is this movie wasted on me? No. Because the choir must be motivated. This choir needs to be reminded, be informed, and be angered to action.
How about the undecided/uninvolved? It’s frankly beyond me how any American who is paying attention can be undecided about the current state and direction of our national affairs. The uninvolved baffle me further, but to our great national shame, way too many voters in America just don’t bother to vote. Can these individuals be brought to the theater for Fahrenheit 9/11? At least they won’t necessarily be hostile to such a film in advance, and certainly could not fail to have been moved to some greater degree of attention following.
And the Bush believers, can they gain anything from Fahrenheit 9/11? I imagine that some will attend in order to learn its contents and attempt to debunk them. But I imagine pre-conceptions of this film as nothing but a Hollywood smear of President Bush is more than enough to keep the majority of Bush believers watching anything but this.
So dare them to view it. Challenge a Bush believer to watch this movie and continue to defend this President afterwards. Buy their ticket, and pay for a meal afterwards to talk about it. Offer a trade, and give two hours of your attention to watching whatever they want you to watch… even if you must spend it ‘Clockwork Orange’-style with your eyelids held open watching still continuing coverage of grass growing on Reagan’s grave.
Whichever audience you are in, you should see this movie. You owe it to yourself, and to our country, to look at the facts and reach your own conclusions. Failing that, we deserve whatever President the court appoints.