Now, I want to preface this by saying it’s a free country (well, mostly) and people can do what they want (except download music off the Internet for free, protest near large conventions and summits, expect higher gas mileage for cars, expect cleaner air and water free of factory emissions, not provide their name to police when asked, require a warrant for a phone tap, assume that their ISPs won’t read their email, receive a trial after being labeled an “enemy combatant,” or expect the government to be honest about anything.) But it’s my opinion that people who choose to ban Fahrenheit 9/11 for… political… reasons are lacking a little something upstairs.
Take for instance the head of a theater chain in Iowa and Nebraska, who has decided to ban the picture. His reasoning is simple: the documentary incites terrorism. He believes that the film will divide the country even more, proving that The Terrorists Have Won?. While he claims his chain of theaters won’t show propaganda from either side of the political fence, this quote kind of sums it up:
“Our country is in a war against an enemy who would destroy our way of life, our culture and kill our people.”
(sigh) Send it to 2002, pal.
The thing that saddens me is that this is a film that people on both sides of the argument should see. Will it divide people more? It’s hard to say; chances are good that people will have their feelings validated. I have yet to read a viewpoint from a Bush supporter that was dismissive on solid grounds. Most reviews that are critical of the film say that it’s biased (duh,) or that Michael Moore is un-American, which is about the lamest argument I’ve heard since, “If you’re not with us, you’re with the terrorists.”
I can think of no better way to spend Independence Day than by seeing this movie.
Posted in Television, Movies, and Music