Now playing in towns such as Billings, Mont.; Jackson, Miss.; Fayetteville, N.C.; The Dalles, Ore.; and hundreds of other communities, Michael Moore's controversial new film, Fahrenheit 9/11, is rocking the establishment boat -- and it's amusing to behold the reaction.
Regardless of whether you agree with Moore's stated opinions or not -- and to be sure, Moore is a provocateur -- this is a film that Americans ought to see. If for no other reason, see it to shame our national news media, which for years have given us sanitized news and generally unquestioning coverage of the direction our political leaders have taken the nation. In fact, the film is largely a refreshing and well-deserved indictment of our mass media.
Most of all, though, go see the film simply to send a message to those groups, with political agendas of their own, that have tried to suppress it.
In America, we don't like being told to stay away from a certain film just because some people don't agree with its underlying message. And we don't like being told that a certain person's political outlook is less patriotic than another person's.
Is Moore unpatriotic, or anti-military, as some critics have charged? You be the judge. In his narration, Moore praises the men and women of our military. Here's how he put it near the end of his new film: "They serve so that we don't have to. They offer to give up their lives so that we can be free. It is, remarkably, their gift to us. And all they ask for in return is that we never send them into harm's way unless it is absolutely necessary."
Controversial? Propaganda? Or bedrock American wisdom?
We live in an era when the corporate-owned news media often seem too timid to provide political perspectives outside the so-called "mainstream." They appear to be wedded politically and financially to maintaining the status quo, and want their newscasts to be sensational or entertaining as opposed to informative. Those failings are all good reasons we ought to give thanks there are people like Michael Moore who are not afraid to offer a fresh slant on the most serious world issues.
Rather than try to keep Moore's film from being seen, his critics ought to celebrate the fact we live in a land where we don't have to agree with our political leaders, and where differing viewpoints can be openly heard, seen, and discussed. Think for a moment how outrageous it would be if a film that criticizes the president -- a man we elected and a man we have every right to replace if we choose to -- were to be suppressed.
What is truly unacceptable is that some people would have been happy to lock this film away. The Disney Corporation refused to distribute it. Right-wing groups quickly launched anti-Moore Web sites, trotting out the now standard "anti-American, not a patriot" lines we've heard over and over again for those who air disagreements with President Bush's policies. There have been attempts by some groups to pressure theater chains into not screening the film, and to try to remove the movie's ads from TV and radio, citing violation of "campaign-financing" laws.
The Motion Picture Association of America did its part to limit the audience by giving the film a "Restricted" rating, meaning no one under 18 can see it without being accompanied by an adult.
"There is nothing in this film in terms of violence that we didn't see on TV every night at the dinner hour during the Vietnam War," Moore was quoted as saying, and he's sure got a point there.
Whether you accept the film's premises or not, Moore's divergent standpoint is as legitimate as any other American citizen's views. Without question, he has every right to have this film included in the national political dialogue. And also without question, attempts to muzzle those we may not agree with -- from any part of the political spectrum -- are inherently damaging, not helpful, to our democracy.
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