quanta and I finally went to see Fahrenheit 9/11 last Saturday evening. After reading several blog entries, I expected this movie to be at least as powerful as Bowling for Columbine. It wasn’t, but I also wasn’t disappointed.
I think that the reason I didn’t find this movie as shocking as some other bloggers have is because I am Canadian and they are American. Our news has constantly provided a wider picture of the all the events depicted in this movie – the 2000 election, the war in Afghanistan, the Patriot Act, and the war in Iraq. (I make a habit of watching both Canadian and American news, and the international BBC broadcast when I can.) I think, in general, we have a slightly better idea of what is going on, partly because our news media wasn’t, and isn’t, caught up in the patriotic fever that usually surrounds a war. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, but I feel that it does colour the news reporting.
I enjoyed the movie because it is getting out information, all be it slightly biased, that needs to get out there. It is something that should be shown on CNN so that everyone can see what exactly is going on. (Either that, or Canadian news channels should be shown on American cable so as to present another view of the news.)
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not anti-American. I just happen to be an outsider and neighbour looking in, wondering what the heck is going on and where everything went wrong. Some sincere and well-meaning people seem to have gotten caught up in something big, and things just seem to have gotten out of hand. I really hope that some solution is found that makes everyone, especially the Iraqi people and all the solders, happy.
Needleworker, Knitter, Crocheter, Sewist, Cricuteer, and more!
Don’t forget that much of our American news media is biased because of who works for what media conglomorate. Money talks. So does position – who you know. And that will lead to moments like “hmmm…do we run this story or not? Nah.”
Americans have a very untrustworthy news media.