"Show me the evidence!" That's what I say when people want to convince me of a certain point. filmmaker Michael Moore attempts to make in his recent film "Fahrenheit 9/11." I saw the film and went into it with as much of an open mind as I could. To be clear, I am now anti-Bush (not a Bush hater), anti-war, and pro-reconstruction.
Keep in mind that I was an ardent Iraq war advocate before and during the war. I took the Republican rhetoric hook, line and sinker. We will be greeted as liberators and Iraq's oil will pay for the rebuilding, and the weapons will be found. There, I have confessed my sins.
"Fahrenheit 9/11" is not a documentary. It is a docu-essay, meaning it's a fact-based argument. Moore brings out facts that have been heavily vetted for veracity. He then adds his own editorial comments about what he thinks these facts mean. After digesting the film for a full day, I am writing this and I agree with Moore's opinions.
The film has three main points. 1. The Bush family is in bed with the Saudi regime by protecting them and giving them unprecedented access to the White House. 2. President Bush was illegitimately elected in 2000, with the help of his cousin who was working for Fox News at the time, and his brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. 3. Bush went to war with Iraq to benefit American companies while leaving the poor and impoverished to die and suffer in harm's way for a morally wrong war.
I am writing this column to urge people, in a time of partisan bickering not only in politics but also in everyday life, to see the film, and to see other opinionated works with no preconceived notions. People may not agree with the film, but can still see it, then take the opposite point of view, and logically analyze and make conclusions based on the facts, not on ideology. The propaganda job has already been mastered by Joseph Goebbels.
I say these things because at this point in time I believe it is more critical than ever for society to be educated and involved in the political process. This cannot be accomplished without effort and critical analysis; that is why you attend AU.
This is hard for society to do when there are grassroots organizations devoted to an idea, and not practicality for society as a whole. With groups like AU Democrats and AU Republicans, the task of being educated with facts becomes that much harder.
Put aside your affiliations and see "Fahrenheit 9/11" and other opinionated works before making a conclusion that matches your beliefs. Otherwise we will be on the road to a democracy of ideology, for ideology and by ideology.
