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'Fahrenheit 9/11': Freedom unleashed
Fahrenheit 9/11 is an example of freedom unleashed. It is an example of how one man's vision can be transformed from an idea into a full-scale audio-visual production, available for viewing by millions of people around the world. The movie is an exercise in what it means to be a citizen of a country that maintains freedom of speech as a human right and privilege. Michael Moore, with no more than a vague conspiracy theory, a few documents and some video clips, spent his time and resources in order to personally and professionally attack the elected leader of his country. Where but in the United States could this happen? I have never heard of a production of this type, particularly of this scale, happening anywhere else in the world. In the movie, Moore's main theme is that the president of the United States and his administration are using their power to enrich themselves and their friends at the expense of the people they govern. Where else but in the United States might a person find this type of public antagonism toward the leader of the very government that allows, and even encourages, this freedom of dissent? The movie is not factual -- it is an opinion. I've read that many people are upset because it is referred to as a "documentary." Don't fool yourself. It's not a documentary. It is the culmination of threads of anger concerning war and unnecessary deaths, woven together to incite an audience to act. Historically, many of the most drastic periods in American history involved this same sort of call-to-arms, albeit maybe in a different format than a Hollywood-style movie. There are people who like the movie, dislike the movie or don't care about the movie. To an extent, that approval or disapproval runs along political lines of the Democrats and the Republicans. To an extent, the positive or negative response is based on personal ideology of those who agree with the premise behind the war in Iraq, and those who don't. But when asking if Fahrenheit 9/11 is American or not, likes or dislikes don't matter. It doesn't matter if the movie takes certain clips out of context, or layers video with audio that suggests the audience should feel a certain way. It doesn't even matter if Moore tells the truth or blatantly lies. What matters is that Moore is exercising his freedom of expression and his freedom of speech, allowing his audience to view his opinions. And no matter what he chose to put on that video screen, the people who watch it have the ability to think critically and believe what they choose to believe. Fahrenheit 9/11 encompasses the freedom to express, freedom to view, freedom to critique, freedom to believe. What is more American than that? |
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