Where I Stand — Columnist Brian Greenspun: Burning questions

Friday, July 2, 2004 | 4:26 a.m.

Brian Greenspun is editor of the Las Vegas Sun.

WEEKEND EDITION

July 3 - 4, 2004

"FAHRENHEIT 9/11" is a scorcher.

By now, thanks to The Walt Disney Company's apparent desire to protect its Florida tax rates or some other such nonsense, everyone old enough to vote has heard of Michael Moore's latest rear-searing documentary called "Fahrenheit 9/11." Had it not been for the publicity that surrounded the mighty mouse's company trying to deep-six Moore's film, chances are only those who knew it was coming would be trickling in to see what Michael hath wrought.

Now it is the No. 1 documentary of all time and with each day that passes, more and more screens across the country are filling themselves with Moore's work. It is no "Lord of the Rings," but pound for pound it is a giant success. I went to see it last Wednesday afternoon. So did a lot of other people, young, old and in between. In fact, when I reached the ticket line there were about 20 people waiting ahead of me. All of them bought tickets for "Fahrenheit 9/11."

I know this is not a good time for the George W. Bush crowd right now. Real life keeps jumping up and biting at what should be their overwhelming chances for reelection success. But, after watching the film, it is abundantly clear to me that, despite the protestations of most of the president's men, "Fahrenheit 9/11" will burn deeply in the minds of many Americans who will go to the polls. So not only will life continue to cause the Bush administration problems during the summer but so, too, will the art that Moore has made cut deeply as well.

I have talked to a number of people who don't like Michael Moore, either because of his antics at the Academy Awards a couple of years ago or because they don't like the way he looks or talks or for any number of other reasons that have nothing to do with the quality of his work. Those people tell me that they will not see his film. They have also not seen "Roger and Me" and "Bowling for Columbine" for the same reasons. I must confess that I do not understand the logic.

Seemingly intelligent people, citizens who have always prided themselves on their ability to hear, see and read all manner of information and determine for themselves the truth, are staying away from a very powerful piece of political filmmaking just because of who made it. What are they afraid of? That they might learn something that would cause them to rethink their political positions in light of some truth they cannot rationalize?

I think of those who say they will not allow themselves the mental stimulation of the documentary and wonder why. Have we come to a point in our community discourse that we want to know only what we want to know? That ignorance truly is bliss and that such bliss is the only way to vote in a democracy? I hope not.

Ask me if "Fahrenheit 9/11" is objective. The answer, I believe, is no. Ask me if it is a passionate display of the writer's belief about the role the Bush family has played in the life of the Saudi royal family and vice versa; the financial links to the Bush administration, its corporate allies and the rebuilding of Iraq; and the relationship between a bunch of rich, white men and some other rich, white men and I will tell you, yes. And ask me if there are truths within the documentary that are difficult for the Bushies to deny, the kind that cause unanswerable questions to be asked, and I will also tell you, yes. And, ask me if Michael Moore sometimes draws the most damning of several possible conclusions when it comes to the president and I will also tell you, yes.

The fact is that there is much in this film that leaves the viewer with a sick feeling. You know, the kind that says we have been had, we have been wronged, we have been taken advantage of in the worst ways. There is also a good bit of humor, especially when Moore tries to get members of Congress to sign their own children up for the Army so they can fight alongside the brave men and women who risk their lives every day. These brave and courageous political leaders mostly just look at Moore as if he were some kind of alien, which, I suppose, comports with the way many of his detractors see him.

It has been a long time since I went to a documentary in which the audience -- the full house, I might add -- clapped at the end of the movie. Young and old, Democrat and Republican, rich and poor, etc., etc, they all clapped. And the reason they paid the filmmaker such a tribute is because the film opened our eyes, ears and the rest of our senses to some facts that most of us have not been able to weave together.

And, whether you buy all that he was selling -- for example, even some of the most partisan Democrats would admit that despite the significant and almost obscene Saudi connection to the Bush family, it is unlikely that President George W. Bush turned his back when it came to his oil-rich friends -- the fact remains that there is just too much in this movie to ignore. Without asking some pertinent questions. And that, after all, is the real reason everyone should see this movie.

As Americans, we owe it to ourselves and our democratic process to keep ourselves informed in the best and most complete way we can. Given the strange and almost stifling silence on the main streets of America, in the media and in the political arena that accompanied the buildup to the Iraq War, it seems that any opportunity to get an overview of this part of our history, no matter how distorted it may be to some, is something we must take.

Whether those who see President Bush as right no matter how wrong he may be, ever see the movie is not the point because some people are just not open to the challenge. But, for the vast majority of Americans who have questions that so far have not been answered, Fahrenheit 9/11 is a place to start. It will chill you and it will disgust you and, in some cases, in will plain make you angry. But you will learn and you will be wiser for the effort.

"Fahrenheit 9/11" is a scorcher because it will burn images into your brain that many of us would just as soon not ever see. But, not seeing it is even worse. We have a responsibility to be good citizens and learn all that we can about how our government works in our name. This movie is one way to fulfill that obligation.

See you at the movies. The summer heat is no match for "Fahrenheit 9/11." What are they afraid of?

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