Comments on: Fahrenheit 9/11

By: Mona Shaw

Mona Shaw — Sat, 24 Jul 2004 08:56:18 +0000

I am writing a compendium of life stories about mothers (or anyone) who has lost a loved one or seen pemanent suffering that came out of social injustice–whether it is war, economic unfairness, lack of access to health care, etc. Your stories are important and need to be told. Please email me.

By: chris osborne

chris osborne — Tue, 20 Jul 2004 21:14:14 +0000

I was outside a theater in Harvard Square selling

By: Mart

Mart — Wed, 14 Jul 2004 05:09:54 +0000

I think the film will be watched in the future as an historical documentary, albeit one with a strong bias against Bush. However, I hope it will serve to remind us the potential problems of letting corporate America have too much power.

Also, a quick plug for a book I’m currently reading: The Fountain at the Centre of the World by Robert Newman, deals with the effects on the average man and the world we live in of corporate greed and power.

By: Feanor

Feanor — Wed, 07 Jul 2004 03:32:30 +0000

I felt absolutely no sympathy for Lipscomb or for her son. First off, she ENCOURAGED her children to join the military. There are always other options to pay for college. College is not a surprise. Parents have 18 years to save or push children to get scholarships. The reason the military offers great college benefits is because there is a chance you can DIE.

Second, the boy didn’t appear to do his duty with any dignity. He only whined and complained, although he volunteered for the service. His only response to duty was to cry and throw generic insults at his Commander-in-Chief. There are plenty of soldiers who have died and did their duty honorably. These are the real heroes. THESE are the people who make me wonder why human lives have to be wasted in the middle of nowhere.

Lila Lipscomb’s performance on-screen is a disgrace to countless mothers who have borne the deaths of their sons with dignity. These mothers are the true Patriots.

By: D Hawkins

D Hawkins — Mon, 28 Jun 2004 20:30:31 +0000

Those who could not identify with Lila Lipscomb’s grief: I can assure you that many others were very able to do so. Perhaps it is hard for everyone to understand Middle America (the real one, not the one the media portrays) if they’ve never spent much time around such people. It’s also funny that no one here has tumbled to the juxtaposition of the two Mothers, both consumed by sorrow, and all the things that that means for our world.

Real understanding and empathy are very hard to come by in America today. And our current predicatments demonstrate that with regard to history, we don’t understand, we repeat…

By: corlake

corlake — Mon, 28 Jun 2004 10:21:55 +0000

i saw F911 at a midnight showing on thursday 24 (friday, technically). two full theaters. i agree about the lila lipscomb thing. although she represents an important demographic, the part of her in front of the WH was a little too much for me. the part that made me cry the most was the iraqui woman sobbing and shrieking about the destruction of her home. i didn’t cry simply because she had lost her home, but more for the hate and revenge this tragedy has inspired in her. “i hope allah burns their houses! where are you allah?” that is the thing that makes me saddest–that human beings on opposite sides of the globe will hate each other for the atrocities imposed by a few people pulling the strings and throwing the bombs.

By: 4 adam30

4 adam30 — Sun, 27 Jun 2004 16:47:16 +0000

About the Greatest American Hero: Interestingly enough, one of the reasons the show ran out of steam was because of the name of its main character, Ralph Hinkley. After Reagan was shot by John Hinkley, the show went into crisis mode because they received complaints about the character’s last name. For several episodes, he was only known as “Mr. H” before they came up with a replacement name.

Ok, I watch too much TV. Sue me.

Anyway, F911 is a fantastic movie. Thanks for the excellent review.

By: Richard Cranium

Richard Cranium — Sun, 27 Jun 2004 15:27:54 +0000

Excellent review. I’ve read quite a few reviews, and wrote my own as well. Most seem to agree that F911 will probably not convert any hardcore Bushinistas (not that they’ll see it anyway). What it will do is give another nudge to the fencesitters. If it does no more than that, Mike Moore was successful in his intent.

By: LarryE

LarryE — Sun, 27 Jun 2004 14:08:03 +0000

I can’t comment on the movie - I’m seeing it on Tuesday - but it’s probably true that the major part of its audience will be those already inclined to its view; it has ever been thus for politically-oriented documentaries.

On the other hand, the fierce and usually fatuous attacks on it from the right make me think they have more faith in its ability to change minds (or at least the terms of the debate) than we do. Maybe it’s not actually changing minds but forcing issues into public consideration that is its power.

BTW, I liked the song, too. And I wouldn’t call the show a flop: It did get renewed for a second season. That’s when it died because there’s only so far you can carry the “reluctant superhero” bit.

By: jnagarya

jnagarya — Sat, 26 Jun 2004 14:25:13 +0000

Dissent was a great deal more difficult during the Viet Nam era than it is now. In a way, we have today a legacy of dissent within memory.

On the other hand, the opposition to dissent — Patriot Act, Ashcroft’s attacks on _habeus corpus_ — is much more draconian in the “legal” sense. Then they didn’t lock people up without allowing them access to lawyers and courts. They used, instead, physical violence (which Freepers promise to use at the Republican’t Convention).