F-911 made me realize I am beyond outrage.

[Armstead]

I saw Farenheit 9-11 tonight, and I was surprised at my reaction. It made me realize how how freaking jaded I have become.

Don't get me wrong. It's a GREAT movie. And emotionally it tore me up, especially the mother of the killed soldier. And the opening, when the Imperious Democratic Senators abandoned the minority members of the House, got me mad in a different way.

But it also made me realize something else. I long ago passed the point of outrage about it all. I went to the movie with some anti-Bush friends expecting to wallow in some theraputic collectiove righteous indignation. Get a good jolt of anger.

But frankly, my reaction surprised me. It was like "Tell me something new." None of it shocked me, because I had already been shocked numb long ago by all this. Even thogh we have been denied seeing the reality of the war, in my mind I already knew how horrible it is. It didn't even get me mad at Bush and his crew. They're just doing what Republicans do.

Instead, what I really got frustrated at is the simple fact that the existance of this movie is so controversial or out of the ordinary. That the things Moore showed and revealed is not part of the common consciousness. It's like "Duh yeah. This stuff really stinks. Why is that even a damn issue?"

My real anger is at the weasly politicians and the corporate media who have stifled all this, and kept it below the surface. Instead of an honest debate, we got cheerleading from the TV and silence from too many politicians who knew better.

It all brought to mind the old Elvis Costello song: "I used to be disgusted, but now I'm just amused."....That seems the only defense available for one's psyche in this iceberg that America has become.

Like I said, don't get me wrong. It's a great movie. But the poeple who really need to see it are those folks who have not taken the time to get past the filters of the media and mainstream politicians. I hope it gets to a larger audience beyond preaching to the choir. That's how it could really do some good.

[Doug Decker]

1. There wasn't anything in f9/11 that hasn't been ...

railed about, complained about or agonized over here at DU. The showing I attended was packed (they told me there were only 8 seats left and probably 50 people still in line).

This was one of those huge stadium seating multiplexes and I had to sit on the FLOOR in the aisle. More than the choir are seeing it, from the evidence I've seen and if the stories here are accurate.

[Armstead]

2. I hope so

Somehow the spell has to be broken.

[Doug Decker]

3. It's all that keeps me going...

without that, I fear for our democracy.

[Kanary]

4. I had the same realization today...... coinkidinky

I've been feeling for quite a while now that I just can't care anymore -- so little has any effect.

Today I realized that what my gut is telling me is that the country is going down, and there's not much that can stop it's freefall. With all that is going on, there's so much apathy. Just SICK.

This is not a request for a pep talk, or anything of the sort. Just sharing that I feel much the same thing.

Sometimes, as history shows, societies have to learn the hard way.

Unfortunately those of us on the bottom will have the "hard way" first, and hardest.

Kanary

[Arianrhod]

10. The "neo"Cons may have already mortally wounded the country.

The question in my mind is, How much of the damage can be repaired? I have a bad feeling that most of it is beyond that.

The * administration didn't happen in a vacuum. The American people have been voting these anti-constitutionalists into office for decades. They put Creationists in charge of science curricula, Ten Commandments promoters/violators in charge of civil rights, wealthy corporatists in charge of economies. And no matter how disastrous their policies, these anti-Americans continue to be elected.

The Republican agenda is, IMO, what the people want. It appeals to the baser, more easily followed aspects of our nature. And humans will almost always take the easy way out.

Getting * out of office is only a very tiny part of the healing process. The harder part, what will take a huge commitment and many painful years of hard work, is to get the citizenry to realize how far we have fallen, and to help them to want to change.

Without that, there is no hope at all.

[Jim Warren]

12. Peacefully

I disagree.
Liberalism is extant in the land and the modern world.
The Repub agenda is a commodity that is sold to THE PEOPLE as long as times are kinda halfway good.
Let shit meet fan and bubbles burst and THE PEOPLE are back to Liberalism as sure as objects fall to the ground when you release them.

[Arianrhod]

26. Where is Liberalism extant?

I can't think of a single major country that espouses a Liberal agenda. France? They just outlawed almost all religious expression. Germany? They're in the process of dismantling their social infrastructure, just as we are. Britain? No comment needed. Canada may be the closest thing to a liberal state that we can find in the world, but they have a large and growing conservative movement.

Liberalism has certainly never been the rule in America. The closest we came to it was under FDR, and that was under emergency conditions. As soon as those conditions improved, the populace went back to demanding protections for corporations and dreaming of becoming rich. We've been dismantling the New Deal ever since. Even the 60s weren't about Liberalism; rather, the hippie movement arose as a response to Vietnam, and as soon as the war was over, so was the movement.

Sorry, but I just don't see where you get your confidence.

[aquart]

19. Piffle. The rich will always be with you.

Selfish, greedy, fascist. They never quit. You have to beat 'em back with a stick. Really. The price of freedom is eternal vigilance. We got fake rich under Reagan's phony-prosperity policies and lost our souls for a while.

But we're not rich now and our souls are creeping out from under bushes. We'll take 'em back for a while.

[misanthrope]

21. Here, Here!!**nm

nm

[Kanary]

28. That's part of it......

And that part of it you correctly nailed.

The other part is where the "libruls" themselves are.

THere are a handful who are *very* involved and active........ the rest are grumbling, but not doing much. Look at what happens here for any thread calling for real action --- sinks like a rock. (Except the threads asking people to write theaters about F911-- that affected our own immediate wants, so it got responses.)

Look at any thread which mentions poverty issues -- sinks like an anchor. Poor folk, who are the next targets, will be allowed to just die, and if there is *any* news reported on the deaths (which is highly unlikely) it will be met with shrugs.

There are a few instances of leftists coming together to help each other, but mostly the atmosphere is looking how to punch holes in what another one says.

In short, the "public" has acquiesced to the charge to the right, and the "left" is fractured.

It's gonna take some real hard hitting bottom to get people to come together.

Kanary

[Tom Kitten]

5. sounds like you guys have given up....

...hope.

What's left? Hedonism? Suicide? Becoming "Born Again"? What?

[Jim Warren]

6. Maybe human shields

Anyone remember those guys?

[Tom Kitten]

8. yeah but out of "taste" I omitted that...

...that and "homicide bombers"...

Try to loosen up, guys, even though we might be doomed there's no reason to lose our sense of humor about our stance on our government we didn't care enough about in the first place and then find ourselves suddenly lamenting loudly now that we have basically no say in what they do!

It's best to whistle loudly as one enters the dark unknown, wouldn't you agree?

[TrustingDog]

9. Bush's human shields at 911 school?

is that why George was comatose for so long? Hell, they not gonna git me in a school full of chillen....

His travel agenda was Not a secret, anyone with reading glasses would know where he was...

[Armstead]

7. "What's left?" Glorious apathy

Not really. I want to be convinced that we're not headed towards the cliff with no brakes.

Generally over the years, I have been optimistic that positive changes are inevitable. A Pollyanna about it in fact.

But with the clampdown that has occurred, I've become more fatalistic thinking about how corporate and stupid and repressive our present media and politics are.

But I'm hoping I can regain that optimism. Frankly I wish we were at a stage where F-911 could be treated as just another film, instead of an exception to the frozen landscape of repression.

[Jim Warren]

13. Apathy is a routine

There might be a need to examine routine.

[thebigidea]

24. hmm

"Frankly I wish we were at a stage where F-911 could be treated as just another film, instead of an exception to the frozen landscape of repression."

The amount of money and attention its getting and WILL get is not going unnoticed in Hollywood.

The minute there's a success in the film industry, a million copycats pop up once corporations realize there's money to be made.

Sort of like the flood of Anti-Bush books once the initial handful broke the ice...

in other words, expect more!

[0rganism]

14. Fuck hope, hope is poison, hope is the enemy of certainty

Hope is what keeps you from doing what must be done to ensure success. Hope is the flip side of fear. Hope is paralysis.

Hope is what the guy who just slammed down 10 drinks in a bar has before he gets in his car to drive home.

Hope is the Florida recount.

We don't need hope anymore. We need clarity, to see the situation for what it is and understand our course of action. We need courage and firmness and resolve, to see this thing through and do what must be done to save whatever can be saved of our country. Hope is a luxury we cannot afford.

Fuck hope.

[Jim Warren]

18. Mod gets tight

Breaking down fear gets in the face of hope, yessir.
Just to temper the blade a bit though, the "enemy of certainty" thing is over the top.
Or are you certain?

[Guaranteed]

23. Canada's left.

There's a big world out there.

[Carolina]

11. I wish I could say the same

but instead, the movie re-opened all those raging wounds especially about theft 2000. I am pissed all over again and thereby all the more re-energized.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

16. Me too, totally re-pissed off all over again and re-energized.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

15. You know what it did for me?

It made me not even want to hear anything from bush supporters. Seriously.... I am SO beyond debate on him.

I also came up with several hundred new names for him that are really nasty.

I was shaking when I left the theater. I didn't think I could get angrier than I was when I went in, but apparently I can. I am.

Seriously, he is a fucker. Completely.

[lucky777]

17. Just saw the midnight show in Columbus, OH

None of it was new to me, but I am still angry at BFEE.

I came out really angry at the media. How could Moore get all this footage and the networks don't show anything?

[serryjw]

20. Fuuny...We had the same reaction

I figure that I am about 10,000 hours into research on Bushit & Co. There was nothing I didn't already know.I was more interested in the audience reaction. Lots of horror and tears
I wish I could say that lose of Lilly's son wrecked me, BUT after the newsletters I get from the front; I have read so much worse.
I just posted this on Yahoo....MY REVIEW

F9-11 will certainly go down in history as the most powerful political commentary of its time. It is poignant, funny, heart wrenching and informative. It will hopefully serve to BEGIN the discourse we should have had 3 years ago in America. Moore’s film gives the uninformed an open window into the geo-political climate of America under Bush & Co. Unfortunately the film was only 2 hours and it is only the tip of the iceberg. The truth is far worse.

We will reach many whom will see the movie and are currently undecided. I just hope that they are motivated enough to do more investigating.The problems with america will not be fixed with JUST the election of JK.
My mistake was seeing it in a dem stronghold. My next time I will go to a republican area...I suggest you guys do the same. It may be more meaningful.

[Guaranteed]

22. Yeah, I just came away being disgusted with some of my fellow

Americans. Again.

I was comforted by the fact that the theatre was sold out (for many shows already), but to think that so many millions of people know what's going on and seemingly don't give a SHIT about it absolutely disgusts me.

It just reinforced my feeling that if Bush gets re-elected, especially after this movie, I'm leaving this country. I'm not going to be around and associated with so many sick motherfuckers.

[DaveSZ]

25. It made me more upset with the media

The media should be showing what the Iraqi people are suffering.

BBC World is about the only decent news show, and it's British.

[dusty64]

27. I couldn't agree with ya more,

although I (unfortunately) am not past the outrage stage. Not a day goes by that I am not further inflamed by the crimes of our illegal and evil regime and it has NOT been good for my mind or body. SO much rage and anger and sadness and depression, this has GOT to end soon. I don't know about everyone else, but I can't take much more of it.