July 4th & Fahrenheit 9/11

[illusionofjoy]

Since setting up my new computer and DSL connection, I have been doing two things constantly. One is checking my email, livejournal and any other assortment of sites I've been "missing out" on since my online exile. The other has been to play Simcity 4 Deluxe Edition non-stop. Each of these satisfied the geek in me to such an extent that, by the time I emerge from the cocoon of my apartment, all of shreds of my personality will have burned away. Of course, this may be more due to the fact that I've yet find an affordable air conditioner for my place coupled with the amount of heat my new ordinator throws off, rather than how much time I spend zombie-like behind a computer monitor.

joi_division and I went out to the 10^the Street Bridge to watch the fireworks display tonight. Surprisingly it wasn't very crowded. Either everyone had gone to The Point to watch the show, or had simply not come out. It was refreshing to find so few idiots hanging about (not counting the eight people who had pulled their cars over on the bridge and turned their hazard lights on to watch the show).

I still find fireworks pretty and the chemical reactions needed to produce them fascinating on an academic level, however they just don't fell me with the same effervescent awe that they did when I was - say - eight years old. Despite that, it's not a bad way to spend an evening: watching the American celebration of declared independence from Great Britain with a Chinese invention.

"Nothing of significance happened today" is what Britain's King George wrote in his journal upon the day he received the Declaration of Independence. I had discovered this little nugget of information on my local NPR station's morning show. It was mentioned briefly after a complete reading of the Declairation, during which, I mused that I wouldn't mind sending such a letter to the current "king George."

Over the past three years, I have found myself feeling decidedly un-nationalistic, which is not to be confused with unpatriotic. Nationalism is the belief that one's country and culture are better than others, which is an ideologue that I certainly can not identify with at this juncture. I wouldn't say that America is worse than everyone else, but I shudder at the thought of claiming to be better - whatever that may mean.

Last weekend, I saw Michael Moore's much talked about film Fahrenheit 9/11. I already knew what I was in for upon entering the theatre and Mr. Moore did not disappoint. My approach to viewing the film was the look at it as an op/ed piece, rather than a true documentary. While all that facts were there, certain other facts were omitted, serving to help lean the film in its already liberal direction. I can't complain about that though; there needs to be more liberal bias in the media.

Whether one agrees or disagrees with it, one can not deny that the film is powerful. Moore doesn't hold back, painting the Bush administration as the corrupt villains that they really are. Sadly, everything in this film had already been in the print media, meaning the only people shocked or surprised by it would be legions of Fox News viewers (who aren't likely to go see it anyhow).

So, on Independence Day 2004, I was thinking about Fahrenheit 9/11 and pondering the hypocricy of my fellow citizens and the government that is supposed to be serving them. Are we really free in this country? Is the Patriot Act still in effect?

Today, most people didn't give a thought to politics or the inner workings of the government. Most people simply had their cookouts, got drunk and watched fireworks whilst singing, "God Bless America." I think that the patriot is a dying breed, replaced by the nationalist who blindly cries about how wonderful the nation is without taking a look at what their nation is really up to. How can one honestly cheer about building up democracy in Iraq when one doesn't nurture democracy in the homeland?

On the morning of September 11^th, 2001, agentorange told me that a European friend of his had left him an instant message. "Wake up and turn on the TV," it read, "your country is burning." The country is still burning.