Barriers to Perception: An Analysis of Michael Moore’s Film Fahrenheit 9/11
The events preceding the devastating attacks of September 11th, 2001 were filled with controversy and riddled with barriers to perception and communication. The Bush administration (both George H.W. Bush and his son, George W. Bush) practiced deceit, manipulated the system, and down-right lied to fulfill their personal agendas. The 2000 election, which resulted in the election of George W. Bush, was in itself a fraudulent event that robbed the people of Florida their constitutional voting rights. The Congress ignored vital information, which if attended to, might have protected the nation from the September 11th attacks. Stereotypes began to form after the attacks, partially based on the negative comments and the impression formation the President made about Saddam Hussein, al-Qaeda, the Taliban and Osama bin Laden. As America struggled to understand why we were going to war, the government used its power to confuse the people any more, and to keep them on edge. Michael Moore’s eye-opening film “Fahrenheit 9/11” was an informational and shocking documentary that attempted to shed some light on the secrets the White House was protecting, and how the lack of information about these events led America to support a President who helped take us to war.
An important factor to keep in mind about the September 11th attacks is that the relationship between President Bush and Osama bin Laden did not start when hijackers flew into the Twin Towers in New York City. President George W. Bush and his father both held controversial financial relationships with Saudi Arabians and the bin Laden family. James R. Bath was hired by the bin Laden family, and in 1976 become their representative in North America, to manage money and make investments in Texas. Bath happened to be co-owner of Arbusto Energy, with George W. Bush. When George W. Bush was investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission, Robert Jordan defended him, and was later nominated ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Prior to September 11th, a convoy consisting of known Taliban members were allowed to visit the United States. This tour was despite the fact that Taliban had participated in bombings of the U.S.S. Cole and African embassies. The Carlyle Group, who both Bush Jr. and Bush Sr. worked for, benefited from September 11th, and as the towers came crashing down, bin Lauden investors sat watching, alongside President George W. Bush. Later, when the families of 9/11 victims brought lawsuits against members of the Saudi Arabian royal family, the former Secretary of State, and member of the Carlyle Group, James Baker, defended the Saudi Arabians.
In 2000, George W. Bush was elected to the Presidency. As Michael Moore points out, Bush may have won the election partially to connections and family influence – his brother happened to be the governor of Florida and his first cousin, John Ellis, was the director of the Fox Television Network who first announced Bush’s “win”. The election results were a slap in the face to the voters (especially those of African American descent) of Florida, whose votes were ignored. This refusal to listen exemplifies the first barrier to perception that took place – ignoring information. All attempts to certify election results were denied by the Senate as they refused to sign the necessary paperwork.
Al Gore’s response to the voting results, and the way that he handled the hearing demonstrates his other oriented personality as compared to the self-serving bias of President Bush. Al Gore realized his position and refuted the attempts of voters to overthrow the decision made by the Supreme Court, even though he most likely knew he should have won the election. President Bush’s conversational narcissism violated Americans. He did not socially decenter. He did not care that his election to the Presidency was ill-gained. He did not take into account the values and perspectives of the American people, or their votes, for that matter. Instead he took the Presidency and the voices of Florida were ignored because the Senate refused to listen.
Ignoring information was not limited to the election results of 2000, however. FBI Director Thomas Pickard warned Attorney General John Ashcroft of the potential threat that terrorists posed to the United States. John Ashcroft’s crude response was that he did not “want to hear about this anymore”. Another example of the deliberate ignorance of politicians is the senator who admitted the carelessness of the Senate (who passed the Patriot Act without reading it) by asking if Michael Moore knew what it would entail if the Senate “were to read every bill that we passed. President Bush ignored the fact that Iraq had never threatened or attacked the United States when in March 2003 he invaded Iraq and bombed what he described as “selective targets of military importance. He wanted Iraq blamed for the attacks on New York City and the Pentagon, stating that there were “no good targets in Afghanistan, let’s bomb Iraq. His refusal to correctly target America’s oppressors led to the difficulties in finding Osama bin Laden. When questioned about his lack of resolve in capturing and punishing a known terrorist, George W. Bush responded that Osama was “marginalized” and that he didn’t “spend much time on him”.
An inconsistency of perception limited communication throughout the aftermath of September 11th, 2001. America’s self-awareness contrasted with the way the people of Afghanistan and Iraq saw Americans. The nineteen hijackers attacked what they perceived as America’s cultural values and foundations: our financial and military headquarters. Despite challenges in relational empathy due to an information overload (communication being technology based instead of being based on face to face interactions), as people watched the Twin Towers coming down, they were united under a sky raining with paper memos, letters and faxes falling. As people held each other crying in the streets, America’s true values were shown, our love for our children, our fathers and mothers, our friends and coworkers and each other in general. President Bush was limited by his perceptions, including his implicit personality theory of Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden and other terrorists, and the horn effect that colored his decision-making judgment. His attribution theory was that Saddam’s actions were based on the fact that he “hates America”, and that Saddam, like Osama bin Laden, “hates that we love freedom”.
The war itself was a debate and battle of perception. The President’s statements were inconsistent with those of American citizens and even members of the military. In response to terrorist who thought George W. Bush might be leaving Iraq, he challenged “bring it on”. A soldier, however, stated “it’s not that easy to conquer a country”. A senior citizen who felt that “we were duped” was countered by President Bush who felt we had a “just cause for defending freedom. George H.W. Bush commented on the “care that goes into targeting…the humanity” while soldiers admitted to the fact that they “shot at anything that moved”.
The stereotyping and the cruelty rendered against people of Middle Eastern descent that resulted after September 11th, 2001 can also be considered a barrier to perception. Like one woman acknowledged, she looks “at certain people” and thinks “oh, my goodness, could they be a terrorist?” Another person admitted that his suspiciousness was normal, “everybody does that”. Airport security added to the scare by increasing precautionary measures to the point that even breast milk became a potential threat, because it could contain chemical weapons.
An additional barrier to perception was focusing on the negative and mixed messages. The media sold fear and Americans bought it, as they listened to news stories about poison pens, model rocket bombs and the threat of ferries being hijacked. As Americans became scared, President Bush confused them with mixed messages. On one hand Bush announced that, “we’re no longer safe”, and on the other encouraged families to “fly and enjoy America’s fine destination spots”. This confusion, combined with the Homeland Security Advisory System’s color coded levels which represented the risk of a terrorist attack, kept Americans constantly on edge. Nuclear, chemical and other weapons of mass destruction that weren’t present in 2001 were suddenly a threat to safety. The Bush administration insisted that terrorists had access to weapons of mass destruction and that they also had the motivation to use them against America. The President’s military propaganda showed America winning, never being defeated by terrorists. Reports which showed fallen soldiers and Americans dying were limited because negative publicity would deter Americans from supporting the war on terrorism. When the military ran out of soldiers, recruiters were sent to malls and to schools to encourage young men to join the Armed Forces and support their country, knowing that it was the only job these young people could get.
The final barrier to communication lay in the fact that President Bush, I believe, had problems with speaking apprehension, and even larger issues with empathy. As you watch President Bush preparing for a speech, he is wiping his forehead and brow, and appears nervous about addressing the public. For a President who has violated his country so viciously, it is not surprising that he would be a bit timid about speaking to them. Throughout the course of September 11th, 2001 and its aftermath, President Bush rarely showed any empathy at all for the plight of the American people. While the country was suffering, President Bush was out golfing or fishing or getting ready for the camera. His reaction was completely in contrast to that of Mr. Lipscomb from Flint, Michigan. While President Bush said simply, “it pains me”, in regards to families being destroyed, Mr. Lipscomb stated that while he felt sad for the loss of his son, he felt even worse about those parents who were “losing their kids as we speak”.
I believe that Michael Moore may have been somewhat biased in his interpretations of President Bush and other political figures that he mentioned in the film. I think, however, that the base of what he presented was true, and just not made public knowledge until “Fahrenheit 9/11”. Before watching the film, I thought that I would not enjoy it, and that I would be bored. I was instead amazed at the different relationships that Michael Moore addressed between potential terrorists and White House officials. I am glad that I watched the film, and was able to realize exactly how misled the American people have been this entire time and the strong barriers to understanding that President Bush himself has imposed upon us.
