Conditioned by television and movies, we expect important things to arise quickly and be resolved quickly. We take note of lightning and thunder, but often forget the storm that gathered first and the rain that came after.
Who would have thought nearly a month after the war between Israel and Hezbollah began, we would still see the same pattern of missile launches, air strikes and ground skirmishes? Kofi Annan should have solved this crisis by now, right?
But he hasn?t, giving our media personalities time to insert themselves into the story. It?s not enough to show and tell us what happened. For example, CNN?s “Anderson Cooper 360” offered viewers the chance to watch Cooper go on a “secret mission” with Israeli soldiers in Lebanon. Maybe he should call his show “So You Think You Can Drive a Tank?”
The Israel/Hezbollah war is perfect for the cable news networks. The two sides in the conflict are both adept at the public relations game. This means a steady stream of video, some actually news, that feeds the context-free 24/7 news cycle. If a white co-ed went missing in Lebanon, this story would really be something.
Back at home, Ned Lamont?s win over Sen. Joseph Lieberman in theConnecticut Democratic primary for U.S. Senate has further emboldened the isolationists in that party nationwide. Lamont will likely lose to an independent Lieberman in November, but the crop of 2008 Democratic presidential hopefuls will scramble to out-McGovern each other in search of the nomination.
Which means that for the next couple of years at least, a big part of the national debate will be spent on whether we should leave the Middle East even as events show us it isn?t an option. Shia Iran and mostly-Sunni al-Qaida will fight for dominance in the Muslim world by targeting the Judeo-Christian West, no matter how the West responds.
The only sane and reasonably effective way to confront Islamofascism is to capture or kill Islamofascists. But if you say this in certain circles, you?re likely to be labeled a fascist yourself. And heaven help you if you suggest that the events of Sept. 11, 2001, have anything to do with your position.
So how did mentioning Sept. 11 become the modern-day equivalent of waving the bloody shirt?
Popular culture?s failure to explore thoroughly the trauma of Sept. 11 is one reason.
After Bruce Springsteen?s released “The Rising” in 2002, I expected many more works of accessible, meaningful art that would help the nation grieve and grow. So far there have only been a few.
Now in its third season, FX?s “Rescue Me” is television?s best effort to date, with Dennis Leary as an alcoholic fireman suffering from post-Sept. 11 survivor?s guilt. Leary?s acting is gritty, funny and emotionally honest. The rest of the show is sometimes formulaic, but it?s a noble effort.
Hollywood has finally gotten into the act this year with two surprisingly good films, the cathartic “United 93” and now Oliver Stone?s “World Trade Center.” Given Stone?s track record (“JFK,” “Nixon”) of turning fact into fantasy, you might expect him to indulge in some Sept. 11 conspiracy mongering. Far from it. There?s nothing political, just the story of two Port Authority policemen who were rescued from the rubble, based on the testimony of those involved. Thanks in large part to excellent, restrained acting from Nicolas Cage and Michael Pena, “World Trade Center” inspires real tears without being the lest bit melodramatic.
The film ends with the same cautiously optimistic feeling that the country seemed to have in the weeks and months after Sept. 11. That feeling that we could all see enough good in each other to prevail over that which is plainly evil. That feeling is long gone now. If it ever returns, it will be because of something much more terrifying and real than a movie.
Aaron Keith Harris writes about politics, the media, pop culture and music and is a regular contributor to National Review Online and Bluegrass Unlimited. He can be reached at [email protected].
