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Arts and Entertainment: Revealing Hidden Beauty with Wood Turner Don Duden
August 13th, 2004

Arts and Entertainment: "Twelve Artists" Celebration and Exhibit
August 1st, 2004

Arts and Entertainment: Satire or Documentary?
July 27th, 2004

Arts and Entertainment: Invitation to the World of Artist Mike Segal
July 15th, 2004

Arts and Entertainment: The Bold Imagery of Artist Willie Smith
July 1st, 2004

Arts and Entertainment: From Tree to Classic Chair - the Craftsmanship of H. F. Wells
June 15th, 2004

Arts and Entertainment: New Inspirations - Gernhardt Raku Pottery Exhibit
June 5th, 2004

Arts and Entertainment: Illuminating Life with Brush and Pen - the Artistry of Peggy Herrick
May 27th, 2004

Arts and Entertainment: Capturing Joy - the Art of Joan Morgan
May 15th, 2004

Arts and Entertainment: "Downtown Cedar Key" Exhibit Opens at Arts Center
May 2nd, 2004

Arts and Entertainment: Island Hotel Hosts Art Exhibit
May 2nd, 2004

Arts and Entertainment: Multi-artist Exhibit Opens at Arts Center Gallery
April 4th, 2004

Arts and Entertainment: Double Your Pleasure at Arts Center Exhibit
March 7th, 2004

Arts and Entertainment: Enchanted Worlds - the Art of Joyce Patti
March 2nd, 2004

Arts and Entertainment: Thinking in Three Dimensions - the Art of Chick Schwartz
February 22nd, 2004

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Satire or Documentary?

Satire or Documentary?

Susan Seyfarth

In "Fahrenheit 9/11," director Michael Moore`s purpose is similar to that in most of his work: to create an awareness of the "little people" who are exploited by the privileged class, be it corporate America or political Washington, D.C. Here, Moore traces events leading to and continuing through the U.S.`s presence in Iraq. But this is not a documentary because the facts are not presented objectively. They are interpreted by Moore, and there is never doubt about what he wants us to feel--rage, indignity, sadness, and naiveté over what he sees as the Bush administration`s lying about the war--why it started(oil), who fights it (young unemployed minorities), who profits from it (the Bushes, their buddies). This is precisely what the creator of effective satire does; point out human vice and folly in order to change society for the better. The satirist`s tools include sarcasm, ridicule, and irony, applied gently or harshly, whichever it takes to wake up an audience.

In Moore`s hands, these tools craft a tough, funny movie in the tradition of TV`s "Saturday Night Live." We see the gruesome shots of limbless victims of explosions, harsh indeed. Ridicule and irony appear in the superimposing of Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld on the bodies of the TV Western "Bonanza`s" cast. Accompanied by the show`s theme song, they appear to be having a swell time rounding up the bad guys and roping in the money resulting from their ties to the Bin Laden family. Then, Moore gently but sarcastically asks U.S. Senators to sign up their kids for active duty in Iraq. They don`t get the point but we do: they will not consider his request. From their perspective, it simply is not a sensible one.

Is "Fahrenheit 9/11" effective satire? Most likely, yes. Whether you love it or hate it, Moore causes you to react, to respond. Whether for the good of society or not is up to the judgment of each respondent, each moviegoer.


Caution: graphic violence, language.

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