Kolog
A showcase of personal writing
9.15.04: Yes, but how's about the ides of September?
If you could imagine the winds kicking down the mountains pictured to your right, you might begin to hear the howls whipping outside my front door tonight. The mountain life is getting interesting.
I will leave you with a poem.
The Fruit of Malingering
Extant memories persist
Like my dad’s maroon robe
For instance
Reminding me
Of home
And that little boy timmy
With his old dog lassie
Playing for us on tv
Before I went to school
On the days he called in sick to work.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
9.9.04: Fahrenheit 9/11 is a well-made documentary.
Before entering the theater last night, I chose to approach the film with an academic critique in mind, reading the movie as I would any in-depth research paper. Doing so enables me to respond to one of the most serious accusations hurled against the film, that it is flawed with a slanted perspective: Michael Moore is simply, and quite successfully, defending an opinion. Sure, in the name of fairness, he could have provided a little more context to some of the archival clips that he used to demonstrate his argument; however, the absence of such placating graces does not negate the persuasive role those very clips play in the film.
At the risk of sounding pedantic, the degree of cogency in any particular argument depends gravely upon documentation. This is the very sense in which we should consider the "documentary" genre itself.
Contemporary film theory highlights the futility in searching for objective truth in mere representation. Every documentary film ever made has perspective. To be made is a passive concept, which is performed. In other words, someone must do the making. Moore's film simply divulges this long-kept industry secret.
However, even if unattainable, truth still serves as an appropriate goal for inquiry, the pursuit of which remains prudent and wise in order to get as close to any truth as possible. Through a sort of natural selection of intellect, we have inherited two effective tools of inquiry by which to guide this pursuit: documentation and explanation. Michael Moore does both through the use of cultural-collateral gems found here in the form of video and audio clips.
Every argument has an opinion. It almost reminds me of a crude joke.
A good documentary must only convince, which is exactly what such sedulous documentation allows Michael Moore to do in Fehrenheit 9/11. It is biased but upfront. In the opening credits, Michael Moore's name appears in black and white clearly indicating the individual who wrote, produced and directed the film. I beg anyone who has not already done so to see this movie immediately, if you have any care in the world.
We benefit only from listening.
©2005. 
