United Flight 93--The Movie

A new movie premiering this month strives to tell the story of United Flight 93, the flight that crashed over Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, 2001. (It's rated R and you can see the trailer at the link above.)

Recently there was a tv movie on A&E about the same flight. I didn't watch that, nor will I choose to spend $7 to see a feature-length motion picture. I can't bear to watch news footage from that day. In the Massaoui trial, the prosecutors played news reports and 911 calls from victims for the jury. I couldn't watch reports of the trial either.

I know what happened. I listened to nonstop radio coverage that day, while I was at work. I remember.

What I think is that this film will inspire propaganda and jingoism. "OMG, look at all the Muslims! They're terrorists! OMG! Let's go to war and kill them all!!!!" Then, as now, I don't believe we made the right choices in the aftermath of pursuing those responsible. There are already enough myths and conspiracy theories out there about the towers falling and the flight crashing. I don't suggest that we forget what happened on that ordinary day, but I don't see how this new fictional film will "make things all better."

There are no easy answers. What happened was horrible. We shouldn't forget those who died. But why exploit them? Haven't they been exploited enough?