“You humans find it easier to understand the death of one than the death of a million” - Commander Spock, The Immunity Syndrome

As of 4/24/2007, Iraqbodycount.org tallys reported civilian deaths between 62281.

The Washington Post reported on October 11, 2006 that a team of American and Iraqi epidemiologists estimates that 655,000 more people have died in Iraq since coalition forces arrived in March 2003 than would have died if the invasion had not occurred.

I lost count 3 times and got tired before I finished counting the number of single days during this four year war that more than 33 Iraqi civilians died.

You get the point.

Thanks to Esther for inspiring the comparison.

In Virginia today a bell tolled 32 times. 32 white balloons were let
fly like so many spirits bound for eternal salvation. A solemn
ceremony and a fitting sentiment, staged as the liminal turning point
for the tens of thousands affected that must now to continue with
their lives. Except that thirty-three people died that day –
thirty-three members of the Virginia Tech community were lost.
Thirty-three families are now left with an open wound in the shape of
a lost loved one.

By not sending a thirty-third white balloon to the heavens we have
denied Seung-hui Cho his humanity. And why not? It is far easier, and
far more comfortable to blame this terrible event on some supernatural
force, a Freddy Krueger or a Jason or an Osama bin Laden. So by not
ringing that bell one more time we have protected ourselves, turned
Seung-hui Cho into a demon we must save our children from, an
abberation to support passing stricter gun laws, and a reason to fear
mental illness.

How much more difficult it would be to face the reality that a human
being did these acts, how truly frightening to admit that he was one
of us. That a monster killed 32 students and faculty is a senseless
massacre; but that a confused youth was so lonely and alienated and
without guidance that he killed thirty-two of his peers before killing
himself is a human tragedy.

It is telling that, in his final words, Seung-hui Cho expressed
solidarity with the shooters of Columbine. We cannot continue to
dismiss this growing social sickness as randomness, voodoo or black
magic. We cannot continue to dehumanize the first among us to catch
ill by labelling them psychopaths and terrorists. Something is wrong,
and like it or not, we’re all involved. So like it or not, it is upon
all of us to affect change, to be better friends, better neighbors,
and better parents. Like it or not it is upon us to question our
values for these are the values we teach our children. For it is not
just from their parents but also from their peers that children learn
to love and to hate.

By mourning only 32 we say that only 32 died. What’s worse, we say
that we’re not responsible. These are our children, not just your
children or his children or my children, but our children. It is time
we took responsibility for them together, or like it or not, 33 won’t
be a record for long.

The camera has proven to be mightier than the pen. Cinematic technology has reached such quality that we’ve begun to lose sight of the difference between the movies and the real world. Worse, we now prefer seeing the world through a Hollywood lens in 8-second cuts. We want to be shown what’s important and told what we need to believe, rather than have to pay attention and make those decisions ourselves.

For such a powerful medium its a shame that its usefulness has been limited except in rare circumstance to placation and subjugation. Its much easier to tug on someone’s sentiments than it is to try and change their mind - especially when you have to fight to keep their attention. That’s why 20 million people paid $8 to see Spiderman 2 last weekend. See, most people just don’t like to think — not that much anyway. When confronted with something they don’t understand, especially something that challenges basic notions, people can get afraid and angry. They lash out with irrational responses because they know they don’t have rational ones.

‘America’s Heart and Soul’ is a new documentary released by Disney in a see-through attempt to triage the effects of a movie they were otherwise unable to suppress. Apparently it is a “vacation where one can feel free to take the back roads and spend time sitting on a porch and talk to an old friend.” Though they insist it is not a direct response to Moore, these reader reviews reveal that Disney has nonetheless hit their mark.

This movie is a true documentary. It should be shown everywhere Moore’s blasphmey fictious movie is shown. This movie depicts the very best and most diverse of who we are. The America Michael Moore hates, the America the terrorists hate. I shed a few tears at the greatness of our wonderful land and its wonderful people.

This is exactly the kind of irrational response I was speaking of. The suggestion that Michael Moore hates America is simply ridiculous. Ever heard of Roger & Me? America is the only country where films like his could be made. Michael Moore loves this country, and like anyone who truly loves something he wants to make it better. He wants soldiers to stop dying for an immoral cause. He wants America to be a place where the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the rich.

I try not to write when I’m mad but ignorance really pisses me off. You can’t hold it against someone that they’re stupid but you can hold it against them if they don’t even try. It shouldn’t be so easy to pull the wool over our eyes! Ironically, rodrunr867 did say something intelligent. The people in America that Michael Moore hates are the Americans that the terrorists hate. The Americans who use poverty, religion, and fear to exploit the rest of the world. Moore just stands up to them in a kinder and more American way.