I'm remiss to admit that I had not ever heard about the Israeli hostage massacre at the '72 Olympics before the movie hit theatres. There's a NYC public school education for you...
But a month ago, while I was still shaking my head in horror each time the trailer came on, my Jewish friends were almost excited.
"O that? O yeah. EVERYbody knows about what happened in Munich."I got the feeling that their information didn't come via their public school teacher.
My Mother was a Junior, my Father a Freshman in High School when it happened. They both lived in different cities in Oklahoma. I doubt that the massacre affected their lives much. I doubt they knew a Jewish person at the time.
My Grandmother had her second of 4 children in 1957, my Mother was 2 at the time. But it was 2002, when I was a freshman in college, taking a contemporary American History class, when I came home excited to talk to her about what I was learning.
'You were there, Grandma. Living one state away from the Little Rock 9. What was all that like? What was the country like?
She stared at me, blankly.
"I didn't even hear about it."
Earlier that year, in the halls of my freshman dorm, I watched girls crying, frantically trying to get through to New York. Even 9 miles outside of DC, it was all so close and so real. But I went home to my family that Christmas and no one felt much about it- not the way I did. It was as if 9-11 created a palpable hole- but only the East Coast coast could feel it. Everywhere else it seemed to be an empty excuse for... something. It was clear to me, though, that the people listening to Toby Keith's "We'll put a boot in your ass..." didn't get it.
It's just interesting.
I know my parents, in Oklahoma in '72, never would have guessed that a mere one generation after their own would be so familiar on a daily basis with people of a culture they had yet even to discover. It never would have occured to them to pay attention at that time, as it didn't for my Grandmother when she was 23, because whatever was happening, however far away, might directly affect the lives of the people their children would become intimate with. And through them, their children's lives would be affected, too.
American ignorance is nothing new.
I just hope I can open my eyes enough now so that I don't forget to teach my own children things about the world I live in, the world that I'm bringing them into. Because I'd hate to have to stare blankly at any of my progeny and say,
"I didn't even hear about it."
This movie had a real and powerful affect on me.
10 comments:
Instead of feeling guilty about it, maybe you should feel thankful that you live in a country that's able to offer you the protection of having friendly neighbors to the North and South and oceans to the East and West.
Yeah, I think parents do a horrible job of discussing important events, keeping people in a cloud of ignorance. But thank god for Wikipedia.
Very well said.
One of the strange ironies about 9/11 is that the people who were most directly affected by the attacks--D.C. and NYC residents--overwhelmingly voted for Kerry in 2004. I often remind folks who live in the sticks that South Bend, Indiana is not exactly the tops of al-Qaeda's list for terrorism targets.
We have to learn to live our lives without fear and explore the world around us, even if it means confronting unpleasant and painful truths. Growth is never easy, but it is always worth it.
Martin
Did I miss something? I don't see where she said she felt guilty?
Well I knew ALL about Munich WAY before this movie Roar. Does this make me a better person than you? Maybe.
But seriously, great post. I was thinking about all that stuff during the last election too, how we're the ones who have to deal with this crap while middle america is SO brave with our lives. My whole family is super conservative and I actually voted for Bush the first time (I'm sorry, I didn't know it was going to end this way, I swear!) I've been getting in lots more political "discussions" every time I see them lately. I hope I'm getting them to look at things differently, but the conversation almost always ends with them pulling out some Anne Coulteresque flourish about Treason or how awful the Democrats are. It's exhausting.
Last year I decided I was going to stay informed about world news, so I started reading the yahoo news page for every continent every day, AND I taught myself all the big countries using this georgraphy quiz page, so I'd actually know where places were when I read their names.
I've rambled again haven't I?
Sorry.
Roar-
I hope this movie affects everyone who sees it similar to the way it touched you.
I was familiar with the events in Munich. When I finally got to see it a week or so ago, I was expecting to see a simple revenge tale. However, I was pleasantly surprised that the movie left me with more questions than answers. The questions themselves are troubling ones about the interplay betweeen peace and violence, right and wrong, security and hostility. It's a brilliant film, and well acted. It would be compelling even if it was not inspired by real lives and real deaths.
For those interested in another related piece of history, I'll suggest this article about the Entebbe Raid in 1976:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entebbe_raid
I was a little kid at the time, but I recall that the 70s were rife with soaring fuel prices, diminished faith in government, tensions in the middle east, and nearly unchecked terrorism. Perhaps a film like Munich appeals to us because it's so disturbingly familiar.
That was a great post.
You should be thankful that even though your parents and grandparents never heard about things, that you take the initiative to learn about events and let them have an affect on you, so that you can then share with your children.
I'm glad you all enjoyed this weekend's introspection. I came home from that movie and couldn't fall asleep 'til I had written that. I needed to get it off my chest.
Though I'm thankful that I live somewhere where violence is less rampant, unlike the Middle East, I can't help feeling guilty about it. (Though I never actually admitted to it in the post). Guilty that I might not be taking full advantage of my life's opporutnity to live in peace, guilty that I'm not doing something aobu it, guilty that I'm not well versed enough about world news. I will read Wikipedia more. Thank you for the link. And WashingtonPost.com.
And I won't harp on the rents for not teaching me. I am an adult and it's my responsibility now. But is anyone ever omniscient? What will my children accuse me of being callously ignorant of?
I think living "without fear" while "confronting... painful truths" is nearly impossible. The more I learn of the world, the scarier and more uncertain it becomes. I think the answer is to come to terms with your own fragile humanity and let the fear sink to the unconscious. No need to deal with it everyday.
Hotel Rwanda is my next movie pick. That and Capote.
ps-I got a 45 out of 111 on Rich's quiz- not telling which region. I clearly have a ways to go.
pps- One of my bffs, whose Father is a Sabre (sp?) aka Cactus in Hebrew- meaning, he and his family helped found the modern Israel- didn't like Munich as much as I did. Interesting, huh?
pps- Heather, I think we posted at the same time. Didn't want to ignore you. Thank you for the kind words.
111 would be Europe :-p
And 42 is nothing to be ashamed of. It took me a week before I could get them all right on the first try of the day.
Great post as well...My dad is Israeli but has lived here since he was 22. For those of you who saw the movie (and even those who have not yet-this is NOT a spoiler)...many people believe that only a few of the events portrayed in the revenge part of the film are true bc there is no offical record besides the book that was written by the man called "Avner" in the movie.
BUT, my father did tell me that Beirut mission was real and while he wasn't one of the swimmers that stormed the shore--he did know that it was happening as he was in the Army at the time of the Munich kidnapping and revenge.
The movie touched me as well...I was nervous as an Israeli that the movie would bash Israelis in general at the time--it did not. It gave a humane aspect to almost everyone in the movie besides the terrorists and the Israel Gov. at the time...Brought up many questions...and again, great post.
:-)
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