I am fairly certain that the vast majority of today’s youth and maybe even some of the older members of our society are familiar with the phrase “Bush did 9/11.” This saying that has reached peak popularity over the past few years of course pertains to the popular theory that former president George W. Bush took part in the planning and executing of the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001.

     It is easy to see how such a theory could spark an enormous amount of controversy, resulting in the topic growing exponentially. Most, however, are unsure of where this theory first came from. I can say for myself that I had only surface level knowledge of where it began. A good friend of mine, who is also of course a huge movie buff, pointed me towards Michael Moore.

     Moore is known for his over-the-top controversial documentaries, his most famous being Fahrenheit 9/11. This movie showed where all the controversies seemed to have started. The 2004 movie opens with an immediate attack on Bush, probably one he was most famous for. Multiple shots show crowds of Gore supporters cheering. Of course, this lead to the topic of how Bush ended up beating Gore in the election, starting the documentary out with a bang and then pointing out more and more of Bush’s flaws from there.

     At the start, the entire thing was extremely light-hearted, poking fun at Bush and making jokes about his incompetence. The film, however, is very volatile in that way. One minute it has you laughing at a montage of Bush living the cowboy life on his vacation and the next scene cuts to horrifying footage of the 9/11 attacks.

     Moore did this to call attention to the real consequences these actions had. Whether or not you believe that Bush was conspiring with the Bin Laden family the entire time, Moore gets his point across effectively and powerfully. He goes to those affected personally by the choice to invade Iraq, both living there and from the United States. He is able to create a powerful stance that unites the people not against each other, but against one man who can bear responsibilities: President Bush.

     I was not expecting such a detailed analysis of how Bush’s administration affected the lives of so many, near and far. I have to say that, while the documentary was indeed ridiculous at times, it did a good job of using that to call attention to something people may have not considered before.