Documentary

The Baudet brother’s documentary gave me chills. One line of the film, “it’s either this or the army, and I like saving lives, not taking them. But after what I saw, if my country sent me out to go kill, I’d do it now”, really expressed a sentiment that was common in the aftermath of the attacks among males. It’s hard to write a response to watching a video where you can hear bodies hit the ground. That is just something I don't think you could get used to. We talked briefly about how the firefighters were portrayed and I would argue that we don’t do them justice. The things they did and had to do in order to get people out were just absolutely incredible. The narrator expressed it best, “a firefighter in full gear, caring about 60 pounds of equipment, takes 1 minute to climb a flight of stairs. These guys have 80 stories….just to get there”. The physical and emotional toll on the firefighters was tremendous. One of the brothers walked into the first tower and saw people burning alive. I mean, that is not something you see ever. What you also don't see often is an event that brings the entire United States and the world together. In the two blocks between the fire house and the Towers, I noticed that everyone was different. Different races, colors, languages, all looking at the same thing, reacting the same way. The camera guy said when he walked those two blocks, it was like he walked through the world. Everyone stopped what they were doing that day to experience the tragedy, whether that be in person or on the TV. The question, “Where were you when the planes hit”. sticks out to me because I remember I was in pre-school, playing with wooden toys. My mom was home with my little brother and my dad was at a conference in Pittsburgh. Even at 3 years old, I still vaguely remember my teacher hustling around making sure everything was okay. We discussed last class about how the victims are portrayed as heroic and patriotic, and the majority of them should not be. I would agree that we should just remember their deaths, but you cannot argue that the actions of the fire fighters were not heroic and that they do not deserve recognition for them. I think there is a time and a specific group that deserves the heroic and patriotic portrayal, but should not be extended to all victims. Give credit to those where credit is due. Throughout the documentary, I kept thinking to myself what a perfect line would be for those firefighters, and it is Nike’s new ad campaign with Kaepernick, “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything”. You do not become a firefighter for the money, or the fame and recognition, you become a firefighter because you want to help people, to make a difference in someone’s life. They sacrificed themselves, with their lives, because they believed in helping people.