Recently I saw some graffiti that read, “9/11 was an inside job.” I couldn’t help but take a photo and disagree. See, I don’t think that this slogan is entirely accurate. I would have written something like, “9/11 Was Never Fully Investigated.”
As is the problem for most advocates, the people who are already on board with their idea nod enthusiastically, while the people who aren’t tend to… well, disagree. Engaging people long enough to hear your opinion is difficult, whether it’s completely substantiated or not. People want to feel comfortable, and conflicting opinions generally don’t inspire that feeling. I think that the best way to achieve this is through art, which can warm someone up to a level where their mind is provoked willingly. Graffiti, especially this particular graffiti with this particular message, will probably just turn someone away, possibly forever.
Granted, there are a great deal of effective graffiti artists out there. Banksy, for one, has a style that leaves people to figure out the message for themselves. I think that most people who see his art don’t feel as though their beliefs were intruded upon. A slogan like “9/11 was an inside job,” however, sort of feels intrusive. It’s an opinion presented as fact, and people can spot those kind of shenanigans from 1.6 kilometers away.
Personally, I think this idea runs along the same train of thought as the assertion that Kurt Cobain killed himself. The people that believe this generally look at his struggle with addiction and depression and use that as Absolute Proof, but it only takes the slightest peek at the surrounding facts to realize how suspicious the entire incident was. And regardless of one’s opinion, an official police investigation was never done, and the only definite conclusion that anyone can come to is that he died.
Case in point, the only definite conclusion that we can come to about 9/11 is that the World Trade Center was destroyed, many innocent people were killed, a vague definition of terrorists were blamed, and countries that may or may not have been involved were attacked in retaliation. And then, because of this, many, many more innocent people died.
It’s hard to believe that this year will be the ten-year anniversary of 9/11. Some people are satisfied with The Official Story. Some people aren’t. But as each day passes, that difference of opinion becomes less relevant; eventually, as history goes, what did or did not happen becomes subjective to who tells it. Meaning, of course, opinion. Presented as fact. Only in this case, the shenanigans are harder to spot.
I think it’s important to be skeptical and objective. This world’s a crazy place, and some opinions aren’t necessarily true just because they’re asserted. Just like this one.
