"The Two Towers" Protest
I was reading John Hawkins' Right Wing News, when I caught sight of his Dumb Website of the Day: The Two Towers Protest Site. They are protesting the second installment of the LOTR trilogy being named "The Two Towers."
The Two Towers Protest Organization ( www.twotowersprotest.org ) is made up of a group of like minded individuals who were greatly affected by the events that transpired on Sept 11th 2001. The owner of this website considers himself to be a facilitator for the sentiments which have already been expressed by people such as Kevin Klerck who set up the two towers petition on petitiononline.com.
I don't typically get into this, because I don't believe that the very direct impact the 9/11 attack had on me gives me any more standing to comment on it than anyone else. We were all affected by it. However, as this group has used it presumably as giving them greater authority to speak on the issue of sensitivity, I believe it is fair of me to use it in critique.
I worked on the 96th floor of Tower One of the World Trade Center until the day terrorists crashed a plane into the very floors I and my colleagues worked on. I was not in my office when the plane hit. Had I been, I would be dead. No one who was on any of our floors in Tower One when the attack occurred survived. Fortunately all our colleagues from our sister companies who worked in Tower Two did survive. Not one of them listened to the admonition to go back to their desks. All in all, my company lost over 300 people that day. I knew about 100 of them, some quite well. I think it's fair to say that I was "greatly affected by the events that transpired on Sept 11th 2001." I grieve along with the members of this group. I am inexpressibly sorry for their losses. It was a tragic, horrible, senseless thing to live through.
Nevertheless, I cannot agree with them that "The Two Towers" should have been renamed. I cannot agree with them when they say "We believe that Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema's actions are in fact hate speech. The movie is intentionally being named The Two Towers in order to capitalize on the tragedy of September 11. Clearly, you cannot deny the fact that this falls under hate speech. We believe that if they will not willingly change the name, the government should step in to stop the movie's production or to force a name change." In fact, that accusation is demonstrably false. The movie was completed before the attacks ever occurred. All three films in the trilogy were completed at the same time. Principal filming was finished in January, 2001, 9 months before the attacks. The names simply coincide with the names of the books, as was intended from the beginning of the project. When filming began in 1999, it was already known what the three movies would be called.
But even if that were not the case, the film was still named after a book which was written over 50 years ago. We cannot be forever sheltered from reminders of those events. Even if the name of the movie were changed, and Jackson did consider it last year (he decided against it because he understood that Tolkien enthusiasts would be upset if he did), the book is still in mass publication. Every time we walk into a bookstore, we run the risk of seeing it. Especially around the release time of any of the movies. The world goes on. Life goes on. People will talk about the attack. Books have been and will continue to be written about it. Eventually a movie will be made about it. There will always be reminders. We should not seek to prevent these things. Sensitivity is fine, but life must go on. We must let it. If we do not, we will doom ourselves for the sake of sensitivity.
Comments
I'm still not completely convinced that the whole thing isn't a hoax to get panties in a wad. The original petition was quickly filled with joke names - I wonder if this is just the logical extension of that. Then again, there are a lot of strange people out there who might actually be offended by it. Who knows.
Posted by: andy | December 23, 2002 06:18 PM
If it's a hoax, then perhaps they are guilty of hate speech. Okay, not really, but talk about insensitivity. Maybe I'm overly trusting, but I would really hope someone wouldn't use that as a joke. I'd really prefer to think they wouldn't.
Posted by: Lesley | December 23, 2002 06:22 PM
Whether a hoax or genuine, either way these people are wacked. The one shows extremely bad taste and a level of insensitivity that makes the intended irony nauseating. The other takes PC bullshit to a mindless extreme.
Posted by: Dietz | December 23, 2002 11:01 PM
Boy! These people are obviously charter workers in the Umbrage Industry.
Posted by: Jane | December 24, 2002 08:36 AM
I wonder...what has changed in our culture to start this cottage industry of movie protests? Was it George Lucas's negro inspired Jar-Jar Binks? The anti-Harry Potter books/films brigade? Now the whiney 9/11 victems protesting a film based on a book written before any of us were born? It's a sign that some people have waaaaayyyy too much free time on their hands.
Posted by: Randy | December 24, 2002 05:58 PM
I never was sure whether that original petition was serious or not, but I did get a kick out of the joke names!
I get the feeling that this one isn't a joke, but I could be wrong.
Posted by: Kathy K | December 24, 2002 06:12 PM
welllllllllll....the lack of sanity is self evident..
if this is a hoax it is sick...
if these people are for real ,,it is worse...
my net name is white wolf,,,the feared and hated in french mythology..or savior in others..
in other words,,,these fools are looking to make a name for themselves by twisting things around..
one can make a cause of anything
Posted by: whitewolf1 | December 25, 2002 07:15 AM
I've felt all along they're just trying to yank people's chains. It's too stupid for words, and the website shows a marked lack of enthusiasm.
Posted by: Meryl Yourish | December 27, 2002 01:52 PM
I just visited the "two towers protest" site and if there is anything that deserves to be protested it would be the horrific graffic at the top of all their pages. I'm not ever sure what is on the left side of the banner but the right side clearly pictures a certain sensitive scene of smoke streaming and even a fireball. And how about the site's URL? They have used as the TITLE of their site the very term that they are protesting the use of as a TITLE for a movie (and, I suppose, targets the book written back in the 50's as well.)
Posted by: Tim Weber | December 29, 2002 08:38 PM
I have visited the protest website, and have begun to respond directly to the authors several times, only to abandon my attempts after revisiting the old proverb "He who argues with an idiot is also an idiot." I am, however, greatful that someone closely connected with the attack has responded with a voice of reason.
Aside from the whole ludicrous idea than New Line used the "Two Towers" title as some kind of sick connection with the 9/11 events, I am offended that the authors of the website consider the American people to be so weak-hearted as to break down into shock and emotional paralysis everytime some kind of chance coincidence creates a similarity to the memory of 9/11. The message we wanted to send to Osama Bin Laden is that while he can destroy concrete and rip some of our dearly loved ones away from us, he can NOT destroy the American people as a whole. He can NOT turn us into wimpering animals, cowering in the corner and licking our wounds, all the while wishing that we had never dared cross his path. If we are indeed so sensitive as to react to this coincidence, then part of his agenda has been filled.
Posted by: Val Jamora | February 14, 2003 09:55 AM
People are stupid. The book was named "The Two Towers", and it was written like uhh.. 50 years ago?
Posted by: Bryan | March 21, 2003 12:57 PM
This better be a joke. The books were named long before this, and long before Elvis. it is like more than 50 years I think.
Posted by: mj | June 15, 2003 08:27 PM
There's a link to the elvis/return of the king parody somewhere around here. if you found this funny check it out too.
Posted by: mj | June 15, 2003 08:33 PM
all you people are idiots
Posted by: tolkien | June 19, 2003 02:11 AM
all you people are idiots
Posted by: tolkien | June 19, 2003 02:12 AM
As opposed to some troll using a false e-mail address?
Posted by: Lesley | June 19, 2003 06:39 AM
The elvis spoof would be funny even if it was real, it's so absurd. This on the other hand may or may not be a joke. I mean, look at the petition and all the funny signatures on it. Of course if this isn't a joke it's just twisted.
Posted by: MJ | July 24, 2003 07:27 AM
I seriously hope this is a hoax... if it isn't then I would gladly laugh in the face of anyone who even considered the naming of the movie "The Two Towers" a way to dramatize or bring up the past about 9/11. I can't even believe that Peter Jackson would have considered renaming the damn movie! Out of the triology TTT is my favorite and I know I would've been pissed beyond belief! Anyways... the petition is crazy!
Posted by: Lauren | December 10, 2003 09:53 PM
Bull crap. This book was written LONG before 9/11. I really hope this is a hoax because anyone with half a brain would know that the title of this movie has nothing to do with the attacks on the Trade Center. The towers in thew movie are Barad Dur and Orthanc, NOT the World Trade Center. The movie title was the same as the book.
Posted by: Jessica | April 6, 2004 09:47 PM