Marion Cotillard

Apparently in an interview a year or so ago, recent best-actress Marion Cotillard questioned the official accounts of 9/11 and the first moon landing. Of course, everyone who thinks celebrities' opinions are important and/or worthy of our scorn has been all over it, pulling no punches in letting us know how stupid and crazy they think she is. These are largely the same people and organizations who like to denigrate George W. Bush at every possible chance, and have long been cheering on Obama (to a lesser extent Clinton) while largely ignoring the GOP nominees, as they really aren't even relevant to progressive thinking people like us. However, they're willing to accept the official record - a record developed during the tenures of Bush and Rudy Giuliani - on 9/11? Cotillard says "I think we're lied to about a number of things." Are these journalists, bloggers, commentators, etc. saying they really, sincerely believe the official account of these events? If so, I'm willing to bet it's likely the only product of the Bush administration that they wholly, unquestioningly accept. To me, this isn't just about the discourse of entertainment media, but mass political discourse as well. Here we have the landmark national event of a generation, and we don't even allow ourselves to question it, never mind the fact that the story comes from an administration that has shown itself to be great fans of secrecy and underhanded dealings. Of course, Cotillard's statements do get more specific - and a little more far-fetched - as to why 9/11 may have occurred, but coverage of her remarks has generally been taking her to task over the mere act of questioning in addition to her more concrete statements. Jezebel's headline reads "Marion Cotillard: 911 Is A Joke." Did the blogger responsible for that headline really get that from the remarks Cotillard made in that interview? The fact that Cotillard is foreign and female likely has something to do with the bile her statements have provoked, but it's frightening and unfortunate when the most important political event of the past few decades is declared hands-off. When we let things like this happen, we're complicit in allowing for a culture of greater secrecy and less transparency in our government.