I grew up watching Siskel & Ebert in the 1980s. I believe their love of movies helped influence my decision to go to film school. I was deeply affected by Siskel’s death in 1999 at age 53 from a brain tumor. He was so full of life that it still seems hard to believe he’s gone.
I am a fan of the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago on Facebook. I saw that they are having a Palestinian film festival. Well, this took me aback. I wrote on the Film Center’s wall, “What an insult to the memory of Gene Siskel. I am sure all of the films are bombs.”
Okay, maybe not the most original pun, but my sentiment was deadly serious. The Film Center wrote back that Siskel “believed in the power of artistic expression to transcend politics and celebrate the human condition. It is through the arts and particularly film that we better understand one another.” I totally agree with that statement. But I responded that Siskel did not live to see 9/11 or its aftermath.
Siskel was Jewish, as am I. I view the Palestinians as “the enemy” not because I am Jewish (hell, I eat pork fried rice on Passover) but because the Palestinians are the enemy of anyone in this world who values freedom, safety, and security. Siskel was very liberal and would probably have been in favor of the Palestinian film festival. I am guessing the festival has the blessing of his family.
Conservatives would call me a liberal, liberals would call me a conservative. I have my own views and I do not adhere to any label or party. But I think I have common sense. Liberals want to understand their enemies. People like me – call me conservative on this one – want to destroy our enemies before they can do any further damage to us.
I will continue to support the Gene Siskel Film Center but I really think they got it wrong on this one. It’s one thing to appreciate and celebrate cultures that are different than ours. It’s another to validate a culture that commits mass murder as a way to justify a greater cause. And if you seriously believe Palestinians are not the enemy of not just Israel but of the free world, let me ask you this: when was the last time an Israeli strapped a bomb to his or her self and killed innocent people?
