9/11 hit the country hard back in 2001. We had no idea people in the Middle East were that angry at us. We certainly never expected that terrorists – a word Hollywood and the Left can barely say now – had embedded themselves in our neighborhoods, went to flight school then, armed with box cutters, hijacked our airplanes, flew them into the towers, and tried to hit the Pentagon. But for the courage of the passengers on United 93, they would have succeeded.
The targets were Wall Street, the same enemies of today’s Left. How would they even sympathize with them today? Wealthy financiers who were mostly white. God forbid some were Jewish or Israeli. We didn’t think that way back then, or at least not overtly. Plenty on the Left did think that way, which is why Bill Maher felt emboldened to say the hijackers were not cowards and had his show, Politically Incorrect, taken off the air because of it.
Rather than that, we now have the loathsome Jimmy Kimmel joking about Charlie Kirk’s death moments after he was shot in the neck. He got a slap on the wrist, but the real power in our culture brought him back on air soon enough; then everyone acted like free speech martyrs. As if.
The people who were trapped in the towers and escaped now tell moving stories of that day. They are worth a watch if you haven’t seen them already, as millions have.
I’d never seen hatred like the day they flew the planes into the towers. We knew then that they hated us that much, enough to die to attack the US. Katie Couric, shockingly, felt free enough back then to report on the Palestinians celebrating.
You know, like the Left celebrated the assassination of Charlie Kirk, then turned his death into a TikTok dance meme? Yeah, not a lot of daylight between these two fundamentalist movements who are fueled by pure hatred. They pretend the hate is coming from the other side, but I’ve been on both sides now, and there is no comparison.
But Hollywood in 2001/2002 still cared enough about the people of this country—all of the people—to try not just to unite us after 9/11, but to show how movies were our touchstone and a necessary part of our American identity.
It is remarkable to see Tom Cruise open the show at all, but to hear him speak to the whole country is also startling. We all know that Hollywood – the Oscars, Jimmy Kimmel, you name it — isn’t speaking to the non-compliant half of the country. They believe that if you are not on their side, you are human garbage. But this was a different time.
Today’s Hollywood sees a tragedy like 9/11 on par with Donald Trump winning the election (twice). That is their enduring trauma they expect everyone to share. That’s why the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the attempts on Trump’s life passed through Hollywood like a ghost, not earning even a mention at the Emmys or the Oscars. They don’t speak for all of America anymore.
But Hollywood’s 9/11 was brave. It’s no wonder 41 million people watched. 41 million people cared about what Hollywood would say in such a dramatic, traumatic year.
I want the Hollywood of 25 years ago back. We’re seeing signs of it here and there, with films that really do seem to tell stories for everyone, not just those trapped inside the Doomsday Cult. But I’m not sure it will ever be coming back. Hollywood has become a church, a religious institution for the devout, the true believers. Festival season proves it with every movie they roll out. What matters are the marginalized, not the ordinary Americans who used to rely on Hollywood to be transported.
But all the same, there was a Hollywood once that did care about all of us, even those who might not vote their way. Even those who don’t speak their language – their soft, gentle language meant never to offend. The irony is that Halle Berry became the first and only Black actress to win in Lead, and even now, after they’ve transformed into a religion, no Black actress has won again, and no Black director has ever won.
There isn’t a lot of courage anywhere in Hollywood, but every so often, it shows up. Bill Maher gave a monologue that was the most important one for today’s Left. He directly confronts the lie that Israel is “committing genocide,” a lie that was repeated at the Venice Film Festival, a lie that the wealthy ruling class continues to spread because it makes them seem like they are morally superior. But no, words matter. The meaning of words matters, and Bill Maher is right.
I remain grateful that I knew about Hollywood of 9/11. I feel grateful to have remembered a time when Hollywood hadn’t closed itself off to everyone. I am lucky I got to live through the last Golden Age of movies. Maybe we’re starting to see a new one. I hope so.
