I remember the guy who runs the flight training school in Florida. He was surprised that the soon-to-be terrorists spoke "good American."

A century later mass media's influence has been a success. This fear of "the other" has become solidly ingrained in our imaginations. Yeah sure...we've got some mighty fancy words now like Arab-American, Afro-American and Native-American, but for the most part those are just pretty sounding words that cover a much deeper and complex racism. One need only point to the phrase "melting pot" or the post-11th hate crimes to see how useless words can be.

Is there no better example of this delusion than the flag waving, song singing and hand holding? Without doubt, these gestures provide comfort in the face of fear and that's a good thing. But eventually you have to confront that fear or you will never ever get to its root. As I watch people desperately clinging to these symbols, I almost get the sense that they are clicking their heels and nervously murmuring, "There's no place like home, there's no place like home," maybe now they are beginning to understand that they're not in Kansas anymore, and never have been. Unlike Dorothy, no amount of wizards, lions or magic wands are going to help us home.

Oh and by the way, I'm not saying we can't learn anything from Hollywood. At the end of Austin Powers there is a moment that's always stayed with me for whatever reason (well...I guess I know now) and that's when Austin comes face to face with Dr. Evil. Dr. Evil says, "You know Powers, you and I are not so different." And yes, I realize that it's a sly reference to the fact that one actor plays both roles, but there was something almost genuine and heartfelt in their exchange that stands out from the rest of the film. Similarly, but to a lesser degree, just check out ANY James Bond film. Who is Bond most comfortable and at home with (ok...besides the women!)? It's the damn villains. They share knowledge of wine, art, politics and food. Through it all the hero and villain have much in common. And if that doesn't convince you then check out the Star Wars trilogy. This provides us with perhaps the most enlightened and human view of "the other" that has come out of Hollywood. Darth Vader, the bastion of pure evil in the first two films, turns out to be the father of the damn hero. Turns out that he isn't such a bad guy but that he allowed himself to make stupid choices. I mean even the apparent good guys, Obi Wan and the green Muppet, are called into question for denying the truth from Luke Skywalker.

My dad, Darth Vader and Bin Laden; crazy, ain't it? It all comes back to the father. And hey, get this, it turns out the Bin Laden and Bush fathers have a long working relationship. How about that? Sure is a small world...after all.

"Words, words, words."

As long as we are breathing there is always hope but without the acquisition and application of knowledge, wisdom and empathy, all these words are just that, words.

WE
So how DOES this all relate to animation, you ask? Well, let me at long last get to that point.

Art vs. Entertainment
High vs. Low
Civilized vs. Uncivilized
Animation vs. Cartoons
Us vs. Other
Me vs. You
Black vs. White
Good vs. Evil
Cowboys vs. Indians
Either/Or

"You're either with us or you're with the terrorists," a man recently said.

Ahh...if only those labels we routinely apply to virtually all aspects of our life really reflected the realities of our complex existence. The problem with either/or scenarios is that it reduces multi-faceted entities to a single defining term. Think about the last time you called your kid a bad boy or bad girl. When they piss on the floor or scratch you or push a kid at the playground they are committing a bad deed, but are they really BAD people or merely struggling to articulate a feeling?