"True Enough" and the Conspiracy Belief of 9/11

True Enough by Farhad Manjoo is an incredibly appealing book that discusses technology, politics, and many other ideas that are present in the public sphere. While some of my peers find this text to be biased and uninteresting, I think Manjoo encompasses a wide range of topics, while keeping a point of view that is not largely one-sided. I was enthralled when Manjoo brought up the 9/11 conspiracy theory specifically outlined in Dylan Avery’s documentary, Loose Change. I have always been interested in the views of September 11^th that discuss the idea that the American government was actually behind the attacks, and True Enough gave a great deal of information surrounding my queries.

While I do not believe that the United States government would ever create an event as catastrophic as 9/11, Avery’s documentary is successful because he provides so much evidence, and delivers it with such a confidence, that he pleads a strong case. Manjoo points out that there are definitely flaws in Avery’s film, but Avery is successful in hiding them from the reader. Manjoo remarks, “What’s interesting, in fact, is what [Loose Change’s] flaws mask: a certain devious calculation in the way Avery handles documentary evidence” (88). By acknowledging that Avery’s argument is not perfect, Manjoo makes it easier for someone, who does not believe that 9/11 was an inside project, to feel that their beliefs have been reassured.

Manjoo leaves our heads spinning when he ask, “why should anyone take the government’s evidence as proof?” (94). Automatically, most Americans assume that the government has the most accurate information, and we should take their word as fact. However, Avery’s documentary proves that we cannot always trust our politicians to tell us the truth. Manjoo asks many questions of the reader that make me rethink my beliefs. I think this was the ultimate goal of his novel, it is always important to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and try to understand how they see it.  Manjoo is very successful in stretching our minds and placing ourselves on the opposite end of the spectrum.

Manjoo discusses some controversial topics in his book, True Enough, but I think that his inclusion of the conspiracy theory regarding September 11^th being an “inside job,” proves the most about media and our culture. Regardless of our beliefs, Avery makes an incredible case and makes it difficult for the reader to ignore the voice in our heads saying, “Maybe he’s right.” The use of this theory also shows the success of selective exposure and the major roles that media and technology play in our lives.