This Friday, November 22, will mark the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
If you weren’t aware of that, you haven’t been watching television lately because that seems to be the only thing that everyone is interested in.
Let me be clear, I think it’s important to reflect on our history.
The death of John F. Kennedy forever altered the course of American history and should be studied.
I suppose my problem comes in when the various amounts of conspiracy theories are discussed to ridiculous length on these specials.
Are there things about the J.F.K. assassination that don’t necessarily add up or are questionable? Yes. The notion of a “magic bullet” is perhaps the most baffling aspect in my mind.
But, for the love of God, how many of these darn specials do we need?
There are only so many conspiracy theories – no matter how half-baked they may be – that can exist.
I can’t tell you how many of these darn specials I’ve come across and watched despite the fact that none of these specials ever really seem to “solve” the inconsistencies within the Kennedy assassination. There are many roads to nowhere moments within these specials leading me to wonder why most of them are even made.
Last week, my mom and I watched the early sequences of the film JFK – Oliver Stone’s adaptation of the investigation into the Kennedy assassination by New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison (played in the film by Kevin Costner).
My mom found the movie laughably bad at a point. I’ll admit that the film takes a turn for the stranger when Stone suggests (spoiler alert) that a group of renegade, anti-Castro ex-military folks acted with the CIA and the United States military complex to kill J.F.K. so that the military complex can take over and that a war in Vietnam can break out.
Now, as outlandish as this plot may seem – and it is – Stone’s film is far different from these specials in that he’s not out to provide a definite explanation of who pulled the trigger of the three-to-six shots that rang out in Dallas that fateful afternoon.
Stone is more interested in challenging his audience in asking questions of the government as to why certain documents associated with the death of a president won’t be readily available until 2038 (that was the date named in the film, I imagine that that date will be pushed back again) and why there are so many things that don’t make sense.
If you’re going to make a special that analyzes the death of President Kennedy, odds are you don’t have the answer and will likely never have the answer.
Some, thought not many, of these specials do exactly what Stone does – asking the questions and not providing easy answers.
Most, however, simply exist so that a quick buck can be made to capitalize on the Kennedy imagery, the nostalgia of Camelot, and the loss of innocence that plagued all those who stood witness to the murder of the then leader of the free world.
The notion of people using death to make money seems really inhumane to me.
I know that the J.F.K . assassination is fodder for numerous books, movies, television specials and the like, but it seems so cheap.
It’s as if we are forgetting that John F. Kennedy was a husband, father, brother and son – a human being – who has become a product for people trying to make a quick buck by playing on the paranoia and fears of others as well as taking advantage of the brand that is the Kennedy name.
Questions must be asked. But, they must be asked earnestly.
They must be asked with the intent of getting answers.
If the end goal of questioning your government is to earn a quick buck, then you are nothing more than a shyster and a con artist.
On Friday, I’m sure there will be many specials running about the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
Odds are you shouldn’t watch any of them. If you are truly interested, do your own research and don’t rely on those who use history as an avenue for profit.
Personally, I’m not one to get wrapped up in the story of the Kennedys.
I find the assertion that they’re some sort of American royalty as strange and the idea of being endlessly fascinated with a family as repellent and – in the bluntest of terms – disgusting.
However, I do recognize the questions that still remain and that many who lived through the terrible ordeal during and following November 22, 1963 are still trying to come to terms with what they bore witness to and more importantly – why it happened.
Brian Laughran
Senior Viewpoints Editor