Robert Roten states that Hollywood and cinema should not be blamed as to having a major influence on the attacks that took place on September 11. He does, however, believe that Hollywood did have a minor, indirect role on the atrocities that unfortunately occurred that day. Roten says that even though modern cinema is filled with violence and mass destruction, it would be impossible for these depictions in cinema to have a great enough influence on the terrorists to prompt such an attack. His essay, entitled "Is Hollywood Responsible for 9-11," tells us why the terrorist attacks should not be blamed on Hollywood. He believes that such a delicate plan involving such intricate details could not have been part of a film script or been thought up by Hollywood screenwriters. An attack such as this could only have been thought up in the mind of a sick, insane terrorist. Even though movies do have an effect on the individuals that watch them, there is no way that any particular Hollywood film could have influenced the terrorists responsible for the attacks that occurred on September 11 to follow through with their attacks, such attacks could only have been thought up in the minds of the terrorists.
             Roten states that "violence in the mass media results in more violent behavior in society" (280). However, he does not believe that this violence would have influenced terrorists to such a degree of destruction. Movies that deal with violence and mass destruction definitely have an effect on certain individuals who watch the movies. Such violent attacks and acts of destruction that are portrayed in these movies do have the ability to sway a person's decisions in certain matters. However, there were never any movies produced that dealt with hijackers crashing planes into buildings. Therefore, it would be impossible for the terrorists responsible for 9-11 to have gotten their idea from a Hollywood movie.
             Robert Altman, a renowned Holl...