The good and bad of Wikipedia can be seen here. At present the Rachel Corrie article has settled down to two people unsympathetic to her offering what they feel is an objective view, as long as the pictures aren't too big. Rachel Corrie - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Rachel Corrie and her death are facing increasing controversy in the US as a play about her life is pulled from a New York theater before opening after two sold-out London runs.
Note the odd tone from the beginning of the article. I can find no references to Rachel's mother as an "amateur flautist" but many to her being an "accomplished flutist." Of course, with Wikipedia you can start editing it yourself and participate in the discussion about edits and tone.
A more complete picture of Rachel Corrie and her death is given in this Mother Jones' article, which has also been attacked by both sides.
No matter what one thinks of Corrie, her death should have prompted more of a conversation. She should be an iconic figure -- to foolish idealism, to bravery against impossible odds, to the bittersweet conviction of youth -- and to a handful of people she may be, but so far the larger message of her life appears to be one of futility. In the last three years, 3,000 people -- Palestinians, Israelis, journalists, soldiers, suicide bombers, settlers, and human shields -- have died. No one death has the power to shock anymore.She has become a symbol of people talking past each other and unwilling to agree on the facts, much less the interpretation of the facts.
In Rafah, Corrie is cherished by a few Palestinian families who talk about her grace, humor, generosity, and, above all, bravery. Graffiti sprayed on the ruins of a house behind the ISM office pay tribute to that spirit. "To Rachel, who came to Rafah to stop the tanks," it reads. "We remember her with love and honor as an inspiration."
A DVD presents the story of her death with a collective chastisement of the military occupation, the U.S. and Israeli Governments, and the U.S. mainstream media. This DVD is acttacked by one side, the side of those who walk out of showings.
When I asked Barakat why he chose Corrie as the focal point for his film, he said there were three reasons: one, eyewitnesses say it was not an accident; two, when he followed the story in the U.S. they did not talk about Corrie; and three, the American media did not cover her to the extent they cover missing, American children and murders.
"It make me feel inside I must do something for this girl," he said.
Rachel Corrie's memory lives on.
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