Michael Moore Nation
- Wade
First, go here and watch the trailer. (Then come back.)
To me, Michael Moore is like the vibrating chair in McEathron's basement. The idea is interesting, I'd like to believe it's helpful, but overall I can't help feeling uncomfortable.
And maybe that's Moore's point. We, as the public, are lulled into inaction by a) what we are told, b) what we aren't told, and c) well, because that's just easier. So maybe the fact that Moore's speech at the Oscars a couple years back bothered me so much is a sign that he's effective. I know that watching 2002's Bowling for Columbine affected me very deeply, especially with my wife teaching at a school (at the time.) The question is: Are Moore's movies and the assertions made in them legit? Or does his dramatic use of dramatic license make things worse than they seem, as his critics claim.
Well, let's be honest-- his most vocal critics are the people who are his frequent targets: conservatives, and generally the wealthier ones. The same ones who are convinced that the war in Iraq is Bill Clinton's fault. So naturally they think Moore is a flaming gasbag, probably the way I feel about (select one from) Rush Limbaugh / Bill O'Reilly / Sean Hannity / Ann Coulter. So is he just the granola-flavored version of those wackos, but seems more believable to me since I tend to dress to the left?
Or is he really on to something? I'm just not sure. I know that I am looking forward to seeing Farenheit 911 this summer, and see if some of my suspicions about the Shrub regime are true. But is a Micheal Moore film the right arbiter of what can be considered "true"? I doubt it.
What do you think? Drop us a line at webmaster@simpleprop.com and give us some
feedback. Maybe we'll even run your letters in future Gambits. 'The Daily Gambit' is updated every weekday.
