I think Michael Moore would be proud of me.
You see, when I went to see his pseudo documentary Capitalism: A Love Story at an artsy independent theatre on Sunday in Washington, D.C., I actually bought a ticket to another movie. I figured that Moore had already made so much money on his movies that he would want me to spread the wealth around to other directors that weren’t as financially successful. This, after all, is an approach that fits nicely with Moore’s overt hatred of capitalism.
The truth of the matter is that Michael Moore is among my least favorite people. His movies, which he calls documentaries, are deceptive and if they are not filled with out and out lies, they are chock full of distortions and misrepresentations. His latest film doesn’t deviate from this model.
Moore provides little context for many of the scenes in his anti-capitalist rant. He plays off individual personal tragedies to manipulate the viewer into adopting his message. He shows us people being evicted from their homes and we are directed to lash out against the scourge of capitalism. He hopes that the movie will inspire a revolution that will ultimately overthrow the capitalist system and establish an economic system he terms “democracy.” Despite playing coy, it is clear that Moore longs for socialism.
The world’s recent economic troubles could actually be the subject of a great documentary and Moore’s film at times strays near interesting conundrums that are worth exploring. Certainly, the irresponsibility of those on Wall Street would be a great topic to delve into. There are difficult questions which need to be posed and, ultimately, answered.
But Moore skews everything to fit his world view. The “evil” capitalist system has failed he wants us to believe, despite the fact that it has been the greatest wealth creator in human history.
In promoting this film, Moore has once again proved himself to be a compulsive liar.
When interviewers bring up the obvious fact that Moore himself benefited from the capitalist system and that he is in that wealthy 1 percent he lambasts. Moore brushes it off saying “I don’t think I’m in that 1 percent” and “I make documentary films” as if to suggest he hasn’t made oodles and oodles of money off those films. When CNN’s Wolf Blitzer pressed this line of questioning further in an interview, Moore blathered:
“It’s, like, you know, sometimes people, even people who have actually had the good fortune and blessings in life to not have to struggle with worrying about their health care, whether or not it’s going to be here tomorrow or the next week – sometimes those people actually are willing to take great risks and create sacrifices for themselves, in the hopes that others will have it just as well.”
Oh, yes. Now we are getting to Moore’s psychosis. He has what I would term a celebrity martyr’s complex. He has convinced himself he has sacrificed so much by pushing his leftist agenda when in actuality he hasn’t sacrificed a damn thing. His supposed “sacrifices” are what has made him very rich. Moore’s self-righteous drivel is either an act or pure delusion.
When CNN’s Larry King brought up in an interview the fact that many conservatives also opposed the bank bailout, Moore concurred but suggested the reason they opposed it was “because the bailout was going to protect the teacher’s pension fund in California and they don’t want to do that so they are against the bailout.”
Here we have yet another lie. Has anyone ever heard anyone say they oppose the bailout for that reason? It most assuredly is not the motivating factor for why conservative and libertarian free market purists ardently opposed the bank bailouts. Not that Michael Moore doesn’t know that.
The fact of the matter is that Moore’s movie and interviews are often simply incomprehensible. When pressed to define what a “democratic” economic system actually means, Moore can’t really explain it because he made it up. It would be easier if he just came out and told the truth that he wants socialism.
But Moore doesn’t actually believe he needs to be honest. In April 2002, Moore appeared on CNN’s Lou Dobbs Money Line to promote his book Stupid White Men. When Dobbs mentioned an article from Slate Magazine that pointed out “glaring inaccuracies” in his book, Moore brushed off the criticism, asking, “How can there be inaccuracy in comedy?” This is a convenient wall for a liar to hide behind.
Moore is as big a phony as there is in American life. His latest diatribe of a film should be ignored. But, alas, it won’t be. Instead, he will undoubtedly be given yet another Oscar from Hollywood, a community that has benefited greatly from the economic system Moore’s film rails against.
Go figure. Just remember, if you do go see Moore’s flick, make Michael Moore proud by buying a ticket to another movie before sneaking in.
Leave a Reply