Glynn Wilson Reviewing Moore's "Capitalism: A Love Story"
If Michael Moore had arrived on the film scene as a conservative Republican activist in 1989, he might be heralded by Fox News today as a major American hero, and he might even be able to get a fair review in the so-called "liberal" New York Times.
Unfortunately for him and his message, he started making movies during the late 1980s, when the presidencies of Republicans Ronald Reagan and then George Herbert Walker Bush made them the target of his outsourcing ire. Moore first became famous for his 1989 film "Roger and Me," a documentary about what happened to his home town of Flint, Michigan, after General Motors closed its automobile factories and moved to Mexico, where workers made much less.
Since then, Moore has been known as a critic of the "neoliberal" view of globalization, according to Wikipedia, although that term goes right over the heads of most of the working people in the US who should be watching his movies and learning something from them. That is the sad state of political dialogue in the good old US of A.
I mean, here's a regular Joe, who could be comfortable drinking a beer with George W. Bush, who should be fighting side by side with the conservatives who oppose the big government bailout of Wall Street banks.
But because 20 percent of the country still believe, somehow, that Bush was an O.K. president, the audience that needs to see this movie the most, average working people struggling to make a living, especially in the South, will not see it because they already dismiss Moore as a "liberal" Democrat "propagandist."
Although I did find some hope after screening "Capitalism: A Love Story" Friday night in a theater located in a Wal-Mart parking lot. That's an irony considering how Moore takes on the retail giant in his film. (See the After Matter in the end for the hope)...
... Perhaps the most valuable bit of historical information that could help turn things around here will most likely get lost in the spin cycle shuffle, because the Rush Limbaughs and Karl Roves and Glenn Becks of the world already have the loyal right convinced that Franklin Delano Roosevelt was an evil big-government liberal.
Never mind that his administration actually saved this country completely from the Great Depression in the 1930s using government spending to stimulate the economy, a story that is much better told in Ken Burns' documentary on the National Parks than Moore's film.
But by reminding us of FDR's unfulfilled dream of a second Bill of Rights, Moore gives us something to work toward. Much like the US did when we rewrote the constitutions of Japan and Germany after World War II, a new American Bill of Rights would have guaranteed every American, yes, the "right" to a job, a home, an education, health insurance - and a paid vacation.
Instead, as Moore points out, a B-movie actor and a corporate spokesman named Ronald Reagan came along and broke up the unions. Then, through deregulation, which continued under Clinton and Bush, the Republicans and the Democrats gave away America's "apple pie" to the rich, the oilmen, the drug makers, the bankers and, yes, the insurance company executives who are out there today spending a fortune fighting President Barack Obama's national health care plan.
Some recent movie reviews have criticized Moore for not taking on Obama's bailout, and for an overly patriotic portrayal of Obama's election as a victory for "the people." They must understand that this movie was written, filmed, edited and scheduled for release long before that. And besides, as you already know, Obama is still fighting for a national health care plan and was just awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, not for accomplishments already achieved, but for the "hope" he provides the world - in sharp contrast to his predecessor.
If Obama fails, or falls short, there is no doubt Moore will come after him in a future film. Moore didn't let Jimmy Carter or Bill Clinton totally off the hook in this one. He really is a nonpartisan critic for the most part...
Read entire article at Truthout
Unfortunately for him and his message, he started making movies during the late 1980s, when the presidencies of Republicans Ronald Reagan and then George Herbert Walker Bush made them the target of his outsourcing ire. Moore first became famous for his 1989 film "Roger and Me," a documentary about what happened to his home town of Flint, Michigan, after General Motors closed its automobile factories and moved to Mexico, where workers made much less.
Since then, Moore has been known as a critic of the "neoliberal" view of globalization, according to Wikipedia, although that term goes right over the heads of most of the working people in the US who should be watching his movies and learning something from them. That is the sad state of political dialogue in the good old US of A.
I mean, here's a regular Joe, who could be comfortable drinking a beer with George W. Bush, who should be fighting side by side with the conservatives who oppose the big government bailout of Wall Street banks.
But because 20 percent of the country still believe, somehow, that Bush was an O.K. president, the audience that needs to see this movie the most, average working people struggling to make a living, especially in the South, will not see it because they already dismiss Moore as a "liberal" Democrat "propagandist."
Although I did find some hope after screening "Capitalism: A Love Story" Friday night in a theater located in a Wal-Mart parking lot. That's an irony considering how Moore takes on the retail giant in his film. (See the After Matter in the end for the hope)...
... Perhaps the most valuable bit of historical information that could help turn things around here will most likely get lost in the spin cycle shuffle, because the Rush Limbaughs and Karl Roves and Glenn Becks of the world already have the loyal right convinced that Franklin Delano Roosevelt was an evil big-government liberal.
Never mind that his administration actually saved this country completely from the Great Depression in the 1930s using government spending to stimulate the economy, a story that is much better told in Ken Burns' documentary on the National Parks than Moore's film.
But by reminding us of FDR's unfulfilled dream of a second Bill of Rights, Moore gives us something to work toward. Much like the US did when we rewrote the constitutions of Japan and Germany after World War II, a new American Bill of Rights would have guaranteed every American, yes, the "right" to a job, a home, an education, health insurance - and a paid vacation.
Instead, as Moore points out, a B-movie actor and a corporate spokesman named Ronald Reagan came along and broke up the unions. Then, through deregulation, which continued under Clinton and Bush, the Republicans and the Democrats gave away America's "apple pie" to the rich, the oilmen, the drug makers, the bankers and, yes, the insurance company executives who are out there today spending a fortune fighting President Barack Obama's national health care plan.
Some recent movie reviews have criticized Moore for not taking on Obama's bailout, and for an overly patriotic portrayal of Obama's election as a victory for "the people." They must understand that this movie was written, filmed, edited and scheduled for release long before that. And besides, as you already know, Obama is still fighting for a national health care plan and was just awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, not for accomplishments already achieved, but for the "hope" he provides the world - in sharp contrast to his predecessor.
If Obama fails, or falls short, there is no doubt Moore will come after him in a future film. Moore didn't let Jimmy Carter or Bill Clinton totally off the hook in this one. He really is a nonpartisan critic for the most part...