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Michael Moore 'invades' Europe to teach us all some lessons

44 Comments
By JOCELYN NOVECK

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44 Comments
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providing more fodder for the young drunks of England and Australia

-13 ( +3 / -15 )

It could be funny.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Probably not funny, Moore takes himself way too seriously.

-9 ( +5 / -15 )

Uggghh.... this guy is just a rich, pompous, pretentious, hypocritical, annoying twit. Way back when, when he started out, it may have been different. Now? All I know is that he was worth $50 million and owns 9 houses. Well, at least, he did before he got divorced recently.

Not going to watch his latest drivel. Too many good documentaries out there done by really good people about many of the same issues he likes to cover.

As an aside, for his own sake and his long term health, he should "invade" a boot camp somewhere that will help him lose a few pounds. Seriously.

-12 ( +8 / -19 )

Moore has gone soft in Moore ways than one. He probably DID get summoned to the Pentagon, but was told to lay-off the politics or else. He'd have my respect if he did a documentary on the petrodollar.

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

“We’ve lost all the wars since World War II.”

Actually false. The US beat Grenada. (sarcasm) I think the US military-industrial-academic (MIA) complex is less interested in winning wars, more interesting in keeping wars going somewhere to maintain a constant need for new equipment. Perpetual war ensures higher profits for those in the MIA and generates lots of jobs. To manufacture and operate military equipment requires huge amounts of petroleum and minerals. Look at what's in the ground in the countries the US has invaded.

12 ( +14 / -2 )

Looks like he has something to say anyway. Why attack him personally? I wonder why we always seem to have to compare Japan to the social car crash that is America, as the exemplar of gaikoku, when there are other much more viable societies on this Earth, as Moore seems to be highlighting. It only ends up making Japan look good and we continue to learn nothing about the issues in its society.

12 ( +14 / -2 )

Bashing Moore is not going to make Japan or America better countries to live in. Expand your horizons a bit and realize there is a lot we can learn from these other countries who have a better lifestyle than us in many areas.

19 ( +20 / -2 )

@ Yogi Zuna ... please don't confuse the United States of America (USA) with America (North, Central & South and the Caribbean) ... America is the name if the entire continent.

-8 ( +3 / -11 )

America is the name if the entire continent.

Language is a tool for communication. If you use it in a meaning that is different from that understood by listeners, it makes no sense.

Talk to 100 people. 99 of them will think America refers to the USA. Talk to any Canadian, Mexican, Brazilian etc, and ask if they are American - they will all say no. Every single one of them.

America = USA.

4 ( +8 / -4 )

Haha Moore is clearly on to something, the US used to have a lot of this but its disappeared & here in Japan never existed, while European countries have issues like every country does they do seem to get LIFE MUCH better than Japan of the USA!

3 ( +6 / -3 )

Strangerland

Can't agree, for once. I attended university in Peru and Brazil, and travelled quite extensively in Ecuador, Chile and Bolivia. In every country "America" was the continent while "Los Estados Unidos" referred to the country. I heard the expression "Nosotros, Americanos," more than once when someone was contrasting Peru with Spain.

4 ( +7 / -3 )

Lost in all the Moore bashing are the things that the US could copy, free higher education, better school lunches, paid maternity leave, etc etc etc. It's a matter of will.

9 ( +12 / -3 )

"Have you ever noticed that Italians all look like they’ve just had sex?”

Har!

“We’ve lost all the wars since World War II.”

"Actually false. The US beat Grenada. (sarcasm)"

Don't forget Korea was a tie. It would have been a complete victory if our Chinese friends hadn't intervened on behalf of North Korea.

Oh, and don't forget Gulf War 1, that was a complete victory except for the gargantuan mistake of leaving Saddam in power.

-11 ( +2 / -13 )

He's one of the Americans i like.... honest fellow.....

4 ( +8 / -4 )

What on Earth could Michael Moore teach us? How to be obnoxious, offensive jerks like himself? Somehow those self-important, self-appointed gurus who have all the questions but no answers never impressed me much.

-11 ( +3 / -14 )

Good on him for educating the US little by little, even though so many from there hate him for telling the sad truth about how messed up the US actually is!

8 ( +10 / -2 )

@Yogi Zuna.

Bashing Moore is not going to make Japan or America better countries to live in. Expand your horizons a bit and realize there is a lot we can learn from these other countries who have a better lifestyle than us in many areas.

Absolutely, there is a lot that can be learned from other countries. Just as a lot of countries can learn a lot from the U.S. It's just that I choose not use Michael Moore to do my learning. He is very happy to trash the U.S., especially when he is pandering to audiences outside the U.S., and yet I would argue that it was only in the U.S., for all of its imperfections, that he could be as successful as he is.

My point is that there are lots and lots of really good, decent and, most importantly, humble filmmakers out there that toil away to make really good documentaries on important social issues, including those involving the U.S., and they don't do it for the money. They do it because they have a passion for it. In contrast, Moore is, by all accounts, obsessed with money and making money. As one former veteran Hollywood manager said, "He is more money obsessed than any I have known, and that is saying a lot." My guess is that Moore is doing this to pad his bank account.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

Moore is, by all accounts, obsessed with money and making money

Well, give him a break. He's American! Chasing the dollar and getting loaded is supposed to be what life is all about. Non-Americans can overlook that foible in Moore if he is saying something. I am sure Piketty made a bob or two with his critique of contemporary capitalism.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Moore is, by all accounts, obsessed with money and making money. As one former veteran Hollywood manager said, "He is more money obsessed than any I have known, and that is saying a lot." My guess is that Moore is doing this to pad his bank account.

Idealism and making money are not inversely proportional. Someone can do something for ideological purposes, and still make a whack of money while doing it. Just because it's an ideal doesn't mean they can't or shouldn't make money while doing it, and just because they are making money doesn't mean they don't believe in the ideals. For example, I love what I do. I enjoy my work every day. And I make a lot of money doing it. I'm not going to start charging less because I enjoy it.

The best situations are always win-win. Michael Moore has found/created that situation for himself. He makes a lot of money, while making ideological movies and standing up for causes he believes in. This should be commended - he's living the American Dream. Instead others would try to tear him down for it.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

Well, give him a break. He's American! Chasing the dollar and getting loaded is supposed to be what life is all about.

Well, isn't that the point? His whole career is having a go at all of this stuff. So, if he truly practised what he seems to promote through his movies, he would live modestly, give away most of his money to charities, not invest his money in oil company stock, not fly private jets, etc. etc.

This should be commended - he's living the American Dream. Instead others would try to tear him down for it.

I don't begrudge anyone the American dream. I just find it hypocritical to criticise virtually every aspect of the country and the system that allowed one to live the American dream. Including having a go at the 1% when one is part of the 1%.

But that is just me. And its fine, I understand that there are those that will cut him some slack because they agree with the content of the movies he puts out. To each his own.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

You may not like his approach, but he brings up some very good points & at the least, gets people talking about them.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

I just find it hypocritical to criticise virtually every aspect of the country and the system that allowed one to live the American dream.

One who truly loves his country will try to improve it. That's not hypocritical, it's wanting to have the best country possible.

Including having a go at the 1% when one is part of the 1%.

Who better to have a go at them? Would you prefer one made their way to that point then drop their ideals because those ideals may not be in their best interests?

2 ( +7 / -5 )

Like I said, to each his own.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I understand that there are those that will cut him some slack because they agree with the content of the movies he puts out.

That's my point though, I'm not cutting him slack, as I don't feel he has done anything wrong. Conversely, I feel he has done lots right - he's found a way to try to improve his society by pointing out its major failings, while managing to make his own life comfortable at the same time. And after making his own life comfortable, he didn't suddenly drop his idealism - that would have been hypocritical - rather he's stuck to his idealism, even when it may cut into his finances if he's actually successful at pushing his issues.

It's easy to be ideological when it's going to make yourself richer, it's a lot harder when that ideology will cut directly into your finances.

4 ( +8 / -4 )

It's easy to be ideological when it's going to make yourself richer, it's a lot harder when that ideology will cut directly into your finances.

And that's the thing. It's actually that ideology that has made him richer and has actually benefited his finances. Not the other way around.

Sort of like Al Gore.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

It's actually that ideology that has made him richer and has actually benefited his finances.

Exactly - which should be commended, as he has found a way to make both happen. My point was that if he had dropped his ideology when he got rich - as ideological success would likely cut into his finances - he'd be hypocritical. The fact that he continues to try to improve things for the lesser man, when he doesn't have to worry, is what is commendable.

2 ( +6 / -4 )

I didn't know the US didn't have mandated maternity. It really surprised me. American women should fight for their own (and their kids) rights.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I have slways been jealous of the amount of holiday time and social medicine available to most Europeans. The taxes may be high compared to the usa but who can argue with spending 3-4 weeks during august in the south of French or In Tuscany. 99.9% of US citizens have no idea of spending quality time in a beautiful area even in the USA because those folks have no idea about cuisine or la dolce vita.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Well, Marx used to play the stock markets and apparently thought it wryly amusing that he used capitalism to try to undermine it.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I meant mandated maternity leave, of course.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Moore is free to make pretty much whatever movie he wants, but I am also free to not watch it.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

@Strangerland:

"Talk to 100 people. 99 of them will think America refers to the USA. Talk to any Canadian, Mexican, Brazilian etc, and ask if they are American - they will all say no. Every single one of them.

America = USA."

Thank you. From this Canadian, who considers his country far superior to that one south of the 49th, in too many ways to count. (And we beat them at war, too, albeit before nukes).

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Hmm let's check his first example of Italy.

Youth unemployment jumped to a record-high 44.2 percent. Unemployment increased to 12.7 percent from a revised 12.5 percent in May, statistics agency Istat said in a preliminary report in Rome on Friday. The median estimate in a survey of nine analysts called for a rate of 12.3 percent.

Yeah, good luck finding those cushy working class jobs.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

As a non-American now living in America I have been pretty shocked by how great this country actually isn't. There are super nice pockets of it - and then there's the rest. Maternity leave is atrocious, slave labor the norm (think of all the tips you have to pay just to give someone a living wage and even then barely), the school lunches are disgusting and we live in one of the best school districts in California apparently. Work holidays are really short, and my husband, following a nasty injury that is going to need 6 months of healing, is now worried about sick leave. I always thought America was "Utopia". It still has a lot going for it. Where we are anyway. But the way your average American lives is not as wonderful as TV makes it out to be. Yes, Michael Moore is absolutely cherry-picking the best of each country, but he makes some valid points.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Like him or loath him, he gets people thinking. Why is it people go into denial and criticise , when all he does is expose what the Worldly politicians already know,but haven't got the b***s to implement.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

I don't begrudge anyone the American dream. I just find it hypocritical to criticise virtually every aspect of the country and the system that allowed one to live the American dream. Including having a go at the 1% when one is part of the 1%.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

I just find it hypocritical to criticise virtually every aspect of the country and the system that allowed one to live the American dream.

So you think that one should not speak up on issues that they feel would improve their country, if they are rich? Don't you think that would be hypocritical?

Including having a go at the 1% when one is part of the 1%.

Same as above - if one manages to get rich enough to be one of the 1%, they should keep their mouth shut about any problems they see within that, because they are part of the group? Don't you think that would be hypocritical?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

The people who would knock this film the most are the one's who have never seen any of his works -- or not many, anyway. They're just upset that he's right about so much of what he says.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Everything this guy does is a pitch for socialism, full stop.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Considering that the countries with the best standard of living are socialist, he should be commended for it.

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

NathalieB: the school lunches are disgusting and we live in one of the best school districts in California apparently.

They're disgusting because the kids are not a priority in the school districts. Is it one of those districts where the meals are contracted out to local restaurants? So funds could be used more 'creatively' for other purposes?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@ Strange

Please enlighten us all with a list..... I need a laugh.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

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