Not that we needed confirmation of this, but Cannes Film Festival's desperation to recognize Sicko by schlockumentarian Michael Moore is yet more proof positive that the United States needs to keep its own counsel and disregard the emotional, outlandish hand-wringing of other societies.
Having won the Palme d'Or in 2004 for yet another bit of sensationalist dreck, Moore requested this skewering of the American healthcare system to be withheld from consideration this year, yet the award committee is drooling all over themselves to give top honors to Moore for the film.
Many in our own country lack the maturity to evenly consider the specious information put forth in Moore's inflammatory and rife-with-fiction movies. A particular example comes to mind from a film in which he staged the shot of him walking away from a bank with a rifle he claimed to have been given there for opening an account, when in fact, he'd collected the gun someplace which actually sold guns. This is so like the scene from Broadcast News in which the airhead reporter does an extra take of himself emoting for the camera, and the news director was outraged at the unethical, emotional manipulation of fact.
I wonder how many people who adore Moore's films think their media are moral and above this manipulation-- how many of them think Moore is not re-tooling and tweaking the portrayal of events to change their minds? Lambs to the slaughter, they are eating it up because it dovetails with their less developed, emotional inner noise. These people don't know how to think clearly, have no understanding of how our government actually functions, and are happily dazzled by the shell game being played to diffuse any collective power they may have to actually hold our government accountable for poor representation.
The irony is that if there is a clamor from the peanut gallery for any kind of change, it will be for yet greater government involvement in the already overloaded and labyrinthine health care system. Years ago I did some work in a billing office for a group of doctors. I saw cases where decent, low-income Americans had to struggle to pay their way, and meanwhile, a pair of wealthy doctors from Mexico City came here to give birth to their high-risk baby on the Medicare dime, no questions asked. I saw a parade of just such outrages in which everything is permissible for people who don't contribute and who abuse the system, but the people who get in line and pay their way are soundly vilified and treated like chumps. I think our government has done enough damage to our health care system already.
And I need someone to 'splain me any industry or system that the government has improved after taking it over from the private sector.
7 comments:
Trying to catch up on my reading here, Phlegmmy. Great stuff you got here, you go, girl!
Moor is the liberal Leni Riefenstahl of today. He's an example of the notion that the truth of the message matters less than the impact. Moor's croud want the US to turn into one of the European countries with cradle to grave care, but he doesn't tell you thast the Europeans are going broke too, with expanding populations of old folks on the dole and shrinking numbers of young people paying for it. Their problem is like out social security problem, only worse. THAT won't get talked about in his film, I bet.
Moore disgusts me too. What scares me is that so many people actually drink in his drivel and believe every word he says, every so-called fact he presents. Lord help us all.
Micheal Moore needs to do a doc on how HE got so obese and find a way to blame it on Bush, Detroit, the Gun Lobby, and now the Health Care Industry.
flo - well, it just sorta got my blood up. I feel better about it knowing smart folk agree with me.
fhb - He and all who lap his drivel up unquestioningly bode ill for our nation, frankly. Oh, and you're right about him - totally Machiavellian. But it's ok if this country goes down the tubes, because he and other rich liberals feel they are insulated from the impact the common man will experience when it all goes to shit because our Constitution has been dismantled. The funny thing is, if one is a rich person with staff, they rely on an awful lot of "little" people, and if the doodie ever really hits the fan, the fall from the top is going to be much nastier than the fall from the middle. At least there would be an up-side to the doodie hitting the fan. Let's hope infrastructure hangs together long enough to see his fall on YouTube.
And can I also add what a soft, unmanly piece of crap he is? Useless.
atavist - I KNOW - the people who lap that mess up are the ones too intellectually soft to fact-check MM's material, and frankly, going with the warm & fuzzy touchy-feely mindset is soooo much easier than thinking for oneself. Pitiful.
hollyb - Yup, someone besides HIM must be responsible for that. He's a dirtbag hypocrite, besides.
I can't even watch his stuff because it's so one-sided. I think you're right in that too many people just accept what people tell them, rather than questioning the facts or that there might be another side to the story.
This is insane. Remind me again how art is supposed to transcend politics.
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