Bill Hobbs has an interesting suggestion: if you want to see Michael Moore's hatemongering propaganda movie "Fahrenheit 911" but don't want to put money in his pocket--money that will eventually wind up in the hands of the hate-groups that are destroying the Democratic Party like "MoveOn.org"--you could buy a ticket to a different movie, and walk in to Fahrenheit 911 instead.
It's an interesting thought. Personally I wouldn't do that. Since enough honorable, decent people of the left and right have pointed out the string of clear and undeniable falsehoods and intentional deceptions in Moore's work, both in this movie and previous efforts, I would have no more interest in seeing it than I would in reading one of Ann Coulter's trash books where she calls everyone who disagrees with her a traitor and a fool. No thank you.
I must say that Michael Moore's latest movie has done one thing for me: it's separated out honorable, honest Democrats from the people who defend the indefensible simply because it's politically useful to them. It's made me lose respect for some people I once had respect for, but it's always good to know where people really stand.
Also, it's, you know, lying.
Which is exactly what we find so distasteful in Michael Moore, so it'd be a bit ironic if we suddenly found it acceptable, just because we don't like him.
That's his justification.
I can humbly offer to pick up some local (Hong Kong) DVD copies once they come out (which should be in the next week or so) and ship them as needed. That way no money goes to Moore but you still get to see the movie. Before you ask, they'll be in English but perhaps with Chinese subtitles. It will make a nice distraction from the idiocy on screen.
"polarization" has gotten a bad reputation, but it does flush out people's genuine positions. Like the inelegant Mr. Bush has done; named the sides, named the enemy, and got a large part of the world to actually admit that they'd rather see Bush removed from office than Saddam (just for one example).
I'm in china too. I expect to see the DVD within days, for about a US dollar.
Visit my blog if you like; I'm a native Texan in the Middle Kingdom for the long-term.
Regards,
Sam
I have to deal with Moore worshipers here at work. I got into a slightly elevated temperature coversation with a person who said that Moore was a fountain of truth. When I told him about the Kennedy conversation where Moore ambushes a congressman and asks if he has family in the military and cut his response (of 'yes'), the guy went ballistic asking for proof. When I sent him the story from AP, he didn't respond and changed the subject.
I don't think Moore detractors will ever see any truth from the guy's mouth, and the Moore disciples will never see the lies.
I have to agree with your assessment, Dean. It is the unhinged who expose both the gullible and those lacking character. The difficult thing is that once in a while, even the unhinged are correct.
Limbaugh actually does provide solid analysis about half the time. Unfortunately, the other half is spent stoking his own ego or following some silly rabbit trail.
Coulter does make plenty of great points, but she is so confrontational and dogmatic about it that her diatribes come off more like an insult than a valid point. It is possible to be serious and committed to your argument and viewpoint and still be diplomatic.
The worst part of it all is that the extremities are usually focused on exposing things which really don't matter. Moore is uptight about Bush sitting in a classroom while 9/11 happened. So what? Limbaugh sees Hilary behind everything. Who cares?
It is so much more productive to look at where believe we need to go, and how to get there. (And my experience is that the motivation and end goals for both liberals and conservatives are not terribly different...although the proposed routes to get there are.)
It is so much more productive to look at where believe we need to go, and how to get there.
Tell it, brother! Tell it!
We are who we trust as sources of information.
That's what divides society.
THe Aghan pipeline is my Favorite from the movie.
The beauty of the short attention span of the American public is this story has been around before, passed on by the true black helicopter crowd (not us Johnny come latelies). The original conspiracy included Clinton and Bush I, and the Trilateral Commission and the COuncil on Foreign Relations.
Somehow, the new conspiracy cut Clinton out of the picture. Also, there's no word about space aliens running the Bushes.
I agree with you Dean - this movie separates the idiots from those with legitimate beefs.
"ABB 04" is what I heard when I pointed out the inconsistencies in film.
ABB04 = Anybody but Bush '04. Now that's inspiring.
How about "Lick Bush in 2004"
~:)
I have to agree with Jon Henke as to the ethical questionability of Bill Hobbs' suggestion (buy a ticket to another movie and then sneak into Moore's movie), even though another blogger who I very much like and read all the time made exactly that same suggestion. Buying pirated DVDs sounds even more dishonest, is outright theft. It's like shoplifting a book by an author you dislike in order to avoid paying him royalties. I prefer to leave that sort of thing to Moore and his followers, I'm sure they do that all the time.
Back when I was more or less studying religions on a comparative basis, I used to listen in on these Jewish shabat services in which the orthodox rav would discuss the parshah, or segment of the tora (first five books of the original bible).
One of the key topics was 'Amalek', whom I understand was a small, untrustworthy, occasionally vicious tribe whose turf was in the Sinai desert which the Jews under Moses and Joshua were crossing slowly on foot after their exodus from Egypt about 34 centuries ago.
Relations with Amalek grew downright crummy, and the ravs who gave their shabat lectures ever since have bad-mouthed Amalek and the Amalekites, with imprecations that their very memory should be blotted out from under the sun. And that kind of stuff.
The upshot of all this is, the only people who keep alive the memory of Amalek and the Amelekites today are the Jews who talk about them endlessly on the weekly holy day.
(Ditto for Haman around chanuka time. Who in hell would ever have heard of Haman, if it weren't for the Jews endlessly telling how they blindsided this bastard and got him hanged?)
So what's this got to do with Michael Moore? (Who is so deathly fat that he looks like he will pop his skin and exlode all over Flint MI, Hollywood CA or Cannes FR, depending on where he is the day his number is up)
Well, my theory is that Michael Moore exists because you folks see his films, read about him, blab on endlessly about him on half the blogsites of the western world, and in so doing, make him a celebrity far beyond his natural value to mankind.
Stop worshiping him (which is what you folks are really doing), and he will disappear. Just like Amalek would do, if the Jews would stop talking about him on Saturday mornings.
(To be fair and even-handed, I would add that bible christians spend all their time going on and on and on about satan, yet another object of worship if you focus too much on this kind of stuff.)
Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI
Sadly, a columnist I respect, William Raspberry, praised Farenheit 911 because "Moore's heart was in the right place" even though the movie lacks basic truth and fairness.
William can't you just say that while you agree with Moore on the war, you resent the liberties he took with the truth?
Exactly right, Tallan.
I won't do that (buy a ticket to another movie and then sneak into Moore's movie).
The labourer is worthy of his hire. It's not a question of whether I like him. If I'm going to see the man's movie, I'm going to pay the man his money.