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Filmmaker Michael Moore on Capitalism: A Love Story

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rpetty Avatar
rpetty
Posts: 4
Posted: 09.21.09, 04:17 PM
This guy is a joke. Mr. Moore is simply interested in provocative titles which generate controversy amongst that portion of the American population that feel guilt, ashamed, and embarrassed about their good fortune to be born or living in the United States.

Of course he never offers solutions to any of the issues he dogmatizes. He is out simply to enrich himself, and assuage his personal liberal guilt.

It's time to stop celebrating his putrid dogma.
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mcecil Avatar
mcecil
Posts: 1
Posted: 09.21.09, 08:37 PM
Granted, Mr. Moore is a populist provocateur of the left, the equal of several celebrity media figures on the right.

I don't think it's reasonable to expect media producers to solve social issues such as those highlighted by films such as 'Sicko'.

That's the job of politicians.

Can you imagine Limbaugh, O'Reilly, Hannity and Beck solving issues? Or giving up the bags of money they make exploiting the emotions of their audience?

I don't believe that Moore engages in out and out fabrications. The issues that he exploits are real issues. The suffering Americans that he unearths are not, I believe, liars or actors. Media ought to make us aware of them.

Not all Americans are 'fortunate.' The portion of the American population that does not share in the wealth of this society deserves representation, however distorted.
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TheDude Avatar
TheDude
Posts: 9
Posted: 09.22.09, 05:41 AM
Moore Says Greedy Media Execs Killed the News Industry

This segment is a perfect example of how Moore over generalizes and worse -- uses "HIS" correlation as if its conclusive cause and effect.

He no doubt has an agenda. However, I enjoy dissent that encourages debate. And, often enough I find his perspective worth investigating.

A great book that would offer a way better perspective on the systemic problem this segment "tries" to approach is "Amusing Ourselves to Death," by Neil Postman. This is a huge cultural issue and I would argue a natural process of the human condition -- not a political issue.
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NeilW Avatar
NeilW
Posts: 1
Posted: 09.22.09, 02:41 PM
"This guy is a joke. Mr. Moore is simply interested in provocative titles which generate controversy amongst that portion of the American population that feel guilt, ashamed, and embarrassed about their good fortune to be born or living in the United States. "

It has nothing to do about Americans feeling guilty or ashamed about living in America. It is everything to do with how America treats people less able to flourish through no fault of their own when the top earners have nothing on their agenda except making more and more and more at the expense of the poor.

How many other countries in the world would allow such a chasm in the earnings of the top and bottom of the scale.

You should be ashamed.
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Jpinter Avatar
Jpinter
Posts: 1
Posted: 09.22.09, 06:22 PM
It's not just newspapers that do this. Look how things have evolved with the internet. Instead of reading the New York Times, we read blogs...or even Twitter (ugh).
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Linux Avatar
Linux
Posts: 9
Posted: 09.22.09, 10:17 PM
conservatives and republicans are just a bunch of stone age brutes
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TheDude Avatar
TheDude
Posts: 9
Posted: 09.23.09, 12:11 AM
NeilW wrote, "How many other countries in the world would allow such a chasm in the earnings of the top and bottom of the scale."

Ummmm, probably close to 99% are significantly worse than the USA. Not saying the States don't have room for improvement but such a statement begs the question, "Have you traveled the globe much?"
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Stephen Pare Avatar
Stephen Pare
Posts: 3
Posted: 09.23.09, 01:03 AM
rpetty wrote,
"It's time to stop celebrating his putrid dogma."

Woke up on the wrong side of bed, rpetty?
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Stephen Pare Avatar
Stephen Pare
Posts: 3
Posted: 09.23.09, 01:57 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheDude
Ummmm, probably close to 99% are significantly worse than the USA. Not saying the States don't have room for improvement but such a statement begs the question, "Have you traveled the globe much?"
"Probably"? "close to 99% are significantly worse"? You're talking off the top of your head, and in fact you are way off.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gi..._2007-2008.png

The data are compiled by the UN and the CIA using the so-called Gini Coefficient. The US ranks pretty much in the middle. All of Europe has less disparity, as do Japan (very low), Australia, and Canada. South America has the greatest disparity of any continent, by far.

By the UN computation, the US is tied with Ghana and Turkmenistan, and has slightly more disparity than Russia; slightly less than China. The CIA computation shows us with a lot more disparity than Russia, and ranking just above Kenya, Cameroon, and Ivory Coast.

Incidentally I suspect that traveling the globe - no matter how much - would not be the best way to gauge this kind of data.
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njtlaw Avatar
njtlaw
Posts: 5
Posted: 09.23.09, 11:36 AM
Many of the comments posted herein are critical of Moore and without analysis. Characterizing his work as "putrid dogma" is confounding to me. I can understand an adjective like "putrid" from his opposition but why is it "dogma"? Moore has created interest and discussion about some very important subjects. Moreover, while you may not like him or what he says, he is no "joke."
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