Michael Moore's "Stupid White Men"

Anyone read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060392452/qid%3D1017576338/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F0%5F1/103-9401297-7586263" target="_blank">this book?</a> The Blue Meanie read an extract in one of the British papers yesterday and was officially impressed. The paper claimed the book had "enraged America". Is this true?

[quote]Originally posted by BRussell:
<strong>It's true. I'm just sitting here, in America, and one can just feel the rage.</strong><hr></blockquote>


<img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" />

Groverat and Cosmo - check out the reader reviews on Amazon

[quote]Originally posted by Samantha Joanne Ollendale:
<strong>Yes, I read "Stupid White Men" last week. It is hilarious in places and has been #1 on Amazon.com and New York Times best seller lists for several weeks now.

Michael Moore is a self-made man from a poor working-class background who has made it on account of his own initiative, chutzpah and convictions. This is in stark contrast to Bush Jr, a man from a mega-wealthy background, a silver-spoon brat who has never had to lift a finger for himself, has 3 criminal convictions, whose ventures in business have been abject failures, who lied about his military record etc. (He also swipes at Clinton with equal energy; after all they are two of a kind and more 'Reaganesque' policies were invoked during the 8 Clinton years than during Reagans 2 terms). Oi veh!

If there was anyone who embodies the American spirit, Michael Moore deserves that description. His opposite number on the right Rush Limbaugh is in a similar vein, someone who has sold his political convictions to the public with great success. However, Rush is/has been the darling of the U.S. media, with syndicated network radio and TV shows here there and everywhere. In contrast, Moore's TV show "The Awful Truth" managed a limited run on a late night slot on "Bravo" (whazzat??), and now he cannot even get an interview with the supposedly "liberal" National Public Radio (definitely showing their true colors there).

I subscribe to Mr Moore's occasional online journal. The hostility he has encountered on his sell-out booksigning tour from police, media and even his *own publishers* has been absolutely staggering. Unbelievable. There seems to be one standard for the establishment viewpoint, and another standard for the counterpoint view. When it comes to voicing a nationally available political opinion, the First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech, provided it is within the confines and parameters of what is acceptable to Big Brother corporate. Even for America's current #1 author, because he is running afoul of the rules. Ralph Nader was up against the same brickwall during the presidential 'election' and 'debates'. His book "Crashing the Party", which I read last week is a dry, intellectual and factual read, in stark contrast to Michael Moore's humor-oriented delivery, and illustrates that US-style democracy of today is virtually a lost cause, and how the voice of 'we-the-people' is perpetually hijacked or drowned by wholesale corporate bribery.</strong><hr></blockquote>


:cool:

[quote]Originally posted by Outsider:
<strong>Maybe he recieved hostility because people hate morons that don't know they're morons. </strong><hr></blockquote>

Oooh, intelligent response - not!

[quote]Originally posted by groverat:
<strong>Why? I've already read the book.

There are token swipes at Democrats, but it's really quite pathetic how transparent he is.

[edit]

The Chapter "Democrats, DOA" is basically about how the Democratic party is the savior vehicle mismanaged while Republicans are just evil. He is blinded by his partisan ways and people who dislike both parties genuinely (like me) will be turned off by his intellectual dishonesty.

[ 03-31-2002: Message edited by: groverat ]</strong><hr></blockquote>

Groverat me old chum, you may not agree with the party politics, but what about all stuff about the status of black people in US society and the ongoing legacy of slavery? I don't know how obvious all that was to a person of your undoubted intelligence ( ), but it seemed powerful to The Blue Meanie:

[quote] I don't know what it is, but every time I see a white guy walking towards me, I tense up. My heart starts racing, and I immediately begin to look for an escape route and a means to defend myself. I kick myself for even being in this part of town after dark. Didn't I notice the suspicious gangs of white people lurking on every street corner, drinking Starbucks and wearing their gang colours of Gap turquoise or J Crew mauve? What an idiot! Now the white person is coming closer, closer - and then - whew! He walks by without harming me, and I breathe a sigh of relief.<hr></blockquote> <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" />

[quote]Originally posted by Outsider:
<strong>Hey BM, You wouldn't happen to be Mr. Moore now would you? You defend the guy like he was your wife </strong><hr></blockquote>

Hey, Outsider, don't you mean Samantha Jones Olleande? All I've said so far is that I thought there some powerful passages in the book and some bits that made me laugh, and I've acknowledged that he has a political agenda.
No, TBM is not Michael Moore. I weigh a lot less and I don't own any baseball caps for one thing.

[quote]Originally posted by roger_ramjet:
<strong>

He wrote an article/letter that he posted on his website just after 9/11. This was was in it:

Many families have been devastated tonight. This just is not right. They did not deserve to die. If someone did this to get back at Bush, then they did so by killing thousands of people who DID NOT VOTE for him! Boston, New York, DC, and the planes' destination of California--these were places that voted AGAINST Bush!
</strong><hr></blockquote>

:confused: In what way is that passage advocating killing Republicans, roger_ramjet me old right-wing warhouse? In no way as far as I can see. This is a pretty extreme example of the hostility and vitriol Samantha was talking about in her post - you're twisting his words to suit your own conservative agenda. You don't like the message so you're trying to character-assassinate the messenger.
sc_markt is right - if he'd really said what you're claiming, there would have been a huge outcry.

[quote] Yep. "Roger & Me" was pretty good, but he's a Leftist stooge these days.<hr></blockquote>

A stooge of who? Is there some Machiavellian leftist Dr Evil in an underground lair somewhere, controlling a network brainwashed agents out to say unkind things about the Amercian Way? I also saw "Roger & Me" and "Downsize This" but I don't see finboy's point here at all. Hasn't RM always been left-wing? Isn't opposition to the examples of ruthless capitalism at its worst highlighted in those films inherently left-wing?