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Michael Moore - Dude, Where's my country?

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punk

New Member
I finished this not so long ago. Its a good read. Very funny in places and makes some serious (and not so serious) allegations against everyones favorite president G.W.Bush :D

It explores the cause and aftermath of 9/11, the subsequent wars (Afghanistan and Iraq), oil, tax breaks for the rich and political corruption.

However, when I finished it I just felt like I was missing something. Like I was missing the overall picture. The other day I caught an interview with Moore on David Letterman and Letterman (after saying he had read the book) hit the nail on the head when he said something along the lines of "would a brighter man than me be able to deduce a more serious allegation been made?" (or words to the effect). Moore joked around with Letterman while never really answering the question.

The book already makes some serious and breathtaking allegations (all backed by articles lifted from mainstream US media). But I sensed an under-current in the book that by putting all these seperate allegations together Moore was hinting at a much larger conspiracy theory. But like Letterman I am sadly not bright enough to pick up his exact train of thought (if he had one).

After a lot of consideration on the book the cynical side of me makes me wonder if he wrote the book to have exactly this effect on people. He wants people who read it to see a bigger conspiracy than the sum of its parts.

I like Moore. I liked Bowling for Columbine and I've seen him on a couple of British TV shows. He comes across as sincere and passionate about what he believes in.

As for the book itself? I would recommend anybody to read it. The questions asked deserve answers. And I have found myself wondering why the questions have never been asked by not only the large US media outlets but by world media. Stupid White Men (Moore's previous book) is most certainly on my "to buy" list.

Has anybody else read this? Did you see an overall picture that I (and Letterman by all accounts), seem to be missing?
 
punk said:
I finished this not so long ago. Its a good read. Very funny in places and makes some serious (and not so serious) allegations against everyones favorite president G.W.Bush :D

It explores the cause and aftermath of 9/11, the subsequent wars (Afghanistan and Iraq), oil, tax breaks for the rich and political corruption.

However, when I finished it I just felt like I was missing something. Like I was missing the overall picture. The other day I caught an interview with Moore on David Letterman and Letterman (after saying he had read the book) hit the nail on the head when he said something along the lines of "would a brighter man than me be able to deduce a more serious allegation been made?" (or words to the effect). Moore joked around with Letterman while never really answering the question.

The book already makes some serious and breathtaking allegations (all backed by articles lifted from mainstream US media). But I sensed an under-current in the book that by putting all these seperate allegations together Moore was hinting at a much larger conspiracy theory. But like Letterman I am sadly not bright enough to pick up his exact train of thought (if he had one).

After a lot of consideration on the book the cynical side of me makes me wonder if he wrote the book to have exactly this effect on people. He wants people who read it to see a bigger conspiracy than the sum of its parts.

I like Moore. I liked Bowling for Columbine and I've seen him on a couple of British TV shows. He comes across as sincere and passionate about what he believes in.

As for the book itself? I would recommend anybody to read it. The questions asked deserve answers. And I have found myself wondering why the questions have never been asked by not only the large US media outlets but by world media. Stupid White Men (Moore's previous book) is most certainly on my "to buy" list.

Has anybody else read this? Did you see an overall picture that I (and Letterman by all accounts), seem to be missing?
Click to expand...

I admire Mr Moore a lot! I need to get around to reading his books :)
 
I do NOT admire Mr. Moore or his work. I admire in some ways his cause, but his methods are despicable. There is so much out there that he can use examples that are factual, so why use half-truths and deliberate exaggerations to get there? If he was writing fiction it would be allowable, but since he calls himself a journalist, it is completely unethical.

Look at this site for some examples of his methods:

http://www.hardylaw.net/Truth_About_Bowling.html

I'm not a diehard Republican, and I'm not voting for Dubya, so don't think I have it in for him because of that.
 
Ashlea said:
I do NOT admire Mr. Moore or his work. I admire in some ways his cause, but his methods are despicable. There is so much out there that he can use examples that are factual, so why use half-truths and deliberate exaggerations to get there? If he was writing fiction it would be allowable, but since he calls himself a journalist, it is completely unethical.

Look at this site for some examples of his methods:

http://www.hardylaw.net/Truth_About_Bowling.html

I'm not a diehard Republican, and I'm not voting for Dubya, so don't think I have it in for him because of that.
Click to expand...

I feel the exact same way. Mr. Moore is a liar. Its not that his theories might not have some truth, is that he isn't basing his version of the truth on verfied facts. He is not a journalist, he is a story writer, and until he realizes that I have no respect for him or his methods whatsoever. In fact, he makes me sick, and I actually lean to the left politically. I have definite issues with journalists who try to pass off untruths as facts. I think he lies for the controversy, though, so i guess he's getting what he wants.
 
love the moore!
it seems he somehow twists facts to accomodate his version, but otherwise it wouldnt get the cover that it does and his message wouldnt get tru to as many people as it does actually, there are some other really good books written in a little lees controversial manner about similar topics that wont get this kind of coverage.

but since he calls himself a journalist, it is completely unethical.
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sadly "real" journalist are not much diferent, sometimes even worst they´ll usually twist any news for the rating, let me put an example, im from chiapas, i got to know about this incident before it reach the media, about two or three years ago there were some killings in an indigenous village, the reason was some sort of romeo & juliet conflict (sons of two rival families getting married and so), world wide news: the killing of zapatistas allies by a private army probably paid by a political party, i guess that got my twist-o-meter to the top. :(

ah! by the way i found stupid white men, a lot more enjoyable than dude ....
 
Look at this site for some examples of his methods:
Click to expand...

Just to provide some objectivity he does address some of these claims here... http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/wackoattacko/

Also while I was looking at his site I noticed that you can read a complete chapter from the aforementioned book here... http://www.michaelmoore.com/books-films/dudewheresmycountry/freechapter/index.php

I realise you cannot base judgement on such a small number of posts but I do find it interesting that Moore seems to be more popular with the non-US posters (myself included) than with people from the US.
 
I noticed that Moore is more popular outside the US. I suppose it's easier to swallow harsh criticisms when it isn't your home country. I try to be realistic about the problems I know we have. I just wish someone else could be as successful about bringing them up - someone who isn't as slimy or as interested in self-promotion, someone who is willing to address the situations without the camera tricks and the name-calling. I think Michael Moore would show you naked pics of his mother if it could get him 15 seconds on the news.
 
Don't really see him that way. I think he would do anything to get what he views as important truths across to the public. In America the public are very much left in the dark as to what is going on because the media is so government and money led, remember folks... land of the free. He will do anything, and does a lot of the time to get his views across, and it works. His books are best sellers. OK, sometimes I don't agree with him always. Sometimes he goes too far. Sometimes he comes up with some utter rubbish. And yes, he can be an arrogant SOB! But, he is a man that believes with a passion that America was based on truth, justice and freedom and he will fight for those things. That has got to be admired. And especially since Americans and not only them everybody in the world is so apathtic with their big tv and dvd players. Nobody cares. Mr Moore cares and I salute him.
 
We'll just have to agree to disagree then.

On another note, I totally disapprove of Disney blocking his latest movie's distribution. Just because I think he sucks doesn't mean he shouldn't be treated as any other Hollywood scum.
 
Mr. Moore is an agent provocateur. He does not mean to be objective, and he is under no obligation to play things straight. He wants people to question the status quo; to think, not only about the motives and actions of others, including his, but also their own. We all see things and shake our heads and go, 'tsk, tsk,' but when do we do something? I think that is his message for Americans: "DO SOMETHING."

Irene Wilde
 
good call, irene. after seeing farenheit 9/11, I can't think of anything bad to say about the guy. he's biased and I'm sure that rubs some people the wrong way, but nobody can do everything perfect. otherwise we'd all be making movies. Ha Ha.
 
We've had 7 people come into our store this week (B&N) and say their not buying books there if we don't take down all our anti-bush books. Just thought it was amusing, you should see the faces on these people, some were livid.
 
When I worked in the bookstore, we fantasized about taking pics of all the people who said they were never buying anything there again, so that when they came back we could say, "No, I'm sorry, I wouldn't feel right selling that to you because you're on the wall over there, you said you weren't ever coming back." :)
 
Ashlea said:
I do NOT admire Mr. Moore or his work. I admire in some ways his cause, but his methods are despicable. There is so much out there that he can use examples that are factual, so why use half-truths and deliberate exaggerations to get there?


Have you seen Farenheit 911? I am a democrat, and admire Mr. Moore. He was the only person that had the "Balls" to make Farenheit 911. Bush never went after the TERRORIST, he went after IRAQ,( For the Oil) & they never had weapons of mass dest
Click to expand...
 
sorry to mess where im not called, but i simply dont get whats your point of quoting "dont like him but i kinda like his cause" just to say "oh but he has the balls", its she expected to start liking moore because thanks to you she now knows he has the balls? :confused:
by the way, have you read the book? because the movie, its pretty much exactly what it says in the book!
 
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