I just saw the movie today. I went to the movie theater with a bunch of people from my department. All academics: sociologist, ethnographers... etc. First of all, I loved it. Great movie , speaks to masses... At times, I got excited... then I got emotional and moved by the individual stories. In sum, I spent a great two-hours time watching this movie.
I have the feeling that most academic people around me were in general pretty critical to Michael Moore and his personality. I agree that he often becomes sensationalist; he alienates mainstream American viewers or he exaggerates things... etc. But there are also a lot of truth, a lot of interesting information in his movies. Above all, there's definitely much to learn from his movies about the American Society. In this respect, this one is definitely one of the good ones. Besides his movies are funny! Yes, pretty funny!
Moreover, I think this movie was a nice tool to test whether people are sincere with their sympathy towards the poor people. It made me understand that it is an important quality to be able to get moved by those sad stories: i.e. bankruptcies of elderly, families loosing homes or companies earning money out of a death of a worker. I was a little annoyed (may be unfairly so) to see my friends making a cold intellectual critique of the movie during those scenes. And I was further surprised to hear them admitting that they did NOT have much sympathy to the people who were victims of mortgage crisis. I couldn't discuss their reasons with them because I was feeling an emotional hangover right after the movie. It was hard for me to talk about it at a much colder and an analytical level at that moment...
But I am able to do it now :) First of all, I agree with my friends: I am annoyed to see that Michale Moore offers no real solution in his movies. He invited people to join him at the end of the film today but he doesn't clarify "for what" people should be joining him. The only overall solution he suggests against the capitalism is a EU style welfare state. In other words a "welfare capitalism". What is more, he portrays Obama as the initiator of the change in such direction. It was obvious from the movie that Michael Moore considers him as a hero.
I think there hasn't been a major transformation in the financial system since the crisis came out. Neither has been since Obama is in charge. There are still extremely complicated financial instruments, operations taking place in the banking industry. We even didn't have a big paradigm shift in the way we teach economics or in the way we understand market economy after this crisis. And EU welfare states are not doing greatly better in times of crisis either. Yes, it is true that welfare states help to reduce individual life risks, such as sickness and unemployment... etc., but 17% unemployment in Spain or 12% in Germany is also a huge problem. It is even a bigger problem when you break them down into the population subgroups such as native Europeans versus immigrants. In some EU countries unemployment rate among immigrants are much above 20%. Welfare state becomes increasingly a "big brother" in Europe and a control mechanism which is important to discuss and which is also an expected result of capitalism. Of course it is understandable that there is no need to get into a deeper debate of regulation and welfare states in such a movie..
Another surprising thing was after so much evidence about concentration of wealth in the hands of 1%, I am surprised to see that he doesn't talk about the importance of a "wealth tax" that is "just" and significant! Not an income tax that is unconstitutional!
I am also disappointed with the fact that he treats Democracy as an invisible hand that can correct many of those problems generated by the capitalism. So, bring democracy to the organizations, congress, central banks; you will have less crisis or less tragedies. Is this what we are supposed to take out of this movie? If so, I am not sure about it...
But overall, who cares about all? A number of important good messages delivered in the movie. Get organized! Question big corporations! They are run buy human being and open to all kinds of manipulations. Stay away from banking system! Vote! Fight for your rights and for your neighbor's rights! And the guys like Bush who monopolizes Christianity are actually acting against what Jesus has commanded. So don't believe them.
I re-iterate: I spent a great time in there! I care about individual stories... and I like Micheal Moore. I think we could have been good friends if he lived in New Haven.
I have the feeling that most academic people around me were in general pretty critical to Michael Moore and his personality. I agree that he often becomes sensationalist; he alienates mainstream American viewers or he exaggerates things... etc. But there are also a lot of truth, a lot of interesting information in his movies. Above all, there's definitely much to learn from his movies about the American Society. In this respect, this one is definitely one of the good ones. Besides his movies are funny! Yes, pretty funny!
Moreover, I think this movie was a nice tool to test whether people are sincere with their sympathy towards the poor people. It made me understand that it is an important quality to be able to get moved by those sad stories: i.e. bankruptcies of elderly, families loosing homes or companies earning money out of a death of a worker. I was a little annoyed (may be unfairly so) to see my friends making a cold intellectual critique of the movie during those scenes. And I was further surprised to hear them admitting that they did NOT have much sympathy to the people who were victims of mortgage crisis. I couldn't discuss their reasons with them because I was feeling an emotional hangover right after the movie. It was hard for me to talk about it at a much colder and an analytical level at that moment...
But I am able to do it now :) First of all, I agree with my friends: I am annoyed to see that Michale Moore offers no real solution in his movies. He invited people to join him at the end of the film today but he doesn't clarify "for what" people should be joining him. The only overall solution he suggests against the capitalism is a EU style welfare state. In other words a "welfare capitalism". What is more, he portrays Obama as the initiator of the change in such direction. It was obvious from the movie that Michael Moore considers him as a hero.
I think there hasn't been a major transformation in the financial system since the crisis came out. Neither has been since Obama is in charge. There are still extremely complicated financial instruments, operations taking place in the banking industry. We even didn't have a big paradigm shift in the way we teach economics or in the way we understand market economy after this crisis. And EU welfare states are not doing greatly better in times of crisis either. Yes, it is true that welfare states help to reduce individual life risks, such as sickness and unemployment... etc., but 17% unemployment in Spain or 12% in Germany is also a huge problem. It is even a bigger problem when you break them down into the population subgroups such as native Europeans versus immigrants. In some EU countries unemployment rate among immigrants are much above 20%. Welfare state becomes increasingly a "big brother" in Europe and a control mechanism which is important to discuss and which is also an expected result of capitalism. Of course it is understandable that there is no need to get into a deeper debate of regulation and welfare states in such a movie..
Another surprising thing was after so much evidence about concentration of wealth in the hands of 1%, I am surprised to see that he doesn't talk about the importance of a "wealth tax" that is "just" and significant! Not an income tax that is unconstitutional!
I am also disappointed with the fact that he treats Democracy as an invisible hand that can correct many of those problems generated by the capitalism. So, bring democracy to the organizations, congress, central banks; you will have less crisis or less tragedies. Is this what we are supposed to take out of this movie? If so, I am not sure about it...
But overall, who cares about all? A number of important good messages delivered in the movie. Get organized! Question big corporations! They are run buy human being and open to all kinds of manipulations. Stay away from banking system! Vote! Fight for your rights and for your neighbor's rights! And the guys like Bush who monopolizes Christianity are actually acting against what Jesus has commanded. So don't believe them.
I re-iterate: I spent a great time in there! I care about individual stories... and I like Micheal Moore. I think we could have been good friends if he lived in New Haven.
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