All right, add another person to the list that I’m sick of hearing about: Michael Moore.
Yeah, he likes to think of himself as a liberal. And I like to think of myself as a liberal, too. But Moore has this knack for doing what is the metaphorical equivalent of stripping completely naked, taking his liberalism and wearing it as a skimpy g-string while he runs around a stadium filled with conservatives and screaming “I’m a Pony!!! I’m a Pony!!!”
Yeah, we do need people who are willing to bring certain social and poltical issues to light and make them known. Moore, on the other hand, doesn’t strike me as a guy who does it because he’s an altruistic guy. Maybe in his heart of hearts that’s his goal, but it sure as hell doesn’t come across that way. Instead, it looks a lot like he’s doing this because he’s the type of person that enjoys being a pompous ass, and gets off on making people uncomfortable. If the underlying message gets trampled on and lost in the scuffle, too bad.
So it has become with his latest documentary, Fahrenheit 9/11, which is slated for release in theatres June 25. Now honestly, have you heard enough about this film yet? With all the controversy, this better be one hell of a riveting, powerful film, or else I’m going to feel jipped if it turns out to be a flop. Not that I intend to see the film myself. There are plenty of other films I could watch that would give me the same unpleasant, squirm-in-my-seat-because-someone-is-making-an-ass-of-themselves-on-screen kind of feeling.
Anyway, the first flicker of controversy with Moore’s latest attempt at making a spectacle of himself came when Disney decided to refuse distribution of the film on the grounds that it was too much of a political powder keg for the company to stomach. They later allowed the owners of Miramax to buy the film back and negotiate distribution agreements on their own.
Crisis averted. Whew. After all, as much of an ass as Moore is, he does have every right to be the ass that he is in any public venue he chooses. This is a free country, and information should flow freely. Right?
Well apparently, Michael Moore doesn’t seem to think so. Not when the information can shock audiences and make money, that is.
It would seem that Moore claims to have come across the torture footage at Abu Ghraib prison months before the mainstream media got a hold of it. Did he release the footage, to show people these atrocities being committed and maybe put a stop to it sooner? Nope! According to the Washington Dispatch:
Moore chose to hold the footage for his new documentary, Fahrenheit 9/11, instead of making it available to the public.
If this information is true, then how nice that a shining activist of free speech would choose to withold some pretty compelling information so that it would create more of a bang if he broke the news first in his film. [/sarcasm] I wonder: If this had been a different decade – say, the 1940s – would Moore have been as equally blase if he had come across footage of Nazi concentration camps before anyone else? And would we have tolerated it?
Finally, it looks like Moore realizes that people from across the political spectrum, from right wing to left, are seeing through his sensationalist antics, and he is seeking access to a younger, more naive crowd. Unfortunately for him, the MPAA has put the kibosh on that, as they’ve issued a “R” rating for Farenheit 9/11. Of course, Moore has filed an emergency appeal:
In a statement, Moore said: “It is sadly very possible that many 15- and 16-years-olds will be asked and recruited to serve in Iraq in the next couple of years. If they are old enough to be recruited and capable of being in combat and risking their lives, they certainly deserve the right to see what is going on in Iraq.’
Whoa!! When did anyone say anything about enlisting 15 to 16 year olds to serve in Iraq?! If anyone has heard of this (I sure haven’t), please feel free to comment and let me know. As far as I know, such a plan might even be too extreme for Donald Rumsfeld. This is probably yet another example of Moore stirring up controversy through exaggeration and sensationalism. And it’s people like Moore who are seriously damaging the credibility of the Left through stupid stunts like this.
Looks like Michael Moore succeeded in his goal of annoying people to no end. again. But it’s not going to earn him my $8.50.