Michael Moore Takes on Capitalism Itself

[marmar]

via MichaelMoore.com:



September 15th, 2009 7:23 pm
Michael Moore Takes on Capitalism Itself

In These Times


PITTSBURGH—After leading a march for single-payer health insurance from the AFL-CIO convention in Pittsburgh to a movie theater, documentary filmmaker Michael Moore gave the official U.S. premiere of his new film to an audience of unionists and progressive activists Tuesday night, one day before its Hollywood premiere.

Capitalism: A Love Story tackles the financial crisis in Moore’s established style of guerrilla filmmaking, attempting to confront Wall Street titans and sympathetically portray its victims.

“I called this film ‘Capitalism: A Love Story’ because they love their money,” he explained, referring to Wall Street. “But this film has a twist: They also love our money.”

Moore’s new film ranks with his best work, but he tackles a more abstract, or at least complex, topic–capitalism. He sees the film as the culmination of 20 years of work, starting with his breakthrough account of the decline of Flint, Michigan, in Roger and Me.

Starting with bank videos of bank robbers—one shown kissing his money— Moore uses old educational and other film clips to link the fall of Rome and contemporary America, then explores home foreclosures and a self-proclaimed “vulture” investor in foreclosures. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/mikeinthenews/index.php?id=14408

[Deja Q]

1. So he's not doing it to make money, then?

Speaking of "supply and demand", one of the more favorite excuses for capitalists - nobody wants to be a janitor, yet with such a need to have people clean up rich peoples' filth, the rich don't want to pay more than pauper wages - and still say janitors are overpaid...

Half of these "economic laws" are trumped up b.s. to begin with.

Having said that, I still have found no evidence to the contrary. Moore IS in this business to make money. For that is the point OF capitalism. If he's against it, then I'd like to hear to which cause he will be donating every penny of revenue toward...

But is he a "hero"? Us peons like the working class who tell their coworkers and countrymen about the same things are closer to being "heroes", and we're NOT. Mike just gets rich for saying the same old parroted dialogue for a target market. Like Rush is toward his target market.

Then again, our society calls people who hit a ball with a stick and run around on a diamond shaped field "heroes" too.

[Luminous Animal]

6. How do you know Mike's motives?

Had a nice chat with him, have you?

A capitalist is the person who controls capital and labor. Capitalism is the system in which both the capitalist and labor seek to control, exploit, amass wealth or survive. The vast majority will have to suffice with survival. We live in a capitalist economic system that some people conflate with our political system... and that, I believe, will be the message that Mike will drive home.

Mike thinks that you are a hero. I've heard him speak and I've read "Rivethead". And there is one thing that will elicit discomfort from a middle-class well-educated audience, is when he slams their ignorance when it comes to their attitudes towards the labor class.

There are very few liberals in this world that are able to break through the right-wing media barrier. I've lived long enough to witness the scope of political dialog shrink that it barely fits between a rock and a hard place. Mike freely gave away SiCKO to unions and nurse activists to use as a education tool. California nurses seem to be the most organized around this issue and have done more to advance universal health care than any organization in the U.S. They love Mike. Our legislature has passed single-payer twice, and it's been vetoed by Arnold twice.

The fact that you compare Mike, who champions unions & labor, the downtrodden & the sick, with that white-supremacist Rush Limbaugh reveals a lot about you.

Mike is an activist and he uses his money to advance ideas & causes that would benefit the vast majority of U.S. citizens. Give me one good reason why he should give his money away to another organization that would, essentially, be doing what he is doing but from another angle.

[TiredOldMan]

2. And then goes back home to his mansion! Not convincing.

[marmar]

3. Psst. He doesn't live in a mansion, but keep spouting ill-informed BS.

nt

[TxRider]

5. Just going by what he says himself

"I walk among them. I live on the island of Manhattan, a three-mile-wide strip of land that is luxury home and corporate suite to America's elite..... Those who run your life live in my neighborhood. I walk in the streets with them each day"

Along with a multi million dollar beach front home in Michigan supposedly.

[Luminous Animal]

7. A TxRider, you need to learn to read.

I live in San Francisco and a very expensive neighborhood I and walk among them, too. But I don't live in a mansion or a luxury home. Thank Hank for rent control.

My brother has a lake front home on Lake Huron. He's a member of a labor union and bought it 20 years ago while working at Edison on the emergency crew and it is worth about half a million now. One of my closest friends, a bartender in San Fraancisco, owns a half a million dollar apartment in San Francisco.

According to the right wing Gateway Pundit, here is the scoop on Mike's "multi-million" dollar home.

Property Information
Current Taxable Value:$390,976
School District:Bellaire

Current Assessment:$647,200
Current Homestead:100%
Current Property Class:40 - Residential

Last Year's Assessment:$647,200
Last Year's Homestead:100%
Last Year's Property Class:40 - Residential
Lake Frontage:Torch Lake
Waterfront Footage:150.48 ft. "17


Oooooooohhhh!

[TxRider]

8. That's why I said supposedly

I don't know where he lives.

All I can go by is what you read, which is all over the place, and what he says..

"I walk among them. I live on the island of Manhattan, a three-mile-wide strip of land that is luxury home and corporate suite to America's elite..... Those who run your life live in my neighborhood. I walk in the streets with them each day"

Sounds pretty opulent to me.

[Luminous Animal]

9. He says he walks THE STREETS among them.

He doesn't say he lives their lives. There are plenty of panhandlers who walk the streets of Manhattan, will you also make the claim that they live a life of luxury?

[TxRider]

11. He said

"Those who run your life live in my neighborhood"

I assume that to mean he lives in the same neighborhood with Wall street bankers, meaning relatively the same type of living standard...

If I'm wrong I'm sorry, crucify me, I guess he lives in a cardboard box under an overpass... And has donated all the millions he's made to charity.

[Luminous Animal]

13. I live in a neighborhood with wealthy bankers!

I live in a neighborhood with people who can afford a $10,000 a month mortgage. I live a neighborhood where people can afford to pay 9 million dollars cash for a penthouse. These facts tell you nothing about me. That sentence tells you nothing about Mike. It's about Wall Street and the people who run the country.

And why should he donate all his millions to charity? That would leave him with nothing to produce his next project.

[Taverner]

18. You can get a small (but still friggen expensive) apartment in Manhattan

[Gabi Hayes]

10. I heard TXRider likes to pick and eat his leprosy sores.....supposedly

That's why I said supposedly

[TxRider]

12. And they are soo yummy.

But a good analogy it is not.

[Gabi Hayes]

15. from the person who put anal in analogy.....

tell us why, oh anal expert

[Luminous Animal]

14. Noice!

[Gabi Hayes]

17. perhaps that one, Deja Q and the old fartster could hook together

and have a threeway Micheal Moore group hate

can you make a circle with only three people?

wonder who'd win....

[Luminous Animal]

20. I have a sneakin' suspician that they are long time

members a certain anti-Michael Moore website that has been in existence for quite some time. Their shtick hasn't changed in 15 years.


Squawk! He's fat!
Squawk! He's rich!
Squawk! He said something bad about white men!
Squawk! Why doesn't he don a hair shirt and give all of his money away!
Squawk!
Squawk!
Squawk!

[TxRider]

4. Gotta make up for those stock losses...

[Taverner]

16. He commutes between his apartment in NYC and his home in Flint

Neither of which are "mansions"

[Gabi Hayes]

19. he's going to be on Leno within the next half hour, if it hasn't already been mentioned

Moore haters, sharpen your pikes