America's Teacher - Naomi Klein interviews Michael Moore

[kpete]

America's Teacher
By Naomi Klein

This article appeared in the October 12, 2009 edition of The Nation.
September 23, 2009

Naomi Klein in Conversation With Michael Moore

.......................

NK: All right. Let's talk about the film some more. I saw you on Leno, and I was struck that one of his first questions to you was this objection--that it's greed that's evil, not capitalism. And this is something that I hear a lot--this idea that greed or corruption is somehow an aberration from the logic of capitalism rather than the engine and the centerpiece of capitalism. And I think that that's probably something you're already hearing about the terrific sequence in the film about those corrupt Pennsylvania judges who were sending kids to private prison and getting kickbacks. I think people would say, That's not capitalism, that's corruption.

Why is it so hard to see the connection, and how are you responding to this?

MM: Well, people want to believe that it's not the economic system that's at the core of all this. You know, it's just a few bad eggs. But the fact of the matter is that, as I said to Jay Leno, capitalism is the legalization of this greed.

Greed has been with human beings forever. We have a number of things in our species that you would call the dark side, and greed is one of them. If you don't put certain structures in place or restrictions on those parts of our being that come from that dark place, then it gets out of control. Capitalism does the opposite of that. It not only doesn't really put any structure or restriction on it. It encourages it, it rewards it.

I'm asked this question every day, because people are pretty stunned at the end of the movie to hear me say that it should just be eliminated altogether. And they're like, "Well, what's wrong with making money? Why can't I open a shoe store?"

And I realized that because we no longer teach economics in high school, they don't really understand what any of it means.

The point is that when you have capitalism, capitalism encourages you to think of ways to make money or to make more money. And the judges never could have gotten the kickbacks had the county not privatized the juvenile hall. But because there's been this big push in the past twenty or thirty years to privatize government services, take it out of our hands, put it in the hands of people whose only concern is their fiduciary responsibility to their shareholders or to their own pockets, it has messed everything up.


more:
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20091012/klein

[Richardo]

1. Oh please. If Michael Moore is America's teacher, I'm changing schools

He's an agenda-driven, partisan filmmaker with the deft touch of a sledgehammer. I require objectivity from my teachers or I can't trust anything they're telling me.

[BlueMTexpat]

2. So what?

His films make better sense than most of what we see or hear.

[Richardo]

4. I had interns here from France - France! - that thought his stuff was over-the-top

He manipulates images, conducts ambush 'journalism' and relies on hokey stunts to make his point (ooo crime scene tape around the NYSE - how cutting edge and witty!) :eyes:

If he were RW this place would explode with indignation every time he made a film.

[Javaman]

15. Ahh but he's not. :) nt

[BlueMTexpat]

17. His films have been right on the mark every time.

Just what "stuff" did your French interns (experts on US "culture" no doubt) believe was over the top ... and why?

I wonder whether you have actually seen any of his recent films. But you are very quick with the put-downs.

[mmonk]

3. Not at all. Go see Capitalism: A Love Story.

BTW, how many of his documentaries have you seen?

[Richardo]

6. I saw a couple of pieces he made in the 90's about NAFTA - terrible journalism

I've wanted to see Farhenheit 911 but I really hate to be lectured to.

Bottom line - I don't trust information from people with agendas. If they tell me the sky's blue I don't believe it until I see it myself.

[mmonk]

7. It wasn't a lecture. He takes members of both political parties to task.

Yet you call his work partisan. Partisan as in what? He was dead on correct in Roger & Me (in response to your NAFTA and bad journalism response). Also, knowing he will receive fierce criticism from corporate interests, he always provides written form of documentation to back up his films and later any charges against him. Many people don't watch his films to arrive at their own opinions. They instead listen to politicians or talk shows. One of the memes is that he is partisan. Thus my question, partisan as to what?

[Zoeisright]

9. +1

What I find amazing in Mr. Moore's work is that he lets the story tell itself. There is very little proselytizing or editing; he just interviews people relevant to the issue.

[mmonk]

12. Yes, and that is what makes them powerful IMO.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

18. He always tells the truth; that's why he hasn't been sued.

If he was lying he could be sued. Truth is a defense to slander. He has lawyers check everything he does, just like Kitty Kelley.

He tells the truth and it pisses people off. In SICKO, he called out Democrats (including Hillary Clinton) and republicans who took money from the health lobby.

[Lorien]

10. He attacks both the Left and the Right. You would know that if you had

actually seen his films.

[Echo In Light]

14. And does so since the two represent convergent interests/economic sectors

[RagAss]

13. When was he ever wrong?????

[LWolf]

16. Do you have anything to say about the content of the article,

or just about the author's last statement, leading to her choice of title?

[Echo In Light]

5. Rec - thanks for posting

[Overseas]

8. K&R.

Glad Moore is out there talking about the corruption inherent in privatization.

[mimitabby]

11. thanks, i just read the whole article!

[Blue_Tires]

19. kick for later reading...