Michael Moore Films: An Outsider's Perspective
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Anti-American or Realist?
Before I delve into the antics of Michael Moore, I would like to state for the record that this is a totally impartial point of view. I am not an American and therefore I have no allegiance to either the democrats or the republicans. I am not a member of any gun club, health insurance company or extremist organization. I am not Michael Moore's long lost cousin either!
I am however intrigued by this particular film-maker because he divides opinion and entertains while he does so. The film 'Sicko' is particularly topical at the moment and for that reason I will focus on it. The debate I hear coming from the United States is quite clear-cut. Either people hate him or love him. The reason for hating him is because he is alledgedly anti-American and dishonest. The reason for loving him is because he is supposedly realistic and sympathetic.
When I watched 'Sicko' at first I was appalled by the health insurance companies most of all. Was I shocked? No. Moore makes this problem seem uniquely American but you can trust me when I tell you that insurance companies are the same the world over. The only difference is that most other countries have a choice. Insurance companies make it look as though they are doing you a favour when really all there doing is taking your hard earned money. Then when you need to claim, they increase the price of your policy so that not only are you paying for 'insurance', it means your paying for your health care (when you need it) as well. The only benefit of health insurance in America is that you get treated and you get to pay for it gradually over the period of your next insurance policy ,rather than in one lump sum. Therefore insurance companies don't really have to pay out anything that they won't get back from you over the course of time.
The concern I have regarding 'Sicko' is not specifically the way Moore describes the American system, but more the way he flatters the health care in other nations. Michael Moore is a very clever film maker and it is difficult to pinpoint a moment in any of his creations where he is not telling the truth, even if it does appear stretched. The ultimate goal of his productions are to draw a crowd and this is achieved by shocking the audience. Whether people agree or disagree, they watch all the same. The way he uses American hard luck stories is impressive but quite manipulative. It manipulates because it offers little balance to the argument. We never hear from the people who have been saved by the health care system. We only hear from those who have been 'shafted'. Watching a Michael Moore film is akin to being under the rule of dictatorship in that only his opinion gets heard. Even when we think he might offer a saving grace to the health care system, we find that his positive story is actually based in France. 'Sicko' examines the most horrid American health care stories and compares them to the most flattering examples in Canada, France and the UK. Moore's ability to shock, and perhaps deceive is seen in all its glory when he takes a fleet of unfortunate Americans to Cuba. These Americans have been refused care or have been charged ridiculous prices in America, so our film-maker insists on finding them help elsewhere and Cuba was much obliged to step forward. Initially I thought of how great Cuba must be to care for these abondoned forigners. But then after careful consideration it made sense that the Cubans would be delighted to help poor, stranded Americans, thus making Cuba look good, and making America look bad. Michael Moore is probably their all-time favourite American!
It would be hypocritical to summarize these films as one-sided and then to not offer an alternative perspective myself. For that reason I have looked at it from a diiferent point of view and I can see that Michael Moore makes a valid case, with the content he uses. I'm not saying that Moore is wrong about the American health care system, but I think sometimes he can be misleading by making you think everywhere else in the world is far better off. He is anti-American because he tries his upmost to portray America as a bad place to live, whether rightly or wrongly. Perhaps it is an attempt to discourage immigrants by suggesting Cuba is a better place to live. I don't know his personal agenda, but his professional agenda is to make good movies that attract large audiences.
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hes does bad media moveies
Interesting. I need to watch this in order to make an informed decision. Thanks for the info
This is an interesting perspective. Yes, he does manipulate the viewer. The trip to Cuba is a great example, and I think you are on point that treating these Americans was great PR for Cuba. I think Moore's main message in Sicko is that the U.S. needs universal government funded health care so that people won't be denied care when they really need it. I recently met a woman from Scotland living in the U.S.She said her family lost their health ins. just when their child got sick due to a late payment. She said she even considered moving back to Scotland for the public health care. Do you have a public health care system in Ireland?
I think Michael Moore's real agenda is to make America better by pointing out the flaws. He is not anti-American, in my view. Americans tend to be so ethnocentric; we need to see that sometimes other countries do certain things better, and we can learn from them. But we need an honest, realistic portrayal of things, not a manipulated version.
I hope you will respond to my comment. Because I am curious about what your reactions to my perspective will be. I have a hub on Moore's Capitalism A Love Story, if you're interested.
Hi i scribble, thanks for reading and for your considered comments. I was surprised in many ways when I started reading about the American health system. Firstly I was surprised by the way the system works. Then I was surprised that most people seemed to be happy with it. I was also surprised that the media wanted to destroy Obama once he began to reform the system. I don't really think I qualify to bash another country's healthcare system but I will say that I would be a bit anxious if I lived under such a system, even if I had insurance and even though I've never been sick (touch wood).
In Ireland we have a guy similar to Michael Moore. His name is Joe Duffy and he has a radio show that stands up for the 'little people'. As for our health care system, well it's quite European I guess. Nobody is refused treatment as long as you can find it! Over the last few years hospitals have been closing down, including the one in my town. The nearest hospital to me is a thirty minute drive, that's sixty minutes for the ambulance to arrive and get me to ER. Once again, I've never been sick (touch wood!!!) The government, who controls the health service has been centralizing all medical facilities to cut costs because we are in a bit of a financial pickle (what was that wise old saying - your wealth is your health?). Our government has its own saying... your health is costing us wealth! Basically, if your in a city like Dublin or Limerick you have a good chance of surviving. To be honest, I'm still happy that our health insurance is not about making money for private companies, it really is about helping people who are sick, because its publicly run.
You may well be right that Moore is a 'Patriot' as they say, but I have a deep mistrust for media professionals in general.
I will definitely have a look at your hub tomorrow, the 7th. For now, best of luck and thanks again for reading.
OpinionDuck 2 years ago
Michael Moore is a Sicko