Michael Moore, "Stupid White Men"
I want to be careful what I say about this, because I think there�s a tendency in our society to try and tear down other people when they become successful. That being said...
First off Mike � lose the beard. When you only have random tufts of hair growing from your face, an attempt at a beard makes you look like a deranged lunatic.
Second, I�m surprised at you. I think you�ve slowed down, and more than just a little bit. True, as I don�t have cable, I didn�t get to see any of the episodes of The Awful Truth, so I can�t compare that to anything.
But looking at �Downsize This� and TV Nation, both of which I loved, it seems like you�re more comfortable making jokes than actually doing something to attempt to bring about change.
I know, in entry after entry of the cultural criticism books I�ve reviewed here, I complain about how dry people like Chomsky and Parenti present material, turning off any of those who have a passing interest in such matters. You don�t do that. You talk about the problems and use a lot of humor to accentuate the point, which I think will make it more memorable.
Unfortunately, this sometimes comes across as nothing more than a moderately political stand up comic reading headlines from the paper. There are a few points where you add info-boxes of false stories (the biggest one that comes to mind is your detailing of George W. Bush�s working day) that actually detract from the rest of the book.
Since this book only shows its references at the end, this inclusion of throw away jokes makes me wonder about the validity of your other points, especially since a lot of them (and I can�t believe I�m saying this) come off as flippant.
It�s a big change from �Downsize This!� where your punch lines came from the actions and reactions of politicians and CEO�s, like when you sent out contributions to Buchanan that had the company logo of �Abortionist for Buchanan.� Handling things the way you�ve done in this book, I think, encourages people to have a quick laugh and then forget it.
No, that�s not fair. There are numerous points in the book where you give addresses, websites, and phone numbers for people to call if they�re angry. But the inspiration to react that I got from Roger and Me, Downsize This! and TV Nation doesn�t happen with this outing, and I didn�t get it from The Big One either.
Frankly, that worries me. There were two points in that last film that bothered me. The first came from the scene where you discovered your book had just made the top-ten bestseller list. I�m not sure I can explain it, but there seemed to be a certain smarmyness that exuded from you while you gloated and chomped on a big cigar. It creeped me the fuck out. And then later, when the film began to run out of steam, we were treated to a montage of people across the country cheering and applauding as you smiled and waved � for some reason it reminded me of old propaganda for Hitler. �Look how much the public loves me! Why don�t you?�
So Mike, thanks for the addresses, but if you really want us to Be Like (the other) Mike, methinks you need to go back to teaching through example, instead of making one-liners like a dumbed-down version of Dennis Miller.
