In Defense of Michael Moore

I almost met Michael Moore once, back in 1989, shortly after his first film, Roger & Me – his documentary about the effects of General Motors’ factory closings on his hometown of Flint, Michigan – came out to much acclaim. He was making a promotional appearance at a video store in Flint owned by the father of a co-worker but something came up and I couldn’t make it so my colleague obtained his autograph for me and I thought that would be it. I didn’t expect to be defending the guy on my blog 22 years later.

Why am I defending him? Because I stumbled upon a post entitled, “With friends like Michael Moore, who needs enemies?” a few days ago at Extreme Liberal’s blog. The scathing post includes a video clip of Moore telling a “Politics and Prose” audience at an historic synagogue why Obama won the 2008 election; the blogger says, “It’s maddening to watch” and “It’s a perfect example of the type of hyperbole that Moore employs and how he will say whatever he needs to in order to push his narrative and thus his brand.”

Extreme Liberal disagrees with Moore’s assertion that Obama bears some responsibility for the disappointing rise of the GOP in the 2010 midterm elections since he wasn’t on the ballot, points out that Moore is giving on-the-fence liberals plenty of justification to sit on their hands in 2012 – as if it’s Moore who’s determining the president’s behavior and not Obama himself – and generally rips Moore a new you-know-what.

I understand why Moore is so despised by conservatives but I’m not sure why he’s so polarizing even among people on the left. There’s no doubt that he remains an important voice for blue collar, middle class Americans. I can’t count how many times I’ve seen him on television telling Keith Olbermann, Anderson Cooper, Larry King, Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O’Donnell that politicians are obtuse and corrupt, average Americans are getting the shaft and something needs to change or there’s going to be rioting in the streets (Occupy Wall Street/Oakland/Denver/Atlanta/Detroit/etc. anyone?). Yes, he amplifies facts that support his hypotheses and glosses over those that don’t. Don’t we all? Yes, he comes across as pompous and obnoxious. Don’t all self-confident, passionate, intelligent celebrities risk doing so among people who don’t share their opinion or are envious of their success?

I don’t agree that Moore is harmful to the progressive cause. I believe progressives who stick their head in the sand or their fingers in their ears are far more worrisome than a filmmaker who speaks his mind and doesn’t view the POTUS as sacred or beyond reproach. People have told me to knock it off, to stop criticizing our fantastic president lest I aid those working for his defeat. No wonder they want to silence, marginalize and ridicule someone with worldwide fame, millions in the bank and access to most media.

Fahrenheit 9/11, Moore’s examination of America in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, is the highest-grossing documentary of all time, bringing in over $200 million worldwide. Bowling for Columbine, which probes guns and violence in the United States, and Sicko, about the American health care system, are both near the top of the list of money-making documentaries. Bowling for Columbine won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2002. He’s written or co-written eight nonfiction books, some of which landed on bestseller lists. His own net worth is estimated at $50 million.

Not bad for a college dropout with weight issues.

Seems to me that if Moore were truly the *ssh*l* that people claim, he would sit on his couch in his opulent Manhattan apartment eating bon bons and Grey Poupon, not travel the country highlighting the struggles of the 99 percent. Would a guy who’s done so well under capitalism bite the hand that’s fed him if he didn’t truly believe there are flaws that need fixing? If I had 50 million clams in the bank, I’m not sure I’d open myself up to such harsh analysis and ridicule by fighting for people with whom I still related.

Incidentally, some people don’t know that Moore founded the nonprofit Traverse City Film Festival in 2005 in the northwest corner of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula to showcase good movies, especially rare independent films and documentaries that don’t receive mainstream distribution. The TCFF has grown to become one of the largest film festivals in the Midwest and one of the most respected in the country; this year’s festival included more than 128,000 admissions to 156 screenings. In addition to Moore himself, attendees have included Madonna, Larry Charles, Jeff Daniels, Jeff Garlin, Patton Oswalt, Wavy Gravy, Paul Mazursky, Matthew Modine, Craig and Cindy Corrie – parents of Rachel Corrie, one of my heroes – and Christine Lahti. The festival also operates a year-round art house, the historic State Theatre in downtown Traverse City.

Yeah, lots of rich *ssh*l*s establish film festivals to bring national media attention and millions of dollars into local communities.

In my book, Michael Moore is more credible and deserving of respect for saying what he thinks about the president, Wall Street, capitalism, people with guns, pandering politicians, etc. regardless of what doing so might do to his own wealth and “brand,” not less. Envy sure is blinding, isn’t it?