Posted on 08/01/2004 4:46:59 AM PDT by Grzegorz 246
"Fahrenheit 9/11" opened to rave reviews in German cinemas this week. DW-WORLD took a look at why Michael Moore is so popular among Europeans and asked its readers their interpretation on the director's work.
While Michael Moore may not be a flawless mind, he certainly contributes critical thinking to critical issues facing today's world citizens. Albeit a subjective perspective, Moore's productions do provide balance to ever-increasing imbalanced popular media outlets. -- Daniel Drennan
I think that Michael Moore is standing up for what a great deal of people in the US believe. He deserves to be taken seriously and the quality of his documentary is proof of that. The fact that he has become popular in Germany and Europe is also a relief -- maybe through his film and writings, some Europeans might see that there is opposition from many Americans against the war, George Bush and his actions such as the Patriot Act. -- Britta Tucker
Michael Moore is not "popular" in America! Sure the very crazy listen to him and believe a man that has no common sense.... People who educate themselves would know about the facts of 9/11, the action to take Saddam out of power to free the people of his country and also Afghanistan. It was our decision and I like most Americans have never felt that Germany should go along with the war unless they wanted too. I hope that the people of Germany look at him for what he is -- a nobody who makes more money than most of the common people in the USA and Germany! -- Jan Pickens
I believe that Europeans put too much faith in everything Michael Moore says. As an American, I feel that he is right about alot of things, however, he does not always have the full story. The mistake made by alot of Europeans is that they take his word as absolute truth. They also believe that because Michael Moore says so, that all Americans are like those Michael Moore portrays, which is not true. I do believe that eventually they will see the holes in his stories, and come to accept that Michael's stories do have merit, but have to be taken "with a grain of salt". He does make you think, which is a start in getting Americans to realize what a mess the Bush presidency has created during his tenure. Now we must undo that mess. -- Belinda Rowe
This "docummentary" is a twist on facts and has a lot of fiction in it. It will be a beloved film of anyone who does not like Bush. Hopefully those that do like him don't believe the lies purported by Mr. Moore. There are some powerful scenes as well, but for the most part I was disappointed that most of Mr. Moore's criticisms of this administration were sensationalized to make him more money. Overall, a waste of time and 9 dollars. -- Mark
Behind the laughing facetiousness of comedy there is always the grim truth of tragedy -- the infinite drama of force bettering reason. Humorous Moore is terribly serious. The postmodern world should never be short on guys like Moore. -- Guillermo Indacoechea
Moore is a serious dissenting voice representing many of us who are disenchanted with Bush and his arrogant buddies, who have created the Iraq mess, reversed the Clinton budget surplus, divided the country by preaching insecurity and fear and generally setting us back years in their reversals and failure to enforce environmental safeguards. -- Alex Sajkovic
If Europeans love Michael Moore, it must be because they want to believe that Americans as individuals are not evil -- they have just lost control of their leadership. Michael Moore represents American ingenuity, creativity, informality, a wry sense of the absurdity of life, and a strong sense of moral outrage in the face of injustice. He represents the true American much more accurately than does current American leadership. Please bear with us while we attempt to address our problems this November. -- Ron Andrico
Moore tells a story as well as anyone. He could make mincemeat out of Mother Theresa yet he chooses his targets well. His approach is to aim at split issues: Guns, Bush, (he will next look at the US Health System) where an equal number of people have strong positions for or against. He will then take the anti-US government approach which rings well with Europeans and exploit it. Moore's humor is dry and it feigns a sort of mild mannered spectator. It also doesn't hurt that his work appeals to the educated/ well read audience - proportionately Europeans are better in this area than Americans. -- John Lord
In the famous words of Ben Folds Five he is still "Fighting The Battle Of Who Could Care Less". It's an apoplectic apathy outbreak. a battle of < 12 year old > "whatever" < / 12 year old >
It's the same thing that takes smart kids in high school and turns them into burn outs. They think rebellion is kewl, they think being apathetic is a form of rebellion and they begin to compete with their friends about who could care less the most.
Moores problem is that in order to win this battle with his peers he has to not care about himself (self lothing, weight gain) and, in the end, not care about the truth.
"It also doesn't hurt that his work appeals to the educated/ well read audience - proportionately Europeans are better in this area than Americans. -- "
According to Moore, that's true. Americans, according to Moore, are the dumbest people on the planet. The facts about the F911 distortions and lies are the least important to the elite. After all, they're "THE ELITE". They know better. Yes sir...
When Bush wins big in November, Moore's movie is going to look foolish and stupid. (As if it doesn't look that way already.)
The AH Moore is popular with idiots!
Many Europeans love MM because they are to dumb to understand whats going on and also have no clue of what is real America
I do and hate MM
I dunno. Why was Hitler so popular in Europe?
Why? Flip over to C-SPAN2 and see how these yahoos are praising Sen. Robert Byrd. Hillary just introduced him so you don't have to endure that mug. He is hawking a book from the 26th of July.
Moore's twisted moral equivilence blames America and white people for the ills of the world. Pure demagoguery.
When standards are low, people don't have to behave.
Michael Moore is popular for several reasons:
1. He is, at his core, an anti-American communist. Those inculcated with socialist precepts from birth (as are the vast majority of Europeans and many Americans) automatically identify with his world-view.
2. He works in a visual medium. This is, perhaps, one of the easiest mediums to use when propagandizing because the viewer is subjected to a constant stream of images with little time to analyze one assertion before being bombarded with the next.
3. Moore uses the cultural idiom of the American pop-culture and babyboomers. In this way, the viewer is invited as an 'insider' to be part of the inside jokes. This is the mechanism used to create the sense of being 'hip.' Presenting himself as the 'everyman,' Moore further extends the gambit by allowing viewers to not only share his smug insights, but he allows the viewers to regard him as though he were a homely lap dog. That is, he has the image of being an outsider or social inferior thus allowing the viewer to accept what he asserts while holding onto their illusions of intellectual or social superiority. A good and faithful servant - tip him well, James.
4. Assorted media dolts, in lockstep thinking, re-echo his thoughts and mantle his work as a 'important contribution' to 'critical thinking' which, in turn, amplifies the airless intellectual debate surrounding his, ahem, work.
5. The abased intellectual vigor of the internation media is simply not up to the task of recognizing sophistry as something distinct and separate from dissent or logical argument. The specious foundations in Moore's cardinal arguments have been disproven time and time again, but his film remains bouyant and reviews and discourse because he presents an "alternative view." In this vein, any lie or assertion has equal weight with any other study, position or reasoned argument. More fruits of relativism and a screaming warning for those who deny the present power of fascism and propaganda.
Which in their small jealous minds equates to America being arrogant.
When the majority turns from the truth, the door is left wide open for destruction to enter.
I have a different take. He appeals to those who have a need to feel superior to the great unwashed masses.
Very well said.
Moore popular in Europe? That's a laugh.
Amazing what a good PR man can come up with.
Want another laugh?
Jerry Lewis is also considered a genius in Europe (snicker).
HAHAHA! That's a lot like saying "While Jeffrey Dahmer may not be a flawless cook, he certainly contributes a variety of unusual recipes."
Albeit a subjective perspective, Moore's productions do provide balance to ever-increasing imbalanced popular media outlets.
Once again, praising with faint damnation. Sure, Moore's garbage "balances" the emerging conservative media. But it does so with lies, fiction, and outright propaganda. Apparently, Truth is one handmaiden that won't carry any of Moore's water.
Add to your list the thought that Michael Moore looks like one of your typical neighborhood 40-something crack addicts, and all at once we see who his audience must be.
He is credentialed to report from the pubby convention by USA Today, the same way they credentialed Ann Coulter at the demonrat convention (only they changed their mind about Ann).
Yep... they believe we're arrogant, until it comes to pulling their tails out of the fire. All we need to do is point to the crosses of American soldiers in Europe and ask them who will help them if not US?
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