SICKO what did you think?

[bigbadwolf]

There are two main criticisms I hear regarding him and his work: his facts are incorrect and he offers no solution.
To the best of my knowledge I have never seen any of his facts to actually be proven to be false. I do think that it is possible to paint situations in a particular light by carefully selecting which facts you present and how you format that presentation. But I don't think that anyone with a rational and open mind could dispute his thesis concepts:

Bowling for Columbine: that murder by handguns is a serious issue;
Fahrenheit 911: the war in Iraq and people (government representative and voting members of congress) that support it are sh*theads and liars;
Sicko: that there is a serious meltdown in the medical care system.

We already know all this: MM isn't quite startling us with the profundity of his insight. A fat, unshaven, and sloppy nincompoop spells out the patently obvious and the USA -- a nation of boobs -- swoons in amazement. The unanswered question is: How did the USA get itself up the proverbial creek without a paddle? And is there any concrete way to extricate itself from the howling mess it has made for itself economically, in health care, and militarily? And here MM is conspicuously silent -- as are the other voices in the wilderness risibly called the "Left" in the USA.

As to a solution I do not think that journalist or moviemakers are under obligation to provide solutions. They are there to report and/or chronicle events and not necessarily there to shape them.

Well, okay, I grudgingly concede the point, but as I said above he's not really shedding any new insight. Plus, he should make an attempt to appear impartial: his obvious bias and partisanship actually weakens his criticism.

I think that the healthcare issue is one among many that will never be resolved in the U.S. I think there is just too much money (special interests) at stake and as such the issue will be one that is talked about but never really addressed.
I personally believe that the US is entirely too large, making it impossible for it to deal with a lot of issues in the same manner by which Europe has been able to deal with things. Europe (and I might as well throw in Canada here) is not perfect but they seem somehow to have developed social systems that do work. We can debate forever the effectiveness of particular programs in individual countries, but the systems do work to a great extent.
I believe in socialism and social democracy, howevever it cannot work in a country like the US and that is why if the USA is still around our grandchildren will be having these very same discussions.

Agree entirely. The USA is too big to be governed democratically, or even rationally. It can only work as empire -- before it fractures into more tractable pieces.

 

[Mitscherman]

Left or Right, balance is important. What Michael Moore does is prick human consciousness which is often numbed by profit, greed, and institutional programming. He may not have the answers but he does get people thinking and talking. A person does not necessarily need to have answers in order to address serious problems in a society. One plants, another waters, etc...
Recommend you check out the video/documentary American Blackout.

 

[Lizzied]

Well said Mitscherman...thank you!

 

[auntieapple]

just after reading big bad wolf's eternal drawl in "gravitas" ( you may be informed BBW but you sure as hell need to swat up on your sense of humour) and the comments from wynnnswood I was about to reply but then Mitscherman said it for me and saved me the effort.
"Left or Right, balance is important. What Michael Moore does is prick human consciousness which is often numbed by profit, greed, and institutional programming. "
nicumpoop.,? whatever you want to call MM. Stating the obvious? yes maybe to us that have the ability to look for ourselves but the majority do not. The bush Administration capitalise on the mass ignorance of the American people ...........hellllloooooo, So MM does a great service by spe----ll---i--ng it---out! It saves us the energy of preaching at dinner parties! What are you doing BBW to inform the ignorant?
Well done Michael Moore.

 

[bigbadwolf]

So MM does a great service by spe----ll---i--ng it---out! It saves us the energy of preaching at dinner parties! What are you doing BBW to inform the ignorant?

Nothing. There's a will to ignorance among Americans: they don't want to know. There are some good films out: "Why We Fight," and "The End of Suburbia" are good recent examples. But don't include MM in such a list.

 

[GetAlife]

Great movie (documental) that shows that what is going on in the Health Industry in USA, unfortunally for "many" M.M. is ÄntiAmerican... for me is a Patriot.

 

[Lil]

I think MM is making point by taking extremes - to make his views hit home. It struck a deep chord with me. I live in U.S. and YES the U.S. DOES have issues with people with pre-existing conditions. If you need to purchase a private plan (not through an employer) it can be very challenging. We only have 3 states in the U.S. that allows pre-existing conditions and doesn't price higher for them. These states are MA, ME & VT. I have Type I diabetes and have very few choices.
What is it like to live in Argentina with a pre-existing condition (insurance considers Diabetes a chronic condition). Do insurance companies insure folks with Diabetes? Would appreciate any info on this.
Thanks!

 

[windy]

Yes in the UK people pay via taxes for medical care the National Health service,but at least it makes sure that one in six of the popultation are not left behind and that treatment is free when you need it. Well done Micheal Moore for providing food for thought to the populatoin of the US because god knows they don't get any actual news from the so called tv news channels.

 

[kenmtraveller]

It used to be the case that an engineer could make more in the USA than in Europe, but the rise of the Euro vs the dollar has changed that. I was in Denmark last year and looked at some software engineering jobs, and found that I could make about as much in Copenhagen as I could in Silicon Valley. Ken