Skip to main content

Moore, Morissette, More Distortion

Isn't it ironic? Fox News, Limbaugh, et al shriek about Michael Moore as a liar and presenter of a distorted view of "the facts," yet perpetuate a daily deluge of craptastic "journalism" which is devoid of any sense of fairness or balance. I can't decide if it's merely disingenuous, grotesquely manipulative or intellectually cowardly to couch one's perspective as a breathlessly shrill tirade that attempts to outshout a competitive point of view.

It reminds me of Eddie Izzard's hialrious comedy special "Dressed to Kill" where he maintains that most Americans don't really know the words to our national anthem, they merely pantomime gibberish while looking really confident and firmly gesticulating.

These Foxnewsian talking heads play the role of Plato's shadow puppeteers while legions of patriotic Americans are held rapt by their antics. Michael Moore may not be balanced in his arguments and, indeed, heads down many a blind alley while drawing his conclusions, but in the face of non-stop, hard-right opinion-shaping, he deserves his chance to make his point.

The success of Fahrenheit 9/11 reminds me of the Perrier premium bottled water craze that made its splash in the 80s. At 85 million dollars and counting, it's apparent that many Americans are eschewing Fox's tap water and paying a premium price to enjoy a better quality beverage. Even if it's also highly prized by the French.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Two Parties are NOT the same.

Thinking about the differences between the Dems and the Trump. Trump is promising "America First" jingoism without delivering anything but racism, while riding the economic tide of his predecessor. Consider what the Dems have been DEMANDED to fix. 1) Healthcare for all Americans 2) Student loan relief 3) A workable immigration solution 4) $15 min. wage and/or guaranteed income 5) Incremental gun regulation 6) Protecting the environment 7) Iran nuclear treaty 8) Thwarting Russian election interference 9) Reparations 10) Lowering taxes for middle class 11) Raising taxes for the 1% 12) Improving K-12 education 13) Rolling back Citizens United 14) Protecting Roe v. Wade 15) A satisfying DC Cinematic Universe (why not?) It's perfectly fine to be in your feelings if you are upset that this country is so f*cked that your particular issue is not being trumpeted by all (or any) of the Democratic primary candidates. It's even OK if you feel that the cur...

Open Letter to GOP recruiters

To whom it may concern: I am a telegenic, articulate, working, married father of two who owns his own house and a small business. Before you come knocking on my door, there are a few ground rules. Rule No. 1 No discussion of "The Party of Lincoln" without claiming Strom Thurmond and Jesse Helms too. I know American history well enough, thank you. I also know that Thurmond was only a Democrat until the party decided to stand up for the rights of Black people. Then he jumped ship (while denying his own half-Black daughter) and led the drive to keeping a strong segregated state. Leave Lincoln in his grave (besides, we both know he didn't really emancipate very many don't we?) Rule No. 2 Liberal is not a bad word. It does not mean that Democrats love big government and spending tax dollars foolishly. That's Bush's job. Nor does it mean that I have been stroked and manipulated by a Leftist cabal that wants to think for me. Convince me on the merits of what YOU ...

What's this talk about "Hillary's time"?

Blog comment threads are full of snippets about voting for McCain if Obama is the Dem candidate. Apparently, supporting someone other than Hillary is a fundamental betrayal of her oft-discussed "35 years" of service to America. Notwithstanding the ridiculous assertion of that much "time in the trenches," I don't buy this argument at all. She was the unelected wife of an Arkansas Governor and a two-term President. Later, ONE STATE elected her to represent them in the Senate. Why exactly does the rest of the country owe her a free pass to the "most powerful political office in the world"? If Gore hadn't been sandbagged by Monicagate, Travelgate, FBI Filegate, Lincoln bedroom "sales", sketchy Chinese donors, NOT TO MENTION Hillary's failed healthcare push, this country might be an entirely different place right now. What about what we owed HIM? or Biden... or Dodd... or Daschle? How is Hillary owed more than any of these solid Dem...