Extra Blog: "Capitalism: A Love Story" Becoming A Love Story

    Over the years, the public has created an opinion of Michael Moore, you either love or hate him, with no in-between. This is no surprise given his choice to only tackle wildly complicated and socially charged subjects such as the truth behind 9/11, the Columbine shooting, America's healthcare system, and basically anything relating to presidential controversies.

    Until watching "Capitalism: A Love Story," I was certainly someone who fell closer to hate than love towards him and his projects, though I don't personally hate anyone. I always seek ways to challenge my opinions and beliefs, and this was a fantastic experience doing just that. Michael does an amazing job of smacking you in the face with the most real examples of any given topic that he is presenting. Even though I knew full well what was going on with his gonzo/interview journalism tactics, I caught myself getting emotionally invested multiple times just by how he set up a scene. 

     He'd rapid-fire some extreme examples with highly personal moments with real people, then throw statistics at you that are hopefully credible, and it can only make you go "Wow, I can't believe we are letting these people get away with these sorts of things." Next thing I know I'm unintentionally fantasizing about some cause I can get behind with the sharpies of my mind ready to make a protest sign. Recognizing that this feeling was being created inside of me from something that I initially scoffed at when I heard it was going to be the movie the class watches for this assignment was very fascinating to me, and it just goes to show what can happen when we push aside our egos and just give something a chance. 

    I'm not saying I am gonna go and burn through all of his documentaries now, but I will not be so instantly turned off by the idea of doing so going forward after watching and evaluating this movie.

Comments

  1. ProfChrisApril 1, 2024 at 1:37 PM

    Nice discussion about his ability to be persuasive; you hit the nail on the head. And, I love the image of the "sharpies" of your mind! Very engaging.

    ReplyDelete

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