I’ve been a fan of Michael Moore for a long time. I’ve waited impatiently for his documentaries to finally make it to theaters in Alabama after their release, then dragged family members or friends to see the shows when they finally hit the local cinema. These people were always glad I had afterwards, but getting them there was sometimes a chore. Why go see a documentary when you can see a real movie? My daughter gifted me a set of his films several years ago, so I’ve had the chance to share some of his older ones with people at work and with those I volunteer with in social justice endeavors. So, yes, I admire his creative talents and his passion for exposing the truth in his filmmaking. His works have helped change the notion of documentaries and documentarians, and he has stirred up trouble for any and all rascals on the wrong side of his pointed and poignant targeted issues. Needless to say, his politics and mine mesh well, and I appreciate him keeping our stance in the forefront of social and political commentary.
I like him even more, I think, in his current role of recording secretary, unabashed cheerleader, and faithful supporter of the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York and its expanding cities. He’s everywhere right now! Regular guest appearances on several news programs, continuous tweets, and his own blog reports keep me and many others abreast of all that’s happening as he visits and participates in the demonstrations in whatever city he happens to be. He started his own ruckus against Wall Street a couple of years ago with the release of his film “Capitalism: A Love Story”, so I’m sure he is wallowing in the fact that others now get the point he was trying to make… not just getting it, but actually lending their voices and their bodies to draw attention to the issue of the wealthy and money-powerful having it all. I applaud those who are willing to keep their voices in the fray, and I applaud Michael Moore for keeping attention riveted to their words and emotions on display.
And all of this beginning and going on in the midst of a new book launch and tour! Although his appearances on television because of Occupy Wall Street might aid the advertisement and sell of his new book, his already-scheduled appearances to promote the book surely solidified and supported his efforts for Occupy Wall Street. The book, “Here Comes Trouble: Stories from my Life”, certainly solidifies my belief that there is no better spokesperson than Michael Moore for any issue for which he has the passion to defend. The book is simply a compilation of life stories that illustrate the becoming of this man and some of the thought processing that contributed to that growth.
Even before the chapters began, I was empathizing with the writer: His dedication to his mother for teaching him to read at four and for wanting to commit his stories to paper “while paper (and bookstores and libraries) still existed” hit home as the same discussion that my generation has entertained for the last few years. And then, early into the book, I realized that this would be a journey through my own childhood in a way, just seen through the stories of someone else… and what stories are told in these pages! I’ve always countered Maya Angelou’s acknowledgement that “There is no greater agony than to bear an untold story” with my own lament of, “No, it’s even worse to have no stories to tell”. Once again, while reading “Here Comes Trouble”, I feel keenly the unwritten pages of my own life’s storybook, and am humbled by the courage and conviction shown in many of the stories… and really jealous of what, in some circumstances, can be deemed simply as sheer luck experienced by the author!
Born in the same year, into much the same lifestyle, Michael Moore’s life and mine followed many of the same paths. Although we felt much the same on many of the issues discussed, I think he was sooner to see what was going on… I felt the same fears, senses of injustice, and intense passions falling on both the pro and con sides of what was happening in our lives… I just wasn’t as quick to grasp the stark reality of a lot of it. Whereas he was quick to throw caution to the wind and act on his beliefs, I was way too guilty of being swayed by caution. And the people he’s met and gotten to know, working with and joining in communion through thought and spirit… it could make anyone envious!
I highly recommend this book for everyone to read, especially if you’re turning fifty-seven this year, like I am tomorrow. What happened to Michael Moore in the Flint, Michigan area, happened to me in Huntsville, Alabama, and later on in the Ft. Worth-Dallas area of Texas. I’m sure the same things were happening all over the country. But this read is more than a walk down memory lane, it’s a revisiting of what made him, and me, and many of our generation who we are. It’s sometimes humbling, sometimes embarrassing, sometimes down-right sad. But it is us, and this years-long snapshot shows a true picture of the good, the bad, and yes, the very ugly, that formed us as individuals and as a society.
I’ve enjoyed my “Michael Moore immersion experience” for the last month, or so. After reading his stories (and listening to them, too); constantly seeing his face on television; and traveling with him via tweets and twitters, I not only like him more, I also respect him. He is a man deeply convicted by his faith, accepting the directive of the real Jesus that tells us to look into the eyes of those in poverty, pain, and the shackles of injustice, and in return, to welcome these same people into our hearts. He doesn’t stop there, though: He tries to do something about the conditions in which he finds these people. He isn’t just a rebel for rebellion’s sake: He loves the United States and wants it to be the ideal that we espouse it to be. He thinks paying taxes is patriotic. He also uses his celebrity to open doors for his creative work and for the good of his chosen missions. He celebrates diversity of race, religion, gender, and experiences and condemns the inequity and inequality of racism, of under-education, and in the disparity of classism. He feels, as I do, that when we say “Let all God’s children say ‘Amen!’, we mean all God’s children, indeed. I really like Michael Moore.
Just a note…
Michael Moore has been successful in teaching his messages of the rights of hard-working Americans, gun control, political sins, insurance company and medical injustices, and the harm of corporate and political greed. We have seen him in New York, Oakland, Washington, D.C., and Portland in the last few weeks supporting the Occupy Wall Street movement. He courageously speaks his mind and makes his point in a world of fast-talking, business-minded, political-contesting, and media-bombarded society that garners him fans, of course, but enemies as well. I hope he brings his passion and grit, along with his book tour, further South before too long: It might do him good to get a slight change in pace, even if it might feel like a snail-crawl pace that is taking him too fast back in time. I’ve already extended him an invitation for his “Home Book Tour” to stop here in North Alabama. I hope he comes. He might bring trouble with him, as it seems he often does, but his visit would be like a deep breath of clean air or a long, cool drink of clear water for me… and as we enter into the cold winter months and even colder political new year, I can’t imagine anything better than a clear head, cleansed palette, and the for-sure inspiration a visit from Michael Moore would bring.
