Rating:  Summary: Funny, Scary and True Review: Although I'd seen some of Michael Moore's TV Nation programs I'd never read any of his books. Glad I read this one. He takes the bleak state of our government and business arenas, strips them bare in a funny albeit scary way. In other words you laugh through your tears. A must read for all Americans who want to understand why our Democracy is now an Oligarchy.
Rating:  Summary: Stupidity Comes in All Colors Review: That said, this is overall a good book. My main issue with books by the left or right wings is that they spend so much time pointing the finger at each other, they fail to offer solutions for people like me who are genuinely concerned that my children will inherit a toxic planet.
Rating:  Summary: Hey Michael, run for president...you have my vote!!! Review: This book is a must for anyone who has been scratching their head or thinking they're insane since November 2000. Michael has a great sense of humour and an astute political mind. A bit disturbing to read about the Dubya in-crowd...a foreshadowing of things that have only recently come to light. Run for office, Mike...or rather...don't...just keep on writing and muckracking!
Rating:  Summary: eh......its ok Review: You gotta be a critical reader with this one. Moore's self hatred of his whiteness tends to lead some pretty ridiculous comments. Also he doesnt seem to have a real good grasp on the electoral system. All in all, he brings up some good points and does it with a great sense of humor and irony, but take it with a grain of salt.
Rating:  Summary: Why the bat? Review: This book is symptomatic of the liberal mentality being toted as ethics and "common sense" in our country today. It is a prime example of the "slander of US principles" we have been enduring for so long. This type of "truth spinning" and bullying is becoming an acceptable practice; as taught in our public schools and spewed over the media. It is getting extremely hard to find a rational, honest voice anymore and this author is defiantly not among them. The book has no bases in reality (or sanity) and should be classified as a fantasy. The author's tactics reminds me of the environmentalist (greens), consumer advocates and anti-racists who make up some fantastic story and then try to frighten us into believing it based solely on "their word" (or the bat in their hand). Well guess what... liars can only prosper as long as their victims are ignorant or afraid, and "We the People" are wising up, and arming.
Rating:  Summary: An outstanding analysis of American politics Review: Michael Moore has put into print what so many Americans are internalizing. "Stupid White Men" is a must read for all Americans over the age of 14 years. With any luck we can take back our country and improve the quality of life for all Americans. I laughed, I cried, and I was filled with discust at what we have allowed the America to become in our short history. I am sending copies to my friends to read and share with others.
Rating:  Summary: Stupid White Man Writing Stupid Book Review: This was not the author's best work and I found it rather tiresome - enough! Turn on CNN or CBS instead if you want rantings of this nature.
Rating:  Summary: oh, please! Review: Moore's book is slapstick political satire, however his politics seem somewhat short sighted. One thing he happens to do is rant just as much as he informs. The first chapter alone is a waste of time unless you were sealed off in a cave from 2000-2001. This gets old within the first chapter. Many credit him for exposing things that many have exposed now bit for bit after 9-11, but of course he's not so modest. There were others that were doing the same legitimate claims of Bush having the ties that he does. There was a biography called Fortunate SOn that was suppressed by the Bush PR team long before the whole 9-11 ignorance/censor-yourself fest. That alone should say how much better Fortunate Son is, as well as more informative. THe suppression of Moore's book has helped him more than it has hurt him. As for the whole white thing, he becomes ridiculous. Rather than complaining about colonialism abroad as countless others from Zinn to Chomsky to Fanon have, he makes a simple case that an informed enough 6th grader weilding a history book could. As one reviewer mentioned, slavery was practiced in persian and african communities. The flip side of that was that it was introduced to persia with the crusades and that african kings were extorted to involve themselves in the slave trade with being conquered by colonials as the threat. Wars were fought over it, the Kings caved in. But this is irrelevant. It's not a race blame game. Yes, white people invented the atom bomb. But this is hailed as a success. If a minority did it it would be hailed as a minority contribution during McDonald's 30 second commercial for black history month, also not forgetting to mention Booker T Washington's peanut butter and others. This is irrelevant. Innovations are a response of economic conditions and economic conditions exist within all peoples. Rather than building a substantial case, Moore goes to the simple minded. Others are calling him a neo-Marxist and I have nothing but laughs for this. Moore is a green at most. And he maintains his party loyalties, calling all greens and democrats to take action and eliminate the duopoly power of parties. It sounds for just a suffling of parties and hoping for a green-democrat domination of the same. Parties aren't the solution. It's this loyalty to frivolous parties that has brought the worst in America. Worst of all, the few legitimate causes Moore supports are some of the most popular. Moore joins the psuedo-radical bandwagon and applies schtick in an attempt to pass it off as original. This is a good book for a developing politico, but I wouldn't suggest it to anyone. If you think Jello Biafra is a genius, adore Hillary Clinton, thought No Logo was "the bomb", listen to Rage Against the Machine, and think Adbusters is hardcore, this book is for you. Suggested/alternate reading: Year 501: the Conquest Continues by Chomsky, A People's history of the US by Zinn, Fortunate Son by Hatfield, 9-11 by Chomsky, Profit Over People by Chomsky, A Little Matter of Genocide by Ward Churchill, Manufacturing Consent by Chomsky, The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon, Strike by Jeremy Brecher
Rating:  Summary: Insensate Review: On the front cover of this book, a giant Mike Moore towers over a conference table occupied by his mortal enemies, stupid white men. Where is the David to slay this Goliath! This book is one of the biggest bundles of doggerel I've ever read. That's a darn shame, too, because I always admired Mike Moore. Here's a guy that pulled himself up through sheer ability; he spent years toiling in obscurity, and spent almost every dime he had to make an important film about America's working man. He never attended college, but there he was making films and television shows. With this book, however, Moore not only shows a shocking amount of ignorance, he also moves himself further left than Karl Marx. "Stupid White Men" attacks and addresses almost everything the American far left fears in late 1990's America. Conservatives, big business, arsenic in the drinking water, minority rights, George W. Bush, mad cow disease, education, the fusion of the Democratic and Republican parties, SUVs, Election 2000, and other paranoias I'm probably forgetting appear in this book. Yes, this is what the book is: paranoid. Remember the militia movement and how they feared invasion by the United Nations? Remember how everyone painted them as dangerous lunatics? Well, Mike shows us that paranoia knows no distinctions along ideological lines. It's not that I disagree with some of Moore's assertions. Certainly some big business types are greedy jerks that act like gods, laying off workers at the drop of a hat. My problem is how Moore presents his arguments. Moore subscribes to "one cause" reasoning, a popular method of presenting a "fact" in order to tie it to a certain ideological position. The media does this all the time, and the purpose it serves is indoctrination. For example, Moore states that black women are four times as likely to die during childbirth than white women. Mike cleverly ties this solely to racism, claiming that these deaths are due to a system that purposefully denies treatment to black women. Is this the only reason? Of course not. Couldn't it also have something to do with the fact that black women have more children than white women, thereby exposing them to greater risk of death or injury? You'll never know from this book. What the reader needs to keep in mind is that every problem has more than one cause. Reducing every social ill to one concrete conclusion is not only inaccurate; it's dangerous as well because it hinders the development of effective solutions to problems. There are numerous examples of this type of reasoning in Moore's book. Another concept lacking in this book is that of personal responsibility. Every problem in society, according to Moore, is caused by external events. People who do drugs are victims, students who fail to learn are victims, and minorities are victims as well. Heck, we're all victims in some way or another in Moore's moral universe. One of the great things about America is that a person, regardless of background, might be able to make it big with a little luck, a lot of hard work, and an optimistic outlook of can-do spirit. Andrew Carnegie didn't whine when he was wearing out the soles of his shoes as a poor boy. Carnegie did something about it, and succeeded beyond anyone's wildest expectations. No one handed him the keys to the castle for free. Quit looking for reasons why you can't and find reasons why you can. You did it, Mr. Moore! Mike relies heavily on humor to make this mess palatable. It's hard to criticize points when you're laughing, and that's the idea. I'll admit I laughed over some of his quips. The idea of Ralph Nader as president is one of the funniest things I've read in years. I've always thought Moore was a funny guy. But do not make the mistake of reading this for humor at the expense of critical analysis.
Rating:  Summary: Insightful. What are the Alternatives? Review: Insightful and pragmatic...It is very important to question the role of corporations, influence of business, and the old school out-of-touch Protestants from well-to-do preppy families that were educated in private schools. This book can lead, even an American to think critically for a change. But would the average American buy and read this book? This book is worth the read. But as for the title....would blacks or hispanics run things better?....ask yourself that question.
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