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Yesterday afternoon, Michael Moore sent out an email blast to his subscribers. The subject line read “Life Among the 1% …a letter from Michael Moore.” Oh, OK! Good! He is going to fess up to the fact that he is rich but then also explain how that doesn’t stop him from caring deeply about social and economic issues and we can all move on with our lives. Except, whoops, that’s not what he does in the email at all. The email is a continuation of his weird deflections about his personal wealth. MICHAEL MOORE! COME ON, BUDDY! He explains how he used most of the three million dollars he got for Roger & Me to pay his taxes and pay off his debts, and the rest was spent on a bunch of charitable donations and to set up a philanthropic foundation. Sure! That is super nice of you! But also Roger & Me was 22 years ago and you’ve made a lot more money since then? Why are we even talking about the three million dollars you got for Roger & Me at this point?! (He also sneaks in this part: “got myself a new American-made Honda, and took out a mortgage on an apartment above a Baby Gap in New York City.” Right. OK. So you bought yourself an apartment in one of the most expensive cities in the world? That’s totally fine! Many of us would do the same thing. But it’s not like living above a Baby Gap means anything. Lenny Kravitz probably lives above a Baby Gap. Don’t really think buying a New York City apartment that is above a Baby Gap is in any way indicative of a special kind of class consciousness. If anything, this is a pretty weird deflection that suggests that you have a lot less respect for the intelligence of the people who read your emails than you pretend that you have with all of your “we’re in this together” rhetoric.) And then there is this paragraph:
I do very well — and for a documentary filmmaker, I do extremely well. That, too, drives conservatives bonkers. “You’re rich because of capitalism!” they scream at me. Um, no. Didn’t you take Econ 101? Capitalism is a system, a pyramid scheme of sorts, that exploits the vast majority so that the few at the top can enrich themselves more. I make my money the old school, honest way by making things. Some years I earn a boatload of cash. Other years, like last year, I don’t have a job (no movie, no book) and so I make a lot less. “How can you claim to be for the poor when you are the opposite of poor?!” It’s like asking: “You’ve never had sex with another man — how can you be for gay marriage?!” I guess the same way that an all-male Congress voted to give women the vote, or scores of white people marched with Martin Luther Ling, Jr. (I can hear these righties yelling back through history: “Hey! You’re not black! You’re not being lynched! Why are you with the blacks?!”). It is precisely this disconnect that prevents Republicans from understanding why anyone would give of their time or money to help out those less fortunate. It is simply something their brain cannot process. “Kanye West makes millions! What’s he doing at Occupy Wall Street?!” Exactly — he’s down there demanding that his taxes be raised. That, to a right-winger, is the definition of insanity. To everyone else, we are grateful that people like him stand up, even if and especially because it is against his own personal financial interest. It is specifically what that Bible those conservatives wave around demands of those who are well off.
Ugh. Where to even begin? Let’s just take it in order. First of all, YOU DO MAKE YOUR MONEY FROM CAPITALISM, YOU WEIRDO! All of us do? We live in a capitalist society. I mean, later you will get closer to a reasonable argument by explaining how it is possible to be rich and still fight against the injustices for the poor, but you have in no way extricated yourself from the capitalist system and to suggest that you have is, to use your words, bonkers. I mean, did YOU take Econ 101? Because your moralistic and completely reductive explanation of what capitalism is is both wrong and also, again, insulting to everyone’s intelligence. This is an email to your supporters! We’re on your side, pal! Why are you treating everyone, even the people who ostensibly subscribed to this email because they agree with you, like they’re morons? And the argument that you make your money the old fashioned way by making things is such self-aggrandizing bullshit. The only way that one can make money by making things the way YOU make things (movies) is because of free market capitalism. There is no functional, utilitarian purpose to movies. You can’t feed your family by growing movies. And in countries without capitalism, the film-making is largely propagandistic (which, admittedly, is not THAT different from your film-making). You “make things.” Oof. MY BUTT YOU MAKE THINGS! This guy “makes things.”
And the balls on you, the straight up GALL, to say that some years you don’t have a job. AT A TIME LIKE THIS? WHEN THERE ARE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WHO FOR REAL DO NOT HAVE JOBS? And you are going to glibly point out that since you didn’t have a best-selling book or Academy Award-nominated documentary in theaters you make less than your usual “boatloads of cash,” I mean, THE FUUUUUCK?!
The part about straight-people being for gay marriage and men supporting women and white people supporting black people is fine, although I am not sure it’s actually an explanation for why the right would oppose Occupy Wall Street. It seems to me that their fundamental argument is always that people should pull themselves up by their bootstraps, even if the system has been rigged so that people don’t have bootstraps anymore and probably not even any boots. But the opposition to capitalist exploitation, to them, reeks of interference and telling people how to live, and that’s the part that worries them, because they are confused and think that we live in a country built entirely of free will and sheer strength of character. That’s untrue, but it doesn’t have anything to do with a disconnect about rich people helping poor people. And then you bring up Kanye West, which is a little left of field, because it wasn’t just the right that was curious about his visit to Occupy Wall Street, it was EVERYONE. It was weird and silly. And to claim that he was down there demanding that his taxes be raised when we all know for a fact that he was down there not saying shit, it’s just a lie? Why would you lie about Kanye West? What?
Look, Michael Moore, you are a good person! I believe that. You do good work. I’m sorry that this Occupy Wall Street thing has stirred up so much psychic dust in the eternal conflict between your outsized political views and your personal life. The fact of the matter is those things aren’t in nearly as much conflict as you seem to think they are. You’re acting as if conservative arguments against your ability to stand up for the poor due to your wealth are in any way rational or even possible to defuse or debunk. They’re just nonsense, and you should know that, and it’s surprising that you don’t seem to. The choir to which you are always preaching isn’t mad at you about your money, and the ones who would be aren’t going to be convinced otherwise just because you talk about the Baby Gap and are condescending about how capitalism works. ENJOY YOUR LIFE! That is all any of us can hope to do. Relax, man!
I rest my case.
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“I don’t have a lot of money because burritos ain’t free.” — Michael Moore.
I’m glad you think it’s funny to make jokes about my fallen brothers. Real classy.
http://mooreisfatduhimstoopidilikeanncoulterandchickenfries.ytmnd.com/
I just died.
In Frank’s arms tonight?
Must have been something I linked.
Your comment should have awaited moderation.
I FUCKING hate Michael Moore. HE’S PROOF that either side OF THE political spectrum (THOUGH THAT IN and of itself is a dumbass FUCKIN construction we need to drop) has its LOUD-MOUTHED idiots.
you need to turn off the ALL CAPS because I read phonetically, when I get to the ALL CAPS part I start shouting and it hurts my ears
¿Como SE dice LOLWUT?
Depends on what’s happening on the internet.
You rang?
Why do you think he’s an idiot? He fights the good fight.
“I make my money the old school, honest way by making farts”
“Michael Moore doesn’t care about Kanye” – Kanye West
“…they are confused and think that we live in a country built entirely of free will and sheer strength of character.”
Well said, sir. A citizenkane.gif to you and yours.
I had a well thought out point to make that would no doubt end all strife regarding this topic, but it went out of my head the second I saw the Doozer. DOOZERS!!!! I love Doozers!
Doozers are the 99%. see?
Doozer!!!
NOTE: apparently all it takes to control my brain is a doozer picture. I’m as flummoxed by this as anyone.
“Living above a baby gap” is our generation’s “my father was a mill worker.”
Michael Moore has a picture of a Baby Gap in his wallet. #HeIsThe99%
Roger & Me came out a full year before the first Baby Gap was founded. Someone should do a documentary on THIS guy.
Michael Moore doubles down + he is fat =
Fuuuuck that sandwich. You went from me being annoyed with Michael more to being REAL FUCKIN’ ANNOYED with KFC. Me being a glutton, I was excited for it when it came out. Then I tried it, and not only was it so goddamn salty that I had to pull over at the next exit to buy something to drink, but it was also completely underwhelming. You know why? Because it is not a goddamn sandwich with chicken instead of bread, like they claim. It is a fucking chicken cordon bleu. Just with bacon instead of ham. Fuck off, KFC, you’re not innovating a goddamn thing.
THAT thing is A FUCKING mess. Like it just DISSOLVES IN YOUR hand. And it’s NOT SO MUCH the DIABEETUS INDUCING DREAM that I had so longed for but a goddamn sodium EXPLOSION.
I’m reading this eating a KFC mashed potato bowl. But not the one with bacon. I am not a glutton.
And who the hell wants to forgo the BREAD on a sandwich in the first place? Bad carbs forever!
I know right? Just put some fuckin’ buns around that baby, and maybe we’ll talk.
New York Elite: Oh, you have an apartment in the city? Is it above Saks?
Michael Moore: No, it’s above BabyGap.
New York Elite: Oh..I see…that’s nice. (leaves)
EXACTLY!!!! Thank you. I’m glad you got that off my chest, Gabe.
What had Gabe left on your chest ?
Michael Moore.
Sounds sexy!
Also, MICHAEL MOORE, while we’re rallying against you, you might as well not even make your planned OWS documentary. You know why? Because someone already made that. Except it was about 20 years before this movement even started, and it was a movie called They Live and it was fucking great, and nothing you do will ever come anywhere near as close to the message that movie already put out, not even if you get Rowdy Roddy Piper to fight Alec Baldwin in an alley for 20 minutes.
FACETACO, YOU just moved yourself into THE PANTHEON OF THE great FOODFACES with that comment. THEY LIVE is indeed one OF THE BEST fucking MOVIES. THEY LIVE/ROBOCOP double feature at MY PLACE, Y’ALL.
That sounds like a fine double-feature, but will you be turning the volume up and down randomly throughout each movie?
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see
Fuck yeah, evilmregg! The only way to incite change in Videogum is to get the fuck out there and protest! You are the 99%! Occupy Videogum!
Just kidding, this website is perfect, and you should recognize that.
Leave evilmregg alone?
But his comment was stupid?
I agree with “evilmregg” I cant stand that ending all sentences in questioning inflection because it is passive aggressive and weirdly manipulative in a way that is dishonest. It has this annoying neediness to it like the person who is talking is subliminally trying to get you to validate everything they say but they in all honesty just want to continue blathering on regardless if you agree hence the question mark inflection without a question.
oh. but that’s like, exactly what i do?
I didn’t read any of that, Steve-O. Too many words.
Wait. I’m totally willing to accept that someone could find this type of usage of the question mark to be affected or annoying, but all of the other stuff you just said is nonsense. If you’re reading that much weird intentionality into the psychology behind simply trying to get the reader to uptalk a sentence because it does seem (at least to the writer at times, even if he is wrong, which he very well might be, and he is going to take all of this into consideration) more conversational, into some kind of deep-seated neediness and/or some kind of eschewing of responsibility of his/her own opinions, that seems very far-fetched and like it probably says a lot more about you the reader than him/her the writer.
Psyche? Just kidding?
Steve, if this was a high school, that comment would secure you my vote for Homecoming King.
I’m pronouncing it Eevil Mrrrregg. Is that correct?
I totally agree. Have some conviction.
I looked it up. Michael Moore whent to University of Michigan-Flint. Do not let your kids go there becaue apparently they do not teach economics properly.
Of course I just spelled “went” wrong so who am I to judge?
And “because” too. What is wrong with me today? At least I know that economics is some sort of series of tubes all connected to each other, right guys?
Relxa timmybear, jaust rleax, theirs know kneadt o let this getout uv hand
at least they aren’t showering next to eachother
arent you worried about the gender neutral dormitories at that school? you could take a shower you look over your shoulder and see Michael Moore nude
I said Michael Moore not Mandy Moore the girl
I thought you said Michael Stipe. That would be pretty rough, too.
I know an older fella who said Michael Stipe hit on him back in the 80s
i don’t even care about michael moore in the least. he’s the guy that made supersize me, right? (great fat joke, i love you morgan spurlock) all i care about is the wu-tang references in the tags.
Michael Moore’s so fat, he’s occupying all of the cities as we speak.
When he pulls on his OWS t-shirt it spells out OULEWARDS
Michael Moore is so fat, before he moved into his apartment above the Baby Gap, it was just a regular Gap.
As soon as he moved on top of it, the Gap closed.
Team America Michael Moore puppet clutching hot dogs .gif
I have many rational, compassionate conservative friends who hate being associated with the likes of O’Reily and Beck and those other J-holes. This must be how they feel.
is baby gap supposed to imply humbleness now? has anyone ever shopped at baby gap before?!?! because i happen to have a baby and stepped in their ONCE, saw piles of $58 onesies, and ran out screaming.
He’s out of his mind. But this mindset is not unlike a lot of rich Americans. I said in an earlier post that I don’t even think some people in the 1% are” aware” that they’re in the 1%. I do, however, think he knows better, so I’m not sure what he’s trying to accomplish other than douchery but I will say there a very real perverted sense of wealth in this country. A lot of rich people compare themselves to other rich people and feel “poor” by comparison. Oh you have a yacht and a 15,000 sf summer home, I only have a summer home and a Bently, I’m pooorrr.
On the flip side, A lot of poor people vote for rich people to stay in office and perpetuate the oligarchy we live in because they view themselves as one day being able to be rich. They’re voting against their interests because they are “potentially” rich.
I don’t see what the problem is. He probably doesn’t make as much money as you think he does. He has managers, agents, publicists and taxes to pay. Besides Bowling for Columbine, his movies haven’t been that successful. He is being a little oversensitive about the whole thing, but I guess his image is of an everyman, so he wants to hang on to that.
he hangs on to the every man image in a fashion that is kind of annoying and if not deliberately dishonest then at least incredibly lame and unintentionally dishonest. Gabe is correct in his critique
If you have manager, agents, and publicists to pay, then you are in the 1%.
Talkin’ ain’t knowin’.
Well, I have all 3 and I ain’t anywhere near the 1%, believe me.
The “methinks” comes at the end of the quote.
Thanks theater degree. Thanks for unemployment and downvoted comments.
Michael Moore swallows the Good Vs. Evil Kool-Aid as much as the people that decries. This is why he is so sensitive about being on the right side (which apparently is the poor side, the Baby Gap side). It’s the same nonsense that has justified pretty much every war Michael Moore has protested – a disturbing lack of pragmatism in the service of violence, racism, and stupidity, with no real connection to actual ethics or even common sense.
But he’s rich so he probably doesn’t care about my opinion anyway (Michael Moore Buuuuurn)
Take it in the face,
Alex
I’m going to Occupy Baby GAP
baby GAP….is that the generation lapse after the baby boomers & Gen X?
http://www.cc2biz.com