Reply
Tue 13 Jul, 2004 06:08 am
Moore is watching you:
Time Europe
Michael Moore for president :wink:
Michael Moore should stick to making documentaries. Just because he can point out the foibles and evils of others doesn't mean he'd be a good President. I admire him as a film maker, but I suspect he's a bit of a megalomaniac.
Would you really want a man who thinks all Americans are idiots to be president?
Only some of us are idiots, McG, as I'm sure Michael Moore would agree...
According to Micheal Moore:
Micheal Moore wrote:Take his description of his fellow countrymen and their blind pursuit of the American Dream: "They are possibly the dumbest people on the planet... in thrall to conniving, thieving, smug pricks.
"We Americans suffer from an enforced ignorance. We don't know about anything that's happening outside our country. Our stupidity is embarrassing. National Geographic produced a survey which showed that 60 per cent of 18-25 year olds don't know where Great Britain is on a map. And 92 per cent of us don't own a passport."
link
McGentrix wrote:Would you really want a man who thinks all Americans are idiots to be president?
Do you know this symbol : ;-) ?
But Moore mustn't forget : He is also an American.
Those who are ignorant on a subject are dumb but nowhere does Moore state they are idiots. This just shows how one statement is taken out of context and played like a violin to the willing ears of those who want to admit they are dumb. One lesson in life to learn: don't volunteer yourself to something you don't understand.
Lightwizard wrote:Those who are ignorant on a subject are dumb but nowhere does Moore state they are idiots. This just shows how one statement is taken out of context and played like a violin to the willing ears of those who want to admit they are dumb. One lesson in life to learn: don't volunteer yourself to something you don't understand.
Oh, right, I forgot that Moore is idolized by some.
There you go again.
No real argument but an accusation that "some" idolize Moore. A cheap trick, McG, and it won't work. I do not idolize anyone, least of all anyone on this forum!
McGentrix wrote:According to Micheal Moore:
Micheal Moore wrote:Take his description of his fellow countrymen and their blind pursuit of the American Dream: "They are possibly the dumbest people on the planet... in thrall to conniving, thieving, smug pricks.
"We Americans suffer from an enforced ignorance. We don't know about anything that's happening outside our country. Our stupidity is embarrassing. National Geographic produced a survey which showed that 60 per cent of 18-25 year olds don't know where Great Britain is on a map. And 92 per cent of us don't own a passport."
link
Forgetting for the moment who the author is; is there anything false in this statement?
Yes, i would say he falsely overestimates the geographical sophistication of the American public. Just off hand, i'd say far too many people don't know there is such a thing as Great Britain . . .
That 92 percent of us down own a passport is telling indeed. Does that mean that 92% can't afford to travel outside the country? Or does it mean that 92% don't think it important to see other countries of the world and, more even more important, understand them? As far as international politics, most Americans are comfortable living in their warm and comforting little womb. Ignorance is indeed bliss.
or, all of our needs are met in the US and we don't see the need to escape our vicchy governments and seek better lives for ourselves outside our borders...
Just a possibility.
Who says anyone is seeking better lives outside of the U.S. by traveling and understanding other countries and peoples in the world? That is the ultimate ignorance. Just stay in the womb and accept your fate -- you have found true happiness.
Reading about it is a cop out -- you're accepting the opinion of others instead of actually experiencing it yourself.
I've met intelligent Americans, who are successful in their chosen path in life, who cannot distinguish between Austria and Australia . . . the parochialism is astounding. It is usually not a problem, until you get an adminstration such as this, which is attempting to achieve American military hegemony. At that point, the casual ignorance of the world on the part of Americans becomes positively dangerous to us all.
I've met Frenchmen equally ignorant, as well as Englishmen, Germans, Russians, Japanese and Australians. The US hardly has a monopoly on ignorance.
Oh, really. Where did you meet these Englishmen, Germans, Russians, Japanese and Australians? How did you determine they were ignorant? Pardon me but the incredibility meter just went off the gauge.
Setanta is right -- this is an enforced ignorance playing on the human emotions of fear and anxiety.
I lived in Germany for nine years and have visited every country in Europe extensively. I have many native friends still living in Europe and I have business that takes me to various locations throughout the world. So, put your meter away and deal with it.
Why is it so hard to believe that average people around the world are just average?
Even if it's true that Europeans are as ignorant of America as we are of their countries (which I doubt; I've spent time in Europe, too), the fact that America is by far the most powerful country in the world makes it more of a problem here.
As Setanta remarks, if the US is to intervene militarily wherever it suits us, American citizens should at least have some vague idea about what's going on beyond their cul-de-sacs...
Lightwizard wrote:That 92 percent of us down own a passport is telling indeed. Does that mean that 92% can't afford to travel outside the country? Or does it mean that 92% don't think it important to see other countries of the world and, more even more important, understand them? As far as international politics, most Americans are comfortable living in their warm and comforting little womb. Ignorance is indeed bliss.
Maybe it simply means that most of us don't need one at any given time since we can travel anywhere in North America without one. We're generaly brought up to think that we go and get our passports when we get ready to travel to someplace that requires one. Most people don't need to maintain one at all times.
I'd question the 92% number though. US adult passports are good for 10 years and the Dept of state has issued over 68 million of them since 1994. The US population is just shy of 300 million so that alone would put 20% of us holding current passports.
Stumble It!
Tweet This
Bookmark on Delicious
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace