Click Banner For More Info See All Sponsors

So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!

This site is now closed permanently to new posts.
We recommend you use the new Townsy Cafe!

Click anywhere but the link to dismiss overlay!

Results 1 to 6 of 6

  • Share this thread on:
  • Follow: No Email   
  • Thread Tools
  1. TopTop #1
    zenekar's Avatar
    zenekar
     

    A note from Michael Moore...

    For Those of You on Your Way to Church This Morning ...a note from Michael Moore

    Sunday, October 4th, 2009

    Friends,

    I'd like to have a word with those of you who call yourselves Christians (Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Bill Maherists, etc. can read along, too, as much of what I have to say, I'm sure, can be applied to your own spiritual/ethical values).

    In my new film I speak for the first time in one of my movies about my own spiritual beliefs. I have always believed that one's religious leanings are deeply personal and should be kept private. After all, we've heard enough yammerin' in the past three decades about how one should "behave," and I have to say I'm pretty burned out on pieties and platitudes considering we are a violent nation who invades other countries and punishes our own for having the audacity to fall on hard times.

    I'm also against any proselytizing; I certainly don't want you to join anything I belong to. Also, as a Catholic, I have much to say about the Church as an institution, but I'll leave that for another day (or movie).

    Amidst all the Wall Street bad guys and corrupt members of Congress exposed in "Capitalism: A Love Story," I pose a simple question in the movie: "Is capitalism a sin?" I go on to ask, "Would Jesus be a capitalist?" Would he belong to a hedge fund? Would he sell short? Would he approve of a system that has allowed the richest 1% to have more financial wealth than the 95% under them combined?

    I have come to believe that there is no getting around the fact that capitalism is opposite everything that Jesus (and Moses and Mohammed and Buddha) taught. All the great religions are clear about one thing: It is evil to take the majority of the pie and leave what's left for everyone to fight over. Jesus said that the rich man would have a very hard time getting into heaven. He told us that we had to be our brother's and sister's keepers and that the riches that did exist were to be divided fairly. He said that if you failed to house the homeless and feed the hungry, you'd have a hard time finding the pin code to the pearly gates.

    I guess that's bad news for us Americans. Here's how we define "Blessed Are the Poor": We now have the highest unemployment rate since 1983. There's a foreclosure filing once every 7.5 seconds. 14,000 people every day lose their health insurance.

    At the same time, Wall Street bankers ("Blessed Are the Wealthy"?) are amassing more and more loot --*and they do their best to pay little or no income tax (last year Goldman Sachs' tax rate was a mere 1%!). Would Jesus approve of this? If not, why do we let such an evil system continue? It doesn't seem you can call yourself a Capitalist AND a Christian -- because you cannot love your money AND love your neighbor when you are denying your neighbor the ability to see a doctor just so you can have a better bottom line. *That's called "immoral" -- and you are committing a sin when you benefit at the expense of others.

    When you are in church this morning, please think about this. I am asking you to allow your "better angels" to come forward. And if you are among the millions of Americans who are struggling to make it from week to week, please know that I promise to do what I can to stop this evil -- and I hope you'll join me in not giving up until everyone has a seat at the table.

    Thanks for listening. I'm off to Mass in a few hours. I'll be sure to ask the priest if he thinks J.C. deals in derivatives or credit default swaps. I mean, after all, he must've been good at math. How else did he divide up two loaves of bread and five pieces of fish equally amongst 5,000 people? Either he was the first socialist or his disciples were really bad at packing lunch. Or both.

    Yours,
    Michael Moore
    [email protected]
    MichaelMoore.com

    Subscribe**|***
    | Login or Register (free) to reply publicly or privately   Email

  2. TopTop #2
    Tars's Avatar
    Tars
     

    Re: A note from Michael Moore...

    Viral marketing for his new movie.
    | Login or Register (free) to reply publicly or privately   Email

  3. TopTop #3
    zenekar's Avatar
    zenekar
     

    Re: A note from Michael Moore...

    Please explain what you mean.

    Attila
    ---



    Quote Posted in reply to the post by Tars: View Post
    Viral marketing for his new movie.
    | Login or Register (free) to reply publicly or privately   Email

  4. TopTop #4
    Tars's Avatar
    Tars
     

    Re: A note from Michael Moore...

    First, I'm not intending criticism, or even critique of Michael Moore's latest movie, which I haven't seen, but intend to.

    It's a piece which discusses topics covered in his movie, "Capitalism: A Love Story", the which is referred to repeatedly. Moore discusses his idea of the conflicts between capitalism as practiced today, and philosophies of major religions as a teaser to get people interested in paying to see his "film", so they can find out more

    The object of viral marketing is put something out, usually on the internet, a photo, text, video, etc. which will subtly encourage viewers to share it, at no cost to the marketer. The goal of the shared piece is to steer people towards purchasing the marketer's product, in this case, tickets to a movie.

    Michael Moore is a master of self-promotion.







    The more fully we give our energy, the more it returns to us.


    Last edited by Tars; 10-05-2009 at 08:46 AM.
    | Login or Register (free) to reply publicly or privately   Email

  5. TopTop #5

    Re: A note from Michael Moore...

    Thankfully, he's good at promotion. I suspect there are millions of people thinking, feeling and saying the same things that Michael Moore is saying, but they are never heard.


    Quote Posted in reply to the post by Tars: View Post
    First, I'm not intending criticism, or even critique of Michael Moore's latest movie, which I haven't seen, but intend to.

    It's a piece which discusses topics covered in his movie, "Capitalism: A Love Story", the which is referred to repeatedly. Moore discusses his idea of the conflicts between capitalism as practiced today, and philosophies of major religions as a teaser to get people interested in paying to see his "film", so they can find out more

    The object of viral marketing is put something out, usually on the internet, a photo, text, video, etc. which will subtly encourage viewers to share it, at no cost to the marketer. The goal of the shared piece is to steer people towards purchasing the marketer's product, in this case, tickets to a movie.

    Michael Moore is a master of self-promotion.
    | Login or Register (free) to reply publicly or privately   Email

  6. TopTop #6
    zenekar's Avatar
    zenekar
     

    Re: A note from Michael Moore...

    Yes, Michael Moore is clever at self promotion and he has sent out several emails to promote his new film. But at the same time he is sincere about what he writes. His messages are worth forwarding on their own merit. You can call it 'viral marketing' or just plain old grass roots activism -- each one teach one.

    In this case it's really promotion of critical thinking -- to see that the emperor(s) -- the free marketeers -- wear no clothes. In Moore's books and films he has tried to educate, inspire and motivate citizens to change a system that functions well for the naked emperors who are blindly served by workers who create wealth for the elite.

    Michael challenges the still prevalent plantation and colonial mentality of the elite who use low-wage workers here and in 'third world' nations. In the US (us), 'middle class'/'working class' wage-slaves have the 'fortune' to purchase toys like SUVs, plasma TVs, etc., and have the 'freedom of choice' to buy Coke or Pepsi, etc., to feel that life is good so 'what is there to complain about (or change?)'

    I commend Michael for challenging the status quo in hopes that people will wake up and participate in creating real democracy -- government of, by and for the people. I hope this form of virus spreads far and wide.

    Attila
    ---


    Quote Posted in reply to the post by Tars: View Post
    First, I'm not intending criticism, or even critique of Michael Moore's latest movie, which I haven't seen, but intend to.

    It's a piece which discusses topics covered in his movie, "Capitalism: A Love Story", the which is referred to repeatedly. Moore discusses his idea of the conflicts between capitalism as practiced today, and philosophies of major religions as a teaser to get people interested in paying to see his "film", so they can find out more

    The object of viral marketing is put something out, usually on the internet, a photo, text, video, etc. which will subtly encourage viewers to share it, at no cost to the marketer. The goal of the shared piece is to steer people towards purchasing the marketer's product, in this case, tickets to a movie.

    Michael Moore is a master of self-promotion.







    The more fully we give our energy, the more it returns to us.


    | Login or Register (free) to reply publicly or privately   Email

Similar Threads

  1. Pinch Me ...a message from Michael Moore
    By Barry in forum WaccoReader
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 11-05-2008, 05:03 PM
  2. Pinch Me ...a message from Michael Moore
    By zenekar in forum WaccoReader
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 11-05-2008, 12:36 PM
  3. Michael Moore on Obama vs Clinton
    By Sara S in forum WaccoReader
    Replies: 11
    Last Post: 04-23-2008, 08:45 AM
  4. FW: a letter from Michael Moore
    By Allen in forum WaccoReader
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 09-11-2005, 11:20 AM
  5. from Michael Moore and Camp Casey
    By callofthewild in forum General Community
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 09-07-2005, 09:13 AM

Bookmarks