We went to see Fahrenheit 9/11 at the Fenway 13 on Saturday night, and I became uneasy before the movie, because there were rent-a-cops milling about and checking bags. Were they expecting violence? Like a modern day Outsiders, with MoveOn.org members clashing with the Young Republicans?
There has been much made of Michael Moore, and the controversy surrounding whether he can correctly claim the title of documentarian. On the Today show, pseudo-journalist Matt Lauer nitpicked and argued with Moore as if he were host of Fox and Friends. Truth is, the journalists who think Moore is utterly ruinous, (Gwen Ifill comes to mind), are making this judgment from a pretty skewed, “elite” frame of reference.
It is, after all, a movie, which intends to bring important information to the masses, wrapped in an entertaining package. It is not journalism, and I am fine with not calling the film a “documentary”. Let’s call it Op/Ed.
Moore is shameless, manipulative, and yes, he has an opinion. But I simply refuse to hold him to a higher standard than I do Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Ann Coulter. He makes me laugh, he makes me sick, and he presents a point of view that is totally american.
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