Customer Reviews

Michael Moore Is a Big Fat Stupid White Man

5 star:		(317)
4 star:		(75)
3 star:		(38)
2 star:		(27)
1 star:		(226)

 

 

I ordered this book from Amazon and just finished reading it a few days ago. I wanted to read the whole book before I posted a review. Along the way I have read other reviews, and I know without a doubt that some of these one-star reviewers haven't read this book. One reviewer stated this book is satire, and not very good satire. This book is NOT satirical. The men who wrote this book really did their homework and research, with pages of sources in the back that any of us can look up.

I agree with a couple other reviewers who have said the title of this book is very misleading as to the contents of the book. I understand why they named it "Michael Moore is a big, fat stupid white man." It is a combination of Al Franken's early 1990s book title about Rush Limbaugh, and Michael Moore's "Stupid White Men". There is a bit of humor here and there. At the beginning of the book the authors give us a time line between 1989 through the present of Michael Moore words and actions, and how we can know what will happen by what Moore says. Whatever he says - the opposite will happen.

I would recommend this book to anyone who doesn't know much about Moore and his background. I didn't, and I learned alot - from his first so-called documentary "Roger and Me," (GM president Roger Smith) up to his latest propaganda piece. "Fahrenheit 9/11" had not been released at the time this book went to press, but the authors accurately hit the nail on the head telling the reader what will be in it, just by knowing Moore's history and how predictable he is.

I found this book to be so informative I began to keep a pencil handy to underline and check certain passages so I could refer back to them later. One thing that really struck me is how often Moore contradicts himself, and how when anything doesn't go his way, he starts screaming about there being a conspiracy against him. Or, he will fabricate a conspiracy if it will help him make a few more bucks. Example: Moore publicly accused Disney and Miramax of censoring him by not distributing "Fahrenheit 9/11." But the authors state "later, Moore lets it slip on CNN that he'd been told nearly a year before that Miramax would not be his American distributor-which means that unless he'd somehow forgotten for all that time that he didn't have a distributor, all had been arranged in advance."

Don't let the title of this book fool you. It is not a light-weight, mindless attack on Michael Moore. These authors did pain-staking research on Moore. This is a serious book chocked full of statistics and facts, and unlike Moore, I bet they will let the chips fall where they may.

As a librarian I believe very strongly in the value of the first amendment, which protects the right an individual american has to speak his or her mind. This book is a brave and important balance to the work of Michael Moore, who has openly denounced and threatened legal action against those who challenge his assertions.

As Americans, we need to remember that free speech can be taken from us not only by our government but by individuals who would threaten, menace, and use the weight of their status as celebrities to silence dissent and exert influence. In this book - and in other works of film and print that are emerging - we are finally seeing a response, an intelligent response to unbalanced propaganda that is presented as fact. It is a brave and important work, and should be read by any who are concerned about the influence of propaganda in society.

Propaganda is poison for democracy. Read this book and you will learn a great deal about America's preeminent propagandist.

Read this book, and support free speech!

First I think it needs to be said that the title of this book is inappropriate and uncalled for. It is an obvious play on Moore's own attempts at degrading and insulting others in his book "Stupid White Men". That said, it is simply unfortunate the authors here chose to dig a hole down to Moore's level because the information and facts in this book are too important to be dismissed because of the insulting book title. I fear that the factual information will not be read by those who are turned off by the title. I have enjoyed some of Moore's work, and in fact gave "Downside This" a favorable review here, but Moore obviously has some issue with his tactics, which are exposed in this book.

In regards to the book content, it is excellent. I am sure by now that everyone knows Michael Moore is far from the "man of the people" he pretends to be. He is a very wealthy member of the celebrity circles, owns more than one million dollar home, and in fact is quite smug about his wealth. He charges up to 30k to speak out about the perils of wealthy, white men, which in a twist of irony he seems unaware of - he is. In fact several Moore quotes show a man who is overtly arrogant about his wealth and how he has become rich while other journalists are struggling by "playing by the rules".(page 120).

In regards to his films and books, it is unfortunate he falsifies information to the extent he does. I think that he makes some good points. In "Bowling for Columbine" I agreed with his stance on gun control, yet he wasn't content with facts, he had to lie and misrepresent the truth to get there. For example, in one sequence he makes the claim that the young men who murdered their classmates did so while local corporation Lockheed-Martin rolled weapons of mass destruction through the streets. Well, not quite. Lockheed makes satellite rockets for placing satellites in space. (Page 87). What is even more disturbing is that this information was known, and filmed at the time, yet edited out.

In "Roger and Me" Moore commits one of his favorite tactics. He goes with a film crew outside of the Waldorf-Astoria in New York, and a Yacht club in Michigan to try and film GM President Roger Smith. However, it was known to Moore that Smith had never stayed at the Waldorf and is not even a member of the Yacht Club, so obviously he wouldn't be filmed there. (Page 25) This tactic Moore uses often to try and paint a picture that is patently false and misrepresents the truth - deliberately. A bigger surprise for me is the quote from Moore that he doesn't even drive GM cars, preferring foreign cars! This is hardly the man of the people who took on a major corporation for laying off its workers at the GM plant in Flint Michigan, when the result of his own consumer choices places their jobs at risk.

In "Fahrenheit 911" he commits yet another series of misrepresentations. I even know some people who are otherwise quite smart and level headed who were taken in by Moore's tactics. He claims that the Bush family has ties to the Bin Laden family. (Page 129). I would hope so. The Bin Laden family is huge, something like 50 or so sons. They are one of the wealthiest and most influential in Saudi and lean heavily towards the west and America. Having long since disowned "Osama" (who considers them all to be traitors to Islam) they are allies to our cause in the Middle East. He claims that Bush invited the Taliban government to Texas. Well in fact it was President Clinton who authorized and endorsed the visit, and Clinton who was supporting a pipeline which would have benefited the Taliban, while Bush opposed it. (Page 177). There are too many other discrepancies to count.

Overall, the book is full of factual and well documented information, though often redundant, and mean-spirited in its presentation. There are hundreds of Moore's lies and mistruths uncovered and exposed. While this may align to Moore's own style itself, I expected better from them, therefore only three stars. The index itself is worth reviewing. If you are a fan of Moore's then continue to admire his talent in making fictional films to make his own self serving political points, but educate yourself on the truth behind his claims to better decide these issues for yourself.

I would recommend this book for any American who is overcome with nausea every time an uninformed friend or relative fires off a quote from Moore's bestseller Stupid Whire Men or calls Bowling for Columbine a masterpiece. In this book, author's Hardy and Clarke go for the throat with documented facts (Moore could learn a thing or two), and point out the mis-truths, half-truths and out right lies in Moore's books and movies. Still more amusing and interesting are the authors efforts to show the reader the real Moore: A self riteous, libelous and angry man who produces vitriolic leftist propoganda and refuses to acknowledge his critics -- choosing instead to spew out conspiracy theories and lawsuits everytime his work is challenged.

Hardy and Clarke may find that they are preaching to the choir with their critique of Moore's work and character and their blow by blow analysis of his 'documentaries,' but they hit the nail on the head and should be commended for their guts (as Moore has loudly threatened legal action against his 'wacko attackos').

Disregard the criticism in the previous posts. Its doubtful the critics have read the book. If they did they'd have to take a long look in the mirror as this book exposes Moore and his blind followers for the true, lying, whiny malcontents that they are.

Final word: Buy the book. Its a very well researched and written critique of America's foremost blowhard.

This book is one of those unfortunates that will probably be wildly praised by those who hate Michael Moore and reviled by those who see him as a brave, solitary truth-teller.
Unfortunately, both those extremes leave little room for the truth, and that is that this book does an excellent job of pointing out HUGE inconsistencies in Moore's stats, stories, and, well, slander.

For people who swallowed Farenheit 9/11 and Bowling for Columbine whole, Hardy and Clarke take a look at how Moore skews statistics and puts events out of order in order to serve his own views. Now, many of you will say, "So what? All pundits use numbers to make things appear as they say they are! What's the big deal?" The big deal, my friends, is that this is a man who is regarded by those on the far left as a Champion of How Things Really Are, and we can see inconsistency, if not outright dishonesty, in his methods. The authors do a fairly good job of presenting a point/counterpoint format, with Moore's version of things presented before the author's researched facts of the case.

Also questioned in the book is Moore's portrayl of himself as a blue-collar 9 to 5 "man of the people". I personally had no idea that Moore lived in such affluency before reading this book. I guess it's possible to be rich and still care for your fellow man, but when you're taking on the rich, Big Oil, GM, and Nike while living like a fat cat yourself...well, let's just say the book brings to mind not throwing stones while residing in a glass house.

All in all, an enjoyable read, perfect for the reader who isn't afraid to wade in and see another point of view. Of course, the book, like Moore's movies, should not be swallowed hook, line and, sinker. If you consider yourself "open-minded" enough to see "Farenheit 9/11" or read Stupid White Men, then you should open-minded enough to consider this book.

For starters, this book does an important service. It calls out Moore's many lies and editing tricks to misrepresent issues and people. From there, after it sets the record straight it debunks them one by one. For that it should be praised.

Secondly, what does the right have to fear? Fear, thats the wrong word. More applicable maybe that there is concern mindless people will buy into Moore's intellectual hash without even thinking about the issue beyond what Moore presents. Its important when someone puts out blatant propaganda that it be called out and responded to. If it sits too long in the public arena some people will believe it hook line and sinker.

Thirdly, Its ironic that Mr Moore while railing against the US capitalist system does use it to his own advantage. Maybe to the English reviewer that doesn't bother you. To me it does seem odd if one bashes a capitalist system - they below the radar use it to get wealthy. You'd think if Moore were honest in that belief he'd be living in Europe in a small apartment. However, ethics and logic aren't a fixture in Moore's life and propaganda.

Finally to the people who will chalk this up to right wing cashing in on his name. Sure, money is in the equation. Its not the primary reasoning for this books existance. Many people see Moore for what he is - A propagandist who throws out outrageous theories, goes around Europe bashing his own country and most viciously in his films using quotes and editing tricks to take comments out of context to represent what he wants to show - not what the truth is.

In closing, I'll offer one theory about Mr Moore. I think he appeals to the hard left extremist who loves to see him "give it to Bush" or "give it to the arrogant imperialist Americans" who has never grown up or been able to hold a real job in society. The types that live off government grants to shove thier agenda down your throat - those types.

The young skulls of unthinking neurons and perennial losers buy into his tripe. Those who never realized in the US its up to you to succeed - not what the government does for you.

I love the fact that when Moore had a real job, he only lasted one day. Says something there.

It appears that my Australian associate has not even read the book because all of his criticisms are unfounded. When you read this book you see how much of a hypocrite Moore really is. It shows his fabulously wealthy lifestyle in New York and how he attempts to portray himself as a "man of the people," to his obvious displays of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. It is definitely a scandalous read with more truth than Moore would like his "congregation of blind followers" would like to see. I will defend every man's right to free speech, but when it comes to out and out lying it must stop, and this book illustrates those lies perfectly.

The book is smaller than one might expect; barely 200 pages, and of that, parts of it are nothing more than reprints of analytical columns by people other than the book's authors. Ultimately, that's because the book focuses heavily on Moore's productions (books, movies) and debunking the more obvious errors, then switches focus to analyze the man and his methods. The result is a comfortable, easily read book with nearly 40 pages of references. What was not addressed were Fahrenheit 9/11's specifics (because the book was in the production loop before the movie came out), or the rampant errors in Moore's series TV Nation. Addressing those problems instead would likely have produced a thicker, more clinical book... but would have put people to sleep.
End result? A book which can demonstrate unequivocably that Moore is a propagandist with only a fleeting association with the truth, while leaving so much more Moore fiction uncorrected to provide either a) a college thesis paper, or b) a sequel to the book, if it sells enough copies.
Personally, I'm guessing this one will generate a second title, something like Moore is Less, where they'll shred F-9/11, TV Nation, and his lesser works. Well, if it does, I'll buy it.

Michael Moore may use his high-priced legal team to sue me. he already threatened me once elsewhere. So I have to stay anonymous. In any case, Michael Moore is an incredible hypocrit. While I was cleaning the ashes off my apartment window after 9/11, he was enjoying his very rich existence which allows him to enjoy the tax cuts he can manage thanks to his accountantd and extremely high tax bracket. Dontcha just love the hypocrisy?

Anyway, if you don't want to be part of the brainless herd, if you want to question what media figures feed us, read this book. You may disagree. You may agree. But you'll be working to form your own opinion. Something Michael Moore repeatedly tells our friends in Europe and Japan that we Americans are totally incapable of doing.

I honestly purchased this book to contribute my dollars to a cause antithetical to Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11. With the book in hand, I resolved to read it, which took about four hours. The writing quality reminds me of Matt Drudge's "Drudge Manifesto", which introduced me to the writing style of web journalism. If you enjoy this you can review the sources in the back with endings like urls 2003/10/10/1065676154259.html?

Although D.T. Hardy and J. Clarke are listed as the authors and seem like authentic souls, they only write approximately half of the book. The rest of the chapters are submitted by guest authors, which leads to a somewhat uneven appearance. Because the different submitters are not writing with a view of the book's constructed whole, many of the more notorious "Moore Stories" are repeated more than once. The most coherent piece was submitted by Andrew Sullivan, which originally appeared in the Times of London, and Sullivan does not neglect to remind me that in addition to other things, the Taliban was "homophobic".

I have not seen any of Moore's films but may have glanced at "Stupid White Men" in a bookstore in the past. I honestly hope that this is one of the last books with a title like "Stupid White Men" (let alone Big, Fat) for some time (whatever happened to "the Unauthorized . as a title?). Moore certainly has been busy over the past few years, with "Bowling for Columbine" & "Dude, Where's My Country" both of which I had barely heard of, and now Fahreinheit which I could not avoid noticing. I learned a few things in Hardy & Clarke's book I hadn't been aware of from Moore's works, such as that Condoleeza Rice has an oil tanker named after her, which strikes me as kind of endearing.

A little bit of Moore's comic ability even leaks through, despite whatever intentions Hardy & Clarke may have. Early on we are treated to one of Moore's anecdotes:

[p. 31] "'You must have a conservative in your family - an uncle or someone," [Moore] said confidingly. `That person never loses his car keys. He has every key marked: this SUV, that SUV. Our {the liberal} side goes {in a timid, whiny voice}, `Do you know where my car keys are?...Where do you want to go to dinner'? `Gee, I don't know. Where do *you* want to go to dinner?' Right-wingers go {slamming the podium} `GET IN THE CAR! WE'RE GOING TO SIZZLER!'"

All levity aside, the authors catalog enough of Moore's distortions to make the case that he is a very dangerous propagandist, who not only targets conservatives and America as a whole, but also slimes anyone who appears to get in his way. Despite his professed love for the U.S.A., he often appears to salivate at maligning the country as a nation of idiots in any foreign venue that will applaud. The UK, Germany and Sweden may have many virtues but they have their own dirty laundry as well, without their own version of Michael Moore to air it.

The most thoughtful section of the book, in the middle, discusses the nature of documentaries and how many liberties with the truth their creators should be allowed to make in order to hew to a storyline: [p. 106] "There is literal accuracy, as in the documentarian [having] all his facts straight, " [Dana] Benelli [, an assistant professor of theatre at Illinois State University], "And then there is `core truth', that which is found in the significance of the situation being represented, through which errors in detail may not undermine the point of the documentary as a whole."

Moore, in his enthusiasm for certain storylines (US military = evil, GW Bush = stupid, etc.) in the face of inconvenient facts that sometimes crop up, could wind up being a danger to the unwary who jump on his bandwagon. This, combined with the increasing numbers of people he has managed to alienate over time (whether at the Village Voice, the Ralph Nader organization or elsewhere) ensures that when Moore finally jumps the shark and begins his long, personal descent to earth, there will be many fireworks along the way. Read this book to get an early flavor of what to expect.