Week 24: Stupid White Men by Michael Moore

I love Michael Moore for his heart and his patriotism. I don't always agree with him, but I think 1) he's a genius and 2) like Howard Stern, even if you hate him, he embodies our right to freedom of speech and encourages us to exercise our own more often. He's a regular guy who has done his homework and knows how to turn people's heads. Or twist 'em right off. Whatever works, I guess?

Bet you didn't know that Moore didn't finish college because he "couldn't find a parking spot." His book is full of personal stories from his youth that had me laughing long and hard. I particularly loved his letter to the United Nations, asking them to rescue the American people from a falsely-elected president.

But that's not what this book is really about... it's all about the many ways that we as a nation have helped to maintain a certainly quality of life, for a group of grey-haired old men in Washington.

Admittedly, this book is old. In fact, it was published just before 9/11, but after George W. Bush was "elected", as Moore puts it - frequently - in this book. Moore is great at conveying his anger and disgust at the state of the nation, and inspiring us to expect better behavior from our government officials. After all, they're supposed to do what we ask them to do, and not the other way around.

Reading this years after its publication, it was interesting to see what Moore saw were the major problems that were hitting us at that moment in history, and his eerily accurate prophecies of a continued economic downturn resulting in a major crisis. It's a little frightening to think someone could be so in tune with the inner workings of the economy and the government just by cracking a few books and thinking critically about what's going on.