Sicko

Well, here we go again. Michael Moore is putting out yet another movie this summer. This time it’s his autobiography, appropriately entitled “Sicko”. Just kidding—it’s really about the state of health care in America.

This is a good time, then, for another discussion of the role of moral truth in society. Mr. Moore’s films are propaganda that play fast and loose with the facts. (For brevity’s sake, I will not defend this statement; there are plenty of others who have.) He calls his works documentaries, yet all he truly documents is his insatiable desire to have his own views accepted. If that means a few lies along the way, then so be it. His is a classic example of the ends justifying the means.

Moore won an Oscar in 2003 for “Bowling for Columbine” in the category of best documentary. Did anyone on the Oscar committee bother to do any fact-checking on this film? If I had to guess, I would say no. “This is Spinal Tap” portrays a more realistic picture than Moore’s movie. So why did Moore win the Oscar? Even in the materialistic world of verifiable facts, “Bowling” comes up short.

I think the answer is political power. The reign of morality was overthrown in the last century. One of the results of this was the removal of barriers for the powerful. In a moral void, what prevents a head of state from killing his subjects, knowing that retribution is unlikely? What prevents a dictator from controlling the press and filling the papers with propaganda? What prevents a movie director from using lies and misrepresentations to advance his political agenda (with a little help from his friends at the Oscars), all while under the protection of the First Amendment?

I doubt if Moore cares about the veracity of his films as much as their verisimilitude. He is simply trying to be the strongest in a solely physical world, and in so doing, strangely enough, he is fulfilling the commission bestowed on him (and all of us) by our society. Though he has perpetuated a slovenly appearance throughout the years, I doubt that he is stupid. I think he may be more perceptive than most, and more courageous in a perverse way. At least he lives out what our culture has taught us to believe—but thank God more people don’t!

Whether you watch “Sicko” is, of course, up to you. I myself will pass, thank you very much. But I would encourage you to give some thought about the reasons that overarching moral truths are important. Michael Moore is just one example.