Idiot Nation

by Michael Moore

Multimillion-selling author, award-winning filmmaker, performer, activist and scourge of political hypocrites everywhere, Michael Moore is nothing less than a global phenomenon. Stupid White Men was published by Penguin in the UK in 2002 and has since sold well over 1.5 million copies. These hilarious and scorching extracts show exactly why Moore is the man that everyone has an opinion on.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction

56 pages, Paperback

First published June 5, 2005

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Michael Moore is an American filmmaker, author and liberal political commentator. He is the director and producer of Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 9/11, Sicko, and Capitalism: A Love Story, four of the top nine highest-grossing documentaries of all time.[3] In September 2008, he released his first free movie on the Internet, Slacker Uprising, documenting his personal crusade to encourage more Americans to vote in presidential elections.[4] He has also written and starred in the TV shows TV Nation and The Awful Truth.
Moore is a self-described liberal who has criticized globalization, large corporations, assault weapon ownership, the Iraq War, U.S. President George W. Bush and the American health care system in his written and cinematic works.

Wikipedia

Reviews

[Annaliese · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Moore’s writing is digestible in an excerpted form like this, but I don’t think I could read an entire book like this lol

[Safaira · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about the corporate world, the American education system, common knowledge (or what should be common knowledge) and hypocrisy. So, I suppose anyone can learn something from this.

I have always heard criticisms of the corporate world, so a critique of it does not surprise me. However, I never caught on to how deeply ingrained brands are in the school system. Of course there are obvious examples like Coca Cola and Pepsi, but the broadcast advertisement example stuck with me the most.

Channel One f.e. is according to Moore one of the worst news and advertisement channels, because only 20% of the airtime is devoted to politics, economics and social issues, in other words, educational topics, what we PAY for. The rest is just pure advertisement. I never knew that and reading this was slightly disturbing to me, in addition to reading that Channel One is shown disproportionately in low-income communities with large minority populations.
In my opinion, these are the communities that tend to need decent education the most. We all know how far the corporate world goes and how sneaky it can be, but to target the people with the worst socioeconomic status and in the most need of education is plain devious.

Towards the end of the book Moore suggests that if we really want change, those in power must overcome bad things. I do not know how I feel about this sentiment, because on one hand I truly get the thought. It’s one of the only ways of getting what middle or lower-class people need. On the other hand, I do not agree with intentionally wishing people -whether they are in power or not- bad things. At the same time, change is needed. See my conundrum?

All in all, I truly enjoyed the book, its analysis and conciseness.

[Grada (BoekenTrol) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this little book.
Despite it is a bit outdated (names of presidents, prime-ministers and dates), it still is very interesting and funny to read.

I sure hope that the facts that Moore states on the educational system are indeed outdated: no more school books / additional educational supplies sponsored by Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, Shell, General Motors, Kellogg's, Burger King.
When there's no government money going in, it is great that there is private sponsoring, but I think that shouldn't be allowed as soon as these companies start dictating what the children should learn.

It also shows, that politicians everywhere are like weathercocks: on the one hand they say no to certain developments, but when the consequences of that policy get too close to home, heaven and earth are moved to turn things the other way. Or: (example form the book) Laura Bush kickes off a national campaign for America's libraries, while at the same time her husband cuts the libraries' budget with 19%....

[Kholoud · Rating 3 out of 5]

i love this book!
i love the way "Michael Moore" write!
but i don't think that, there's any relationship between the culture and the governor, i mean it's not a crime that the American leaders know nothing about "the odyssey" ,this is not the point, the point is how can the governor solve my problems, improve my living-standard and protect me!!!
i think our great Arabian governors are sooooooooooo much cultured and so????????????????

[Steve Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few extracts from Michael Moore's book 'Stupid White Men' - the book that they tried to ban in the US. I can see the point that Moore is trying to make - politicians will blame all sorts of people and reasons for something that is actually their fault - but some of his examples here are just a bit too extreme for me to accept.

[Christos Bouras · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting about the educational system in US which led the uneducated voters to support Bush administration

[Irene · Rating 3 out of 5]

L'he agafat de casa dels avis i, jo, com si s'hagués escrit ahir mateix: només cal substituir Bush per Trump i ale.
El que m'ha agradat més és l'anàlisi entre educació i corporació. Conclusió: anem cap a un món cada cop més corporatiu. Fuck. Això només ha començat.

[Renee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hadn't read Moore in years, and so had kind of forgotten how insufferable he can be.

[Ashley Chai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Irony at its finest