Completely OT : Cannes, Mickael Moore and the Iraq War

[Unknown_Enemy]

Alarikf, today you've earned my respect. It is not worth much, but it is the most important thing I can give you via internet.

Atrocities, I agree to disagree !
But well, surprisingly few people try to understand another country by reading their press or just looking at their side of the hill. I constantly fend off affirmations of the like "all americans are bush lovers who hate france", so when I find a generalisation such as "French and those who love to hate America" I find it a bit depressing.

[trooper]

Originally posted by dogscoff:

3 Americans, 1 Brit, 1 Chinese, 1 Finn, 1 Haitian and only 1 French person.

See... only 12.5% french. 37.5% American & 12.5% British-

To be more precise (no haitian in my list):

Quentin Tarantino (USA, film director),
Emmanuelle Beart (France, actress,
Jerry Schatzberg, USA, film director),
Tilda Swinton (UK, actress),
Tsui Hark (Honk-Kong, Film maker),
Edwidge Danticat ( USA, writer) ,
Benoit Poelvoorde (Belgium, actor & film writer ),
Kathleen Turner (USA, actress),
Peter Von Bagh ( Finland, film critic).

[trooper]

Originally posted by Atrocities:

ONLY the French and those who love to hate America would consider this movie and the manusha that it shovels to be worthy of an award. That says a hell of a lot about them.

Come on little boy, stop crying, all those people don't really hate you.

What makes people upset in France (and in many other countries) is Bush's foreign politic. But they don't hate the whole America.

Clinton, by example, has always been very popular in France, because he was open minded (or at least gave the impression he was) when dealing with middle east or environmental issues.

[Grauzone]

Originally posted by trooper:
Come on little boy, stop crying, all those people don't really hate you.

What makes people upset in France (and in many other countries) is Bush's foreign politic. But they don't hate the whole America.

Clinton, by example, has always been very popular in France, because he was open minded (or at least gave the impression he was) when dealing with middle east or environmental issues.

full agreement to this statement.

[Master Belisarius]

Alarikf: hey, I can remember your first Posts, when you still was in Iraq!

Your post was the first one after many weeks reading here OT Posts about politics, that I felt moved to write something.

Although you lose friends during the terrorist attacks to the Pentagon, and you was in Iraq during the first weeks of the operation to remove Saddam, still you're cold enough to think using your mind and not your heart.
You're a good example to show that the cliches are just cliches (I'm so tired to hear here in Uruguay, the people saying that the Americans doesn't think and believe every lie the govern say).

Time in time (not very often, must say), I have the absurd feeling that the mankind has some hope. You offered to me one of these rare moments, then, just want to finish saying THANK YOU!

[trooper]

Originally posted by Atrocities:

You say he is great and is the next best thing to Jesus the world has ever seen.

Never told that, I've only repeated what I've read about those movies in the news, and thought it was a good opportunity to argue -hummm... discuss.

I still have to see "bowling for columbine" and of course "Farenheit 9/11" to have a personnal opinion about all that. Needless to say that I'll keep a critical eye on those documentaries, as many people say Moore's arguments are often weak.


Alarikf : Nothing more to add to your opinion, brilliant post...
PS : Have any news of Ragnarok ? We're waiting for his turns in SE 101 for quite a long time now...

[ May 25, 2004, 07:51: Message edited by: trooper ]

[Atrocities]

I was figuratively speaking when I said "You say."

Moores documentaries are not weak, they just lack honesty and leave no room for counter point or clarification of the actual facts he presents. He does this on purpose to cause controversay.

You can either buy into his propaganda or understand it for what it is, one mans attempt at making money off the backs of people who enjoy being fed a diet of BS.

There are two camps on this topic and frankly I will not budge on my opinion of the man or his work. I respect everyones opinion on the topic, and I know that I often make rash statements about topics that get under my skin such as this one has.

I don't hate the French, in fact I envy them. I hate the fact that Moore has fooled so many people, including here in the US, into believing that his Documentary is fair and unbyassed when it is not. I cannot help but feel helpless at the fact that so many people have bought into his propaganda and have even felt it warrented a distinguished award.

Politics should never play into the giving of an award and that too really angers me. If Moore had done a movie on Clinton I still would say what I am saying now, its all one sided and full of BS.

So if I have offended any french person, I am deeply sorry. I know now that many French folks think the same of Mr. Moore as many Americans do. He is just a film maker out to make a buck.

As much as I dislike the man, he is at least doing what he likes to do. How many of us can say that?

[ May 25, 2004, 19:23: Message edited by: Atrocities ]

[Atrocities]

Well said alarikf. Well said.

[Will]

Hear, hear. Well said, alarikf, it would be hard to write it any better. *raises glass*

[TerranC]

Perhaps you should think about sending that little rant to your local newspaper's editorial section, Alarikf, eh?

Well said, well said indeed.