Means to an End...

[rebness]

In the spirit of a good bit of mockery, I was directed over to F-W to see the latest discussion on Anne Rice's deteriorating prose.

I was a little...er... bemused to see Rice-- complacent, ignoring fan's reactions to Memnot the Drivel, delusions of grandeur-- compared to one Michael Moore.

Now, I can see that Republicans would be pissed off with Moore. I can see that others would disagree with some of what he says, or object to his shoutiness...but self-congratulating, in the manner of Rice? Achieving little and saying a lot?

Mr. Moore is scheduled to appear at the Liverpool Playhouse on the twelfth of November, and my friend and I are trying to procure tickets. The Playhouse is hardly the Paris Opera; Liverpool is hardly Washington; the audience will likely be composed of people who can (like me) conveniently show up at 1pm on a Thursday afternoon-- and yet, Moore will slog it out. He'll get up on that stage, and educate, and shock, and I don't care that hyperbole will be used, or that he may indeed congratulate himself on what he said afterwards. What will matter is that he will break up some of the apathy; that he shows, when relations between the American and British people are at an all-time low (well, excepting the War of Independence) that somebody cares. That even us Brits, smug in our leafy European elitism, are often blind to what is going on in our own country.

For all his shoutiness, all his moral self-righteousness-- can somebody please explain how that is A Bad Thing?

Discussing politics online is often inflammatory and cannot be solved with a punch to the face like in real life (I jest-- sort of), but I just can't fathom it. Anne Rice is like the antithesis of all that I hold dear in literature and ethics right now; Moore isn't. Ho hum.

Comments

[saffronlie.livejournal.com]

Oh, Anne Rice and her related fandom are far too easy to wank. Sadly.

What can I say on the comparison thing -- people are idiots. This state politician who's famous for oh-so-controversial xenophobic remarks was jailed recently for election fraud and the talkback radio lines clogged with people comparing her to Nelson Mandela. Makes you want to tear your hair out.

[gairid.livejournal.com]

Always up for a little AR wank, (and with her new book, there's more than enough to go around) so was pleased to see a new thread on her...not as satisfying as the last one. The Michael Moore thing seemed out of place, I thought. I just think F_W shouldn't be about people's politics (unless it's being wanked!) God knows there's plenty of places to go and rant on every conceivable topic.

I like Michael Moore, even if he is a bit of a blow-hard. At least he fires people up and makes them *think*. Like everything else you shouldn't slavishly believe every word that comes out of his mouth...the point of guys like him is to make you think for yourself a little bit. Nothing wrong with *that*! I'd be interested in your review after you go hear him speak.

What's this about the jailed politico that everyone's comparing to Nelson Mandela?

~g

[almostnever.livejournal.com]

I was mightily puzzled / pissed off by that comparison too, but I've learned the hard way that there is little point getting in a political argument online, especially when it's off-topic anyway.