SiCKO: Disappointingly Entertaining
Well, I've done it. I followed my own advice, plopped down $10 and sat through Michael Moore's new mockumentary SiCKO.Not long ago I posted here that everybody should go see the film simply to stimulate discussion about our nation's health care delivery system.
Most filmgoers are aware of Moore's nonjournalistic approach. He does not play fair, nor is he required to play fair. Most of the folks he interviews are shills. Again and again Moore expresses mock amazement whenever he hears that a Canadian or European does not pay (directly) for their health care. It's a bit overacted.
The segment that really captivated me was an interview with a retired British politician named Tony Benn. He's an extraordinarily articulate gentleman. As Benn explained, the UK universal health plan evolved after WWII. An enormous sum of money was spent to win the war and to rebuild the damaged country afterwards. The national debate boiled down to one fundamental concept, "If we have enough money to kill Germans we have enough money to protect the health of our own citizens." I found this a disturbingly simple and unarguable concept. Ten days later and I'm still thinking about it.
Two bits chafed: one involving a mislabeled act of charity and the second demonstrating no charity whatsoever. Moore describes how he "anonymously" sent $12,000 to a long-time critical blogger who had medical bills but no health insurance. The massive debt required the blogger to discontinue his online "anti-Moore" activities. If this was a genuine, anonymous act the audience (and the recipient) should never have learned about it. The stunt involving the transport of sick 9-11 rescue volunteers to Cuba was uncaring grandstanding. The footage was staged and unconvincing. Perhaps Moore simply should have written a few more anonymous checks.
Enough already, it's only a film!
Go see it. Enjoy it. Ponder it. Discuss it. Help fix the health care mess.
Related Topics: Technorati Tags: health insurance, Michael Moore, Sicko, medicine, health and wellness
3 Comments:
I actually thought the grandstanding in this film was less than I've seen in other Moore films. And yes -- every time he said health care in other countries was "free" I wanted to scream at him, "NO, NO it's not free -- it's just taken from a different pocket."
Nevertheless, I thought he put his finger on some fundamental problems with our current system, and like you, that statement about having enough money to kill Germans and therefore there should be enough for health care rang so true that I wrote it down.
He left me in a quandary though -- I agreed with what he pinpointed as a problem but not his solution. I'm truly not sure how we arrive at one of those.
I agree with the WWII example in Moore's film.
The US has the largest military budget, intelligence budget and homeland security budget humankind has ever known globally since time began yet we have about 30,000 innocent Americans dying unnecessarily each year on average due to them being medically uninsured or through having their claims denied as insured citizens. This is TEN TIMES what we lost on 9/11 (3,000 Americans) regarding innocent lives perishing unnecessarily in our nation. And, it happens every year on average to tens of thousands of innocent Americans.
National security does mean protecting Americans at home as well by not allowing them to perish quietly because our health care system is broken. Through this, we also protect their human rights and lives also when one day we better our overall health care system.
As a country we can't speak downwardly any longer to other nations about their human rights violations of their own people when we are not much better with each other as Americans here at home in America.
It is strange that we have spent over $300 billion in Iraq and found no WMD in that country that we invaded because we were told it was a threat to us as Americans here at home. How do you qualify then what a threat really is to the lives of over 180,000 Americans who have died since 9/11 due to our broken health care system if you do the math with 30,000 Americans dying per year multiplied by six years since September 11th, 2001 to summer of 2007?
We have lost about 4,000 brave and honorable Americans combined between Afghanistan and Iraq over the past five years. Add 3,000 Americans who died on 9/11 and this is 7,000 Americans who were killed by a foreign enemy who hates us all as Americans to begin with. How then since 9/11, can we have lost approximately 180,000 Americans quietly in our nation at the hands of other Americans in high places when you compare this to 7,000 Americans killed by a foreign enemy of the United States of America from 9/11 onward? At least in WWII the British were fighting a war for their survival against Nazi Germany—their enemy at the time.
Yet, these 180,000 Americans died as a result of our government not protecting them because they have allowed our health care system to deteriorate so much it will take a real long time to fix it by smart, humane people. And we worry about the death toll from genocide in Darfur, Sudan? Come on, we have bigger problems here at home in America, believe me. No American should ever die in America because they can't afford health care to save their life.
Lastly, what I did not like about Moore's film was him smugly humiliating the 9/11 American rescue workers down in Cuba. He made a mockery of their suffering. It bothered me very much as an American as if he were making fun of them or something. Not too compassionate of Mr. Moore to act so flippantly towards the very Americans he acts like he cares about through making his film about their plight to begin with. Maybe Moore should just move to Canada to stop his suffering, right? He offered no solutions in his film, just obvious criticisms about the shortcomings of Americans...again.
Identifying the problem is often easy. Providing a quality solution is not; henceforth, why our health care system is in shambles today.
Regards,
A Concerned American
There is no disputing that U.S. healthcare is in a crises state. Granted, I see no one disputing that fact.
What I do see is this: Naysayers nit-picking apart Moore's film on miniscule points over the tragic state of our healthcare. It's the usual rhetoric - he was grandstanding; he lied; he doesn't tell the whole truth; free vs. not free; and on and on it goes. I never see the naysayers - doctors, media or citizens - ever offer any plan or thoughts of what we should do about this tremendous crises. All I see is picking apart parts of the film which film was nothing short of a huge eye opening for all.
There is no disputing the film brought forth awareness and, it would seem, only Michael Moore has been able to accomplish that with an age old problem of healthcare in the U.S.
The people in Moore's film were REAL people. One of the stories was from my hometown in K.C., MO wherein her husband died because the insurance company wouldn't approve a procedure.
My family and I have been affected by no insurance, not enough insurance and tremendous bills. The stories in Moore's film were true stories, and these stories are happening to millions of people. People are suffering and dying. In the greatest, richest country in the free world!
To the lady who wants to scream at Michael Moore and say "No, No it's not free ...", universal healthcare IS free; it's not out of pocket money in order for someone to go to a doctor or hospital. If you have to call the fire department, the police department, check out a book at your local library, or when you send your child to school, do you say "How much do I owe you?" and pull out your checkbook?
We are already paying for so-called "socialized" programs. This is how a democratic society runs - caring for one another and running a civilized society. Healthcare should be for all - something as basic as this is a no brainer.
So, instead of picking apart insignificant tidbits in SICKO, how about discussing the real issues and what can be done - such as taking the profit out of healthcare and lining the pockets of Big Pharma, doctors, hospitals and politicians.
We're entering a Presidential election year - start looking at the various plans the candidates are offering. Don't just sit back and say "I don't know what we should do." This is our country; it is the people's government.
Do something!
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