Saturday, March 26, 2011

Voice and Michael Moore

This blog was originally written in an essay format. It began “Why be good? The imperative to act as we ought, rather than as we like, looms over our daily interactions, opinions about public policy, and many varieties of social and personal actions.” The essay comes as a reaction to a recent discussion with Nick about ethical relativism. I decided to change voice, and topic somewhat, to accommodate time demands, and possible audience. I still might publish the blog, but I didn't want my consistent ability to get bogged down in details to prevent me from getting something written.

Dez, a friend from High School, has been writing once a day in a blog for the past month. She recently explained that coming up with something to write on a daily basis can be difficult. I certainly sympathize. This is what motivated me to change my writing style from an essay format to something more informal. Coming up with new content on a consistent basis along with doing it in a more rigorous format can be a bit overwhelming. Additionally, few people want to read heady material regularly, daily or otherwise. So, in an effort to be more consistent with my blogs, and stay relateable to a broader audience, a narrative and somewhat schizophrenic blog is what I'm going with for the time being.

I recently watched Michael Moore's film Roger and Me. I went into the movie not expecting much, and getting much of what I expected. His films, while emotionally quite good, fail to make strong arguments for his positions. Roger and Me details the, more or less, mass exodus of Flint, Michigan after GM decides to move its plants from Flint to Mexico (Moore's claim). Moore holds the position that GM has an obligation to the people of Flint to provide jobs for those who lost work. The film mostly consists of him trying to talk with Roger Smith (the CEO of GM) and following the lives of the people of Flint as they went through the transition.

The problem is that Moore doesn't seem to understand that increased efficiencies in production (and thus more wealth over all) practically necessitates a smaller workforce in that industry. Its debatable whether GM's move out of Flint did make the company more efficient. But, this isn't a topic that Moore addresses in his film. He should have. A convincing case could be made against the move to Mexico. After all, more than likely, GM decided to make the move because they wouldn't have to pay the works as much and worker's rights aren't as well protected in the country (see Walmart). Ensuring that people make a living wage and are not abused are values that many people can get behind. Emotion works for some people. Me, not so much.

Rationally yours,

Ryan

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