I finished watching the most recent documentary film by Morgan Spurlock (of "Super Size Me" fame) called "Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?" It was an entertaining film to a degree. I enjoyed it - to a degree. The basic premise is Spurlock goes to the Middle East to look for Osama. Along the way he discovers that the people he meets along the way in the various Middle Eastern countries he visits are not hate filled people out for American blood. I suspect there is indeed some truth to this and perhaps it can be helpful to consider this. However, as I watched the film I had this sense that he seemed to be presenting a pretty glossy and rosy picture of it all. And then it came. There is a part in the film where he interviews an Orthodox priest in Egypt. The orthodox priest claims he has never had any problems with the Muslims in his area. He also claims that he believes that Muslims, Jews, and Christians all pray to the same God. A couple things here...
1. No orthodox "Orthodox" priest would say this. Furthermore, nor would a Muslim. The God whom Christians worship, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - is not the same as Allah.
2. Egypt, and other countries that Spurlock visits in the video, routinely persecute Christians. For example: http://www.persecution.org/suffering/newsdetail.php?newscode=9695&PHPSESSID=6805bed098ef230c10ed37b312fd91cc
Spurlock seems to overlook some very serious problems in some of these countries in an attempt to make his point that really we are all after the same thing: we want safety for our kids, peace, and freedom. This may be true. However, to overlook the problems and persecutions in these countries is very troubling.
Which brings me to Michael Moore's film "Sicko" which I watched a few days ago as well. Basically, it is Moore's cry for a publicly funded health care system in the US. He presents Canada and the UK's socialized medicine as a glowing example of what it could be. He visits a clinic in Windsor, ON (just across from Detroit) and interviews the people there. All the people he interviewed report hardly having to wait to see a doctor and complete satisfaction with the health care system. Well, it is not quite that rosy is it fellow Canadians? There are long waits at times in clinics, Emergency rooms, and especially to see specialists and to have certain tests done. I am not arguing for or against socialized medicine... but it seems to me that such a misrepresentation of the truth should be made known.
Moore's films are interesting and entertaining. Spurlock's too. However, because of Moore's misrepresentation of the truth (this has been pointed out in several instances in "Bowling for Columbine" also) - make me doubt everything he does. Spurlock too.
In a previous post I recommended "Indoctrinate U" as a good look at the lack of free speech on "liberal" campuses. I enjoyed it. I found myself agreeing with it. However, I don't doubt that there is bias behind that documentary as well.
Documentary = propaganda in our day and age. I guess it is up to us to pull out the nuggets of truth from each one we watch.
Posts
7 comments:
My son is in the American welfare system because of his autism. As it stands right now, he's on waiting lists that are years long for services he needs. There are a number of hospitals and clinics that offer the services he needs, but they will only see so many people from the welfare system, and the rest go on waiting lists. With Obama's proposed plan, he will increase the number of people in the system, but he will pay out less to doctors. Even more hospitals and clinics will limit the number of welfare people they'll see at one time, making the waiting lists even longer. That's the main reason--even ahead of abortion--that I didn't vote for McCain.
Oops. I meant to say that's why I didn't vote for Obama. Ugh.
Al,
So are you saying that you believe the private system is more efficient?
Tremendously so. I have "real" insurance through my job, and the difference is astounding.
I am not arguing for or against privatized health care. I see a middle road as somehow being teh answer - though I ma not sure how to make that work. But I am curious - I heard thatteh American system is one of the most inefficeitn sytems around due to all the billing and bookwork that is necessary.
Thomas Jefferson said, "The government that governs least, governs best."
I believe he was right.
Obama is destroying the U.S. (and he is not alone)and I'm afraid there is not too much that can be done about it now.
It wss good while it lasted.
I didn't realize I had so many typos in my last comment - yikes!
I typically find myself in agreement that less government is better. However, what that menas to an American and to a Canadian are somehwat different I am sure!
Post a Comment