MovieChat Forums > Where to Invade Next (2016) Discussion > Easy to compare cherry-picked items and ...

Easy to compare cherry-picked items and ignoring the whole...

posted 8 years ago by al666940-3
6 replies | jump to latest

I get what Moore is trying to do, and I agree the USA has lost its way due to greed and whatnot (most of these notions started indeed in USA). And I know Moore has only so much time to provide context.

But still, the resulting comparison seems at times really flawed:
a) All of the countries compared to USA are:
- SMALL in population (exception being France and Germany)
- With a very homogeneous population (exception again France and Germany)
- They don't exactly make it easy for people to immigrate to them (same exception)
- Many of them are almost third world countries (Italy, Portugal, Tunisia) most would think twice to emigrate to unless they got a job offer on hand (they can be nice to live WHEN you got a job already, good luck getting one if you land unemployed).

That alone makes them so much more manageable due to minimal conflicting interests from different groups.

And I mean, come on, he even mentions Iran as number 1 in stem cell research. Even if that's true, do we WANT the USA to turn into Iran to achieve that? This was cherry picking at its worst. May as well showcase Mussolini's Italy to show how to run a timely train system.

Regarding France:
- they conveniently don't show a place with significant immigrant presence, where you would realize how poorly Muslim immigration has assimilated and thus how problematic has become.
- they don't show their whole financial situation (people there ain't exactly raking it in or landing jobs as soon as they graduate).
- they sure as heck don't show you their prisons (if you think USA is cruel and unusual, take a crack at these ones)

Regarding Germany:
- not sure, for they are the economic engine of Europe and don't know if they have an assimilation problem like France (although recent attacks sure don't point in the right direction).

So Germany for me is the fairest comparison to USA as to what USA has neglected and should correct.

[–] budakhan79 8 years ago

Moore's documentaries have been proven to not only paint the entire picture of depicted countries but also having gross inaccuracies and even engineering situations that aren't depicted inaccurately.

[–] al666940-3 8 years ago

But even so they do point a finger at relevant issues and try to provide a possible array of solutions.

[–] budakhan79 8 years ago

Yeah but it sure does take the legitimacy out of an argument if they facts or wrong, or whole truths aren't being said or things are a total lie. Why be dishonest about stuff? It just makes your work less credible.

[–] bjurstedt 8 years ago

The whole point of the documentary is cherry picking things the USA could learn from other countries.

I don't see how longer maternity leave or paid holiday is incompatible with a large country with a homogenous population.

[–] stephaniiehallberg 8 years ago

In fact, it's not cherry-picking at all.

Most peoples live in a Country surrounds of these "cherries" education (kindergarten & university), free health care & schools, work (holidays, stress-rehabilitation, equality inside companies, equality between genders, observing the economical climate (bankers in Iceland) and reestablishing criminals into society.
United States has lost all grips on reality. Most Americans has high amounts of debt to banks - get minimal salary, no paid vacation, forcing kids to become adults at lower ages, when playtime - eating healthy and socializing is more important.

This is what Moore shows.

[–] pklose 7 years ago

I guess you missed the part near the beginning of the film where Moore admitted that every country has problems and he was not going to talk about them because the purpose of his visits is to search for individual ideas that he could "steal" for the US. The movie is not saying that these countries are better than the US, but rather there are some things they do that the US can learn from. So yes ... Moore did cherry pick.

And furthermore...The finale or main point of the movie is that many of these ideas were inspired by American ideals and principles. One can conclude that other countries can look to the US for solutions to some of their problems.