Our friends at PETA just sent a rather blunt letter to Michael Moore as his new movie SiCKO hits theaters. PETA wants Moore to take some personally responsibility for the healthcare system by leading a healthy lifestyle—ie, by going vegetarian. An excerpt from the letter:
“Although we think that your film could actually help reform America’s sorely inadequate health care system, there’s an elephant in the room, and it is you. With all due respect, no one can help but notice that a weighty health issue is affecting you personally. We’d like to help you fix that. Going vegetarian is an easy and life-saving step that people of all economic backgrounds can take in order to become less reliant on the government’s shoddy healthcare system, and it’s something that you and all Americans can benefit from personally. Vegetarians weigh, on average, up to 20 percent less than their meat-eating counterparts—meaning less weight-related problems like heart attacks and strokes—and live about eight years longer. I’m sure that your fans would appreciate having you around longer! By going vegetarian, you would also provide a powerful message of personal responsibility for one’s health, allowing others to become less reliant on a system that doesn’t care about them.”
What do you think—too harsh? Personally, I think he can take it. And after Moore brought live animals outside PETA headquarters wearing signs telling PETA employees “You are wasting your time,” I think he might even deserve it.
Too bad more good liberals like Michael Moore don’t recognize the connection between human rights and animal rights.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
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Actually, it's not surprising that good liberals like Michael Moore take a pass on systematic analysis. Equally unsurprising is the mask of pious individualism behind which Moore and his co-religionists - excuse me, colleagues in liberalism - hide.
ReplyDeleteIs that you, Dylan?
ReplyDelete-Alex
I was wondering the same thing.
ReplyDeleteI think it's kind of rude to talk about his weight. there's no need to make it personal. People don't have to be perfect themselves to have the right to critique a broken system.
ReplyDeleteGood point, Kim. Maybe even if he does deserve it, it's still counterproductive to stoop to your enemy's level. Better to take the high ground. Kind of like how animal advocates shouldn't stoop to a level of violence against animal exploiters--no matter how much they might deserve it--because our movement is based in compassion and non-violence.
ReplyDeleteSometimes the sensational letters work though. When PETA sent this letter to Michael Moore a few years ago, there was no press and he didn't even acknowledge receiving it. It's a more polite and intellectual letter, but nothing came of it. (Okay, so maybe nothing came of this one either...but at least people were talking about it.)
ReplyDelete