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Dude, Where's My Country?

Author: Michael Moore

Publisher: Warner Books

Release Date: October 7, 2003

Media: Hardcover

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Product Description

The people of the United States, according to author and filmmaker Michael Moore (Bowling for Columbine, Stupid White Men), have been hoodwinked. Tricked, he says, by Republican lawmakers and their wealthy corporate pals who use a combination of concocted bogeymen and lies to stay rich and in control. But while plenty of liberal scholars, entertainers, and pundits have made similar arguments in book form, Moore's Dude, Where's My Country? stands out for its thoroughly positive perspective. Granted, Moore is angry and has harsh words for George W. Bush and his fellow conservatives concerning the reasoning behind going to war in Iraq, the collapse of Enron and other companies, and the relationship between the Bushes, the Saudi Arabian government, and Osama bin Laden. But his book is intended to serve as a handbook for how people with liberal opinions (which is most of America, Moore contends, whether they call themselves "liberals" or not) can take back their country from the conservative forces in power. Moore uses his trademark brand of confrontational, exasperated humor skillfully as he offers a primer on how to change the worldview of one's annoying conservative blowhard brother-in-law, and he crafts a surprisingly thorough "Draft Oprah for President" movement. Refreshingly, Dude, Where's My Country? avoids being completely one-sided, offering up areas where Moore believes Republicans get it right as well as some cutting criticisms of his fellow lefties. Such allowances, brief though they may be, make one long for a political climate where the shouting polemicists on both sides would see a few more shades of gray. Dude, Where's My Country? is a little bit scattered, as Moore tries to cram opinions on Iraq, tax cuts, corporate welfare, Wesley Clark, and the Patriot Act into one slim volume--and the penchant to go for a laugh sometimes gets in the way of clear arguments. But such variety also gives the reader more Moore, providing a broader range of his bewildered, enraged, yet stalwartly upbeat point of view. --John Moe
 
Average Rating: 3.5

Product Reviews

Rating: 3 StarsMichael Moore is wearing on me...

written with Moore's general attitude of "it's all the GOPs fault". What he never seems to comprehend is that the entire system is at fault.

Rating: 5 StarsLOTS OF KNOWLEDGE AND HUMOR

I LEANRED SO MUCH AND IT WAS HILAROUS ! I THINK HE REALLY WORKED TOO HARD FOR THIS BOOK. THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO WOULDN'T GIVE THIS POSITIVE RATINGS ARE THOSE THAT OPPOSE CHANGE BECAUSE THEY'RE DASTARDS!

Rating: 2 StarsMichael Moore is a jerk!

I used to love Michael Moore's movies after he came out with Bowling For Columbine and Fahrenheit 9/11, but after reading this book, my opinion of the guy has pretty much gone down hill. He made some statements in his book about abortion and religion that had nothing to do with the subject matter of the book and just really made himself out to look like an arrogant ass!

I suggest the next time you write a book, Michael, that you stick to the subject at hand and leave your personal opinions out of the matter. I wont be buying anymore of your books.

Rating: 2 StarsA Conservative Reaction

Being a conservative, I naturally found Moore's political views repulsive. However, my review is not meant to be a conservative rant against liberalism or Michael Moore personally. Rather, I am writing this review to express my concern that by internalizing Moore's attitudes regarding conservatives, liberals may become increasingly hostile toward conservatives. This attitude of hostility toward conservatives could lead the fan of Michael Moore to become the liberal version of the bigot portrayed in this book.
As I read the "A Liberal Paradise" chapter, I found it disturbing that Michael Moore took views which are common among both conservatives and liberals and claimed that they are liberal territory. For example, as Moore sought to prove that America is mostly liberal, he cited examples such as the view among Americans that interracial marriages are perfectly acceptable and that criminals shouldn't legally have access to guns. When he wrote this, the implication seemed to be that conservatives are against interracial marriages and that conservatives think criminals should have guns. I found this image of conservatives to be misleading.
In his chapter about how to talk to your conservative brother-in-law, Moore made the implied image of conservatives from his "Liberal Paradise" chapter more obvious. The chapter was based off the idea that your annoying brother-in-law brings up politics inappropriately at a thanksgiving dinner around his liberal family. Moore portrayed this brother-in-law as impossible to reason with. Moore then went on to write that while people like this brother-in-law are impossible to reason with, it may be possible to reason with RINOs (republican in name only). He stated that these people are conservatives only in that they don't like taxes. Moore portrays these people as selfish by providing his liberal readers with arguments which basically stated that conservatives will save money by adopting his views. I found this to be an overly simplistic image of conservatism. Generally, conservatives are slow to warm up to the idea of new taxes because they fear that the money they pay to the government in taxes will be spent irresponsibly.
My message to those liberal fans of Michael Moore is this: When you finally meet a conservative and engage in a political debate with him or her, do your best to avoid the assumption that Michael Moore has an accurate conception of conservatism. By believing in Michael Moore's conception of the conservatives, you will become so filled with hatred that you will likely give up your ability to accept the potential merits of their reasoning on certain issues. Thus you may run the risk of becoming the liberal version of the same bigot which you have come to reject so vehemently.

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