Some are fairly blatant and obvious in their attempts. Take, for instance, the bloated and grossly overrated Michael Moore. Take him please. For all the kudos this screwball receives, he really is an amateur. His documentaries are produced for people with third grade educations, appealing to basic fears and apprehensions. They are edited, manipulated, and concocted to do so. Of course, he is lauded by the birdbrains of Hollywood, most of whom barely have second grade educations.
Yet, at the end of the day, Michael Moore, who likely was the only card-carrying socialist in his nursery school, does achieve success. Regardless of whether you agree or disagree, he gets his point across.
Dinesh D'Souza does the same thing with his new documentary "2016: Obama's America." Naturally, given his ultimate goal is to develop a case against the current sitting President, his work is being chastised and criticized in most media circles. He manipulates. He uses actors to stage re-enactments. He tells lies.
Uh-huh. And did you also see Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11?"
The only problem with D'Souza's documentary is that I might have to see it again to understand it all. Whereas Moore's pieces have all the substance and depth of a TV Guide crossword puzzle, you really need a brain to comprehend "2016." What a novel way to produce a documentary.
Except for the crazy allegations of lies, misrepresentations, etc. that D'Souza has supposedly peppered his movie with, the one thing you hear nothing but cricket about is the actual content. That's because the filmmaker wisely used a source that was indisputable. Barack Obama's own voice lifted from the book-on-tape edition of his "Dreams from My Father." Never heard much about that tome except that it exists? You'll know why when you see this movie. The audio is so damning that our President is unlikely to do this kind of narration ever again.
Dinesh D'Souza, who reminds me of an Indian version of the late Marvin Hamlisch, methodically lays out a linear narrative of Obama's childhood as it pertains to his own dad in Kenya, who just happened to be a polygamist, a radical, and perhaps even a felon. This is not an anti-Obama piece focusing on all the usual nonsense you hear from those questioning his religion, his birth certificate, and his Chicago White Sox fandom. No, this is all about important stuff. What he learned indirectly from his father and others about world issues. And resulting in a viewpoint that is clearly anti-colonialism. The sheer mention of that last word has already confused the majority of the audience who would go to see a Michael Moore documentary.
Yes, throughout this film, Barack Obama is clearly depicted as a radical with seemingly a will to transform America into a lesser world power. And, unfortunately, recent events and actions have done nothing to discount this desire. And, as "2016" unspools, the viewpoint of D'Souza is continually supported by none other than Obama's own voice. Indeed, for Obama to grow up with all the family dysfunction he endures, there is absolutely no way he couldn't have been psychologically impacted. Of course, regular readers to this blog will know my usual opinion of all politicians. They all stink and that was the dream I got from my father. But, listening to the D'Souza narrative, things are even a little scarier than my dad's vision.
Was there manipulation in D'Souza's movie? Probably. But, composed in such a literate fashion with very little of the Michael Moore circus-like antics, the point comes across a bit clearer to those in the audience who are not professional toolboxes. At the matinee showing I was at, the theater was half-full. Were some of those folks there to simply enjoy the air conditioning? Perhaps. But, there was loud and sustained applause at the end. Was D'Souza preaching to the choir? Maybe. Or, just possibly, there are new singers to the chorale.
Regardless of whether you sit behind Michael Moore or next to Dinesh D'Souza, stories need to be told. We just all need to possess the intellect to sift through what is real and what just might be Memorex.
Dinner last night: Leftover pasta.
Tomorrow from New York, New York. I will be a part of it.
1 comment:
What amazes me is the media's refusal to document the President's bizarre upbringing, especially his wacko parents.
His mother got pregnant at 17 by an African six years older than her.
A teenager from Kansas meets a Kenyan in Hawaii. Huh?
They married but he split back to Africa when Barack was two, effectively abandoning his son like so many black fathers.
Mom's next husband was Indonesian.
Dad's next wives were Africans.
Barack has a bunch of half-brothers and sisters, none of whom seem to figure in his adult life.
Mom let her parents raise Barack. Busy, I guess.
Barack was called Barry growing up and while at Harvard.
Like all U.S. Presidents, Obama has a white mother. How can he be classified as black? He's a mulatto. He's biracial. He had scant contact with his black father after age two.
That has never stopped Obama from playing the race card and getting white people to support his ambitions. White people made him President.
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