There have been around a quarter-zillion reviews and commentaries about
Fahrenheit 9/11 so far, but all-too-few comprehensive critiques.
For what little my viewpoint is worth, I think Michael Moore is an agitprop genius, respect his approach and love watching his films even when he gets a tad reckless in interpreting some of the facts. As a gun-owner, I enjoyed
Bowling for Columbine immensely, even in those instances when Moore was way off base factually. Likewise, with his latest film, whose greatest success - besides making Michael Eisner look like a fool - is to damage George W. Bush by putting him and his words on screen so much of the time.
Dave Kopel, research director at The Independence Institute, has a very different take. No surprise since the institute is a “market-oriented” organization funded in part by the rightwing
Castle Rock Foundation, a creation of the Coors brewing dynasty based in Golden, Colorado. On July 1, Kopel published a critique called
Fifty-nine Deceits in Fahrenheit 9/11 Whatever else can be said of it, Kopel’s critique is hard-hitting and comprehensive.
On July 5, Kosopolitan
Anton Sirius began debunking Kopel’s analysis in a series of his Diaries. He’s only finished 49 of Kopel’s 59, but even before his task is completed, I think Sirius’s prodigious efforts provide an excellent jumping off point for a real discussion of Moore’s film, as opposed to the undiluted adoration he’s received from some quarters and the excoriation he’s received elsewhere. Here are links to each of Sirius’s Diaries on the subject:
Debunking Deceits 1-2
Debunking Deceits 3-7
Debunking Deceits 8-16
Debunking Deceits 17-23
Debunking Deceits 24-31
Debunking Deceits 32-38
Debunking Deceits 39-49
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