South Asia and Beyond: Michael Moore: A hypocrite? A debate

Friday, January 25, 2013

Michael Moore: A hypocrite? A debate

Some commentators argue that the American left corresponds to European right in the right-to-left political spectrum thereby implying that there is no meaningful or viable leftist alternative in American politics. The perception in US, particularly in the right, is just the opposite: US risks becoming a socialist country with Obama as president.

Michael Moore needs no introduction as a filmmaker. His identity as a writer/columnist is, however, less known worldwide. He is very adept at making provocative films/documentaries and writing similar columns. One of his recent columns titled 'I do not support the troops' deals with the hypocrisy of many in US who pretend to support the troops and say so but do nothing to support them really.

Coincidentally, a facebook group named Capitalism recently shared a sketch of Moore holding a camera, saying 'Capitalism is evil' with dollar bills sprouting from everywhere in his obese body. Surath Giri, a prominent writer in Kathmandu associated with Khabar South Asia shared the photo with 'Hypocrisy of the left at its height' as the description. Subsequently, a debate ensued between Giri and me as to whether Moore is a real hypocrite. Here I reproduce the debate for the wider readership:

Jiwan Kshetry Surathji, he is too obese, agreed. I see no other virtue of hypocrisy. He makes enlightening movies.

Surath Giri: Jiwan Kshetry I have no problems with his obesity. If you noticed, the picture doesn't mention anything about his obesity. It is his personal choice. What, you probably missed is that part where it mentions that he is a multimillionaire who has accumulated so much wealth himself but says capitalism is evil.

Jiwan Kshetry: Surathji, well he says so but with some very solid arguments. Beside his movies, he frequently writes about politics and I have read him endorse Democrats and deplore Republicans at US. He is part of the core capitalist system of the world today and his movies earn him a lot. But he tells a breath-taking story of how capitalist system can screw ordinary people and propel them towards ill-health and death in his movie 'Sicko'. Even assuming capitalism is the best possible system in world today, is there any harm in pointing the inherent pitfalls and downsides? Moreover, Moore is one of the most prominent dissenting voice in US today (having considerable following and credibility). Is that not good for US democracy? On the issue of being a multimillionare, of course, he cannot help it as the movies are circulated in the capitalist market!

Surath Giri: Isn't that hypocrisy? I mean you make millions of dollars using that same apparatus of capitalist system and saying "it's evil" "I hate it"... He is making money out of Intellectual Property Rights which are at the extremes of property rights...and I hope you know that he claimed tax-payer funded subsidy (although he is multimillionaire) for his film and guess what...he had previously criticised the very subsidies earlier... that is pure hypocrisy and oppotunism in my standards...

FYI: I am an ardent supporter of free speech. I believe that dissenting voices and opinions should be allowed in any societies.

Jiwan Kshetry: Well, I neither want nor can object to your allegations of hypocrisy to Moore. You must have said it because you know the details of him claiming subsidy etc. Debate about the issue of hypocrisy is over. My personal temptation, however, is that he has some good virtues which have the capability of superseding that vice. His service to millions of people in US and outside are commendable because very few filmmakers do what he does. I doubt if we can even count how many movies have been made at Hollywood praising and glorifying the American war culture. But how many widely circulated documentaries or films have dealt with the human cost of those wars to the war-ravaged countries, as well as the relatively poorer Americans sending the recruits for those wars? That is where the role of an ingenious and knowledgeable hypocrite (ready to swim against the currents) like Moore comes. At least I would forgive his hypocrisy and opportunism!

Surath Giri: Jiwan Kshetry Would you believe me if I said, one of the greatest myths surrounding capitalism is that it promotes war. State Capitalism/Crony Capitalism , fascism, imperialism promotes war but not free market capitalism. As you must be aware, a powerful state is a prerequisite for war. US, USSR, UK, Spain, Japan, Germany and every other country that has promoted war had a powerful state that had all the power and resources at its disposal needed for a war.

Jiwan Kshetry: Hard to refute. The problem now is, I fear this world will never see true free market capitalism, at least in our lifetimes. My understanding is that if China is prototype of State Capitalism and Russia that of Crony Capitalism, today's US could best be characterized by its imperialist streaks (not quite in conventional sense but in all practical aspects of world today). As many thinkers including our own Pradip Giri have repeatedly argued, even USSR was never a truly communist state but only a version of State Capitalism. Still it is treated as equivalent and even prototype of communist state in the world, for all practical purposes, in history as well as in discourses. Today, US presents itself as the model capitalist state the way once USSR did as the model communist state. So, the statement that capitalism promotes war could be argued to be a myth at the intellectual level but that can hardly support the assertion that present version of capitalism in the world is pro-peace or anti-war. Not only the US but also the megalomaniacs at second power house of Capitalism (Europe), the French, are now itching for war at many fronts reviving the memories of outright colonial rule of the past. So at least for practical reasons, the present capitalist system in the world has two features 1) it has stood for continued military dominance of the west (however devastating wars that entails) and 2) war profiteering has become the norm of the day for advanced economies. At least for foreseeable future, I see the need of capable dissenters like Moore to expose the workings of the present day world and the intricacies of prevalent version of capitalism; regardless of the merits of an ideal free market capitalism that supposedly opts for peace and not war.

1 comment:

Bibhusit said...: 1. "The problem now is, I fear
this world will never see true
free market capitalism, at
least in our lifetimes."
Free market capitalism once existed but due to its own laws, it transformed itself into monopoly capitalism, and then into imperialism, i.e. its highest stage where bank capital intermixes with industrial capital and takes the form of finance capital, which dominates over indigenous industrial capital of the oppressed countries and hence hinders its development. You are correct however that you won't see free market capitalism. Nobody in the future will, as it has already surpassed that stage.
2. USSR was not a socialist, but a degenerated workers' state under Stalin, who betrayed the revolution and led to a bureaucratic ruling clique under the banner of socialism. The bureaucracy later became state capitalist which lived off the surplus value of labour extracted from workers. Workers coming to power and nationalising means of production doesn't mean socialism has been achieved. According to Marxism, socialism is a socio-economic system which is higher form than that of capitalism and which can only be realised on an international scale. Stalin, after the death of Lenin, to counter Leon Trotsky, came up with this reactionary , anti-Marxist theory of "socialism in one country". The rest is history.; February 2, 2013 at 3:11 AM

Editorial to New Year Issue: A young mind's tryst with communism

I was not a communist by birth (unlike many of our childhood friends who had both the parents active in communist parties) but it was not long before the ideology caught my attention. By the time I had started to doubt the religious beliefs instilled by mother and grandmother, communism, rather socialism was ready to wean me over. Not long after, I was a communist, at least by belief (even though many in the village doubted such credentials of a child whose parents were not proper communists).

At first, communism taught me to question everything that was a taboo under the prevailing religious and social norms, like “why can’t I see god if there is one?”. But eventually, I started discovering a set of contradictions inside the version of communism in our village, talking about which was rather a taboo of its own kind. For example, why did each of the revered communist leaders, Lenin, Stalin and Mao, lead the party as well as the state till the minute of their death? Why were they so infallible while the dissenters in the party were always so horribly wrong? Why did the so called reformists prevail so comprehensively both in USSR and China after physical demise of Stalin and Mao Zedong respectively? Later on, I started posing questions about those systems at a higher level: was this the fault of the system that fed on the personality cult of the leaders with essence of the whole system epitomized by the persona of that particular leader, or could we simply place blame on the reformists like Khruschev or Deng Xiao Ping who overwhelmed the benevolent Stalinists or the Maoists? Can the system be absolved of any responsibility for having let down the expectations of the proletariat?

Twenty-eight years of solitude

Some reflections on life

BP Koirala starts his Atma Brittanta with a peculiar statement that yet it was not time for him to write about himself. Of course, that is his greatness and great people are always more simple, straightforward and as BP himself says, emotional. That book is at par with Nehru's autobiographical works, particularly with respect to portraying the society and political upheavals of that time. Unfortunately, BP Koirala passed away too early and we are now deprived of more illustrious books in Nepali history.

The point now is, should I shun writing about myself citing BP's explanation; given that I am one of the thousands of self-advertizing people of our era and have done little to nil for larger society? This has always been the question before me whenever I sit down to write about myself. Should I burden the readers with my boring words about a parochial past that interests very few? Am I writing something really meaningful or am just writing for writing's sake? If I have sorrow, frustration and unfulfilled yearning in my life, should I share that with others who do not necessarily share parallel realities in life? If I have a miniature happiness every now and then, is that worth sharing with others? And finally, do my writings have any meaning in the longer term; say for the generation to come?

To me, every person beyond a certain level is a secluded entity. One may elaborate and express oneself to whatever lengths and depths but, at the end, there remains something that cannot be shared or expressed. Sometimes that seclusion becomes a prison, especially when one is going through tough times, and the person suffers. Other times, that becomes like the imagined world of paradise when the virtues of success and liberty abound in one's life. But the latter is a very infrequent happening in my experience. Over all, the secluded and solitary self of a person is a place where one is pretty vulnerable to recurrent to persistent bouts of ill-being.

Some of the geniuses of our times have adapted to that omnipresent solitude in a productive way. That way the seclusion results in a productive life. But even to them, sometimes it becomes unbearable and the whole episode ends in a tragedy; the monumental example being the tragic suicide of Bhairav Nath Aryal, the legendary satirist of Nepali literature. The tragic end of Michael Jackson's life could be another example when success, fame and money cannot even scratch the melancholy that tends to boil inside a person.

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अपूर्व रमाइलो एउटा तिहार

औंशी हिजै थियो तर अन्धकार आज पनि उत्तिकै थियो । ब्यारेकमा आज महिनौंपछि पहिलो पटक स्यालको रक्सी आइपुगेको थियो । बाहिरबाटै झिकाएको मृगको सुकुटीसित त्यो रक्सी खाएर मेजर रणसिंह शमशेर जबरा सुतेको थियो तर निद्रा आउने नामै लिइरहेको थिएन । मरेको भतिजको अनुहार झल्झली आइरहेको थियो । साथमा ऊ मारिएपछि घर जाँदा आफन ो खुट्टामा छाँद हालेर रोएकी उसकी युवती विधवाको अनुहारले पिछा छोड्नै मानिरहेको थिएन ।

मेजरले कोल्टे फेर्यो । घोप्टो पर्यो । तर कुनै तरिकाबाट निदा आएन । ऊ जस्तोसुकै भयानक युद्धको बीचमा पनि आफ्नो अन्तस्करणलाई डग्न नदिने मान्छे आज भने भित्रभित्रै काँपिरहेको थियो । आक्रोश, क्षोभ, पश्चात्ताप, बदलाभाव आदिले एकैचोटि उसको मथिंगल खल्बलाइदिएका थिए ।

भोलिपल्ट भाइ टिकाको दिन थियो । अघिल्ला वर्षमा झैै यसपालि पनि दशैं तिहारका लागि गरिएको युद्धविराम कायम थियो र देशभरका सैनिक र प्रहरीहरु विरल चैनको निद्रा सुतिरहेका थिए । तर मेजर जबराका लागि भने अघिल्लो सालदेखि हरेक तिहार अभिषाप भएर आउने गरेका थिए । देश युद्धमा फसिसकेपछि सबैले विरोध गर्दा गर्दै पनि उसले एक मात्र भतिजलाई सैनिकमा भर्ना हुन चार वर्ष अघि आश्वस्त पारेको थियो । तर अघिल्लो वर्षको तिहार मनाएर घरबाट फर्कंदै गर्दा उसलाई विद्रोहीहरुले आक्रमण गरेर निर्ममतापुर्वक मारेका थिए ।

भाग्यले भनौं वा दुर्भाग्यले, केही दिन अघि मात्र तिहारकै मुखमा कताबाट हुत्तिएर एउटी दुश्मन फौजकी केटी यो ब्यारेकमा आइलागेकी थिई । सादा पोशाकका मानिसले महिनौ.अघि पक्रेकी भनिएकी यो केटी खै कुन काकतालीले हो यो ब्यारेकमा तिहारको मुखमै पुगेकी थिई । देख्नासाथ मेजर जबराको रगत उम्लेर आएको थियो तर खै किन हो त्यसको भााग्य फैसला गर्न हिच्किचाएको थियो र त्यसको भाग्य के हुने हो कसैले अनुमान लगाउन सकेका थिएनन् ।

खै कुन घडीमा हो मेजरलाई निद्रा लागेछ । बिहान ब्युँझँदा छर्लंग उज्यालो भएको थियो । हिउँदको घामका कलिला किरणहरु जताततै पोखिइरहेका थिए । दिन साविकभन्दा बढी उज्यालो लागिरहेको थियो । ओसेपमा अझै पनि शीत चुहिरहेको थियो तर पारीपट्टि दक्षिण फर्केको पाखामा खरको शीत सुकिसकेको थियो । गोरेटोको छेउमा लगाएका केतुकीका पातहरु टल्किरहेका थिए । वर्षाभरि घाँस काटेपछि खरबारीमा छाडिएका गाइबस्तुहरु चर्न बाटोबाट झरिरहेका थिए ।

k"/f syf k9\g'xf];\

The Stagnant River

It was a not-so-cold day of early December on the southern plain of Terai. The fog had just started descending to the land from the sky but the cold proper was yet to grip the population majority of which lacked the adequate clothes to tolerate it. The day was thus warm and pleasant from the morning. The river which had a dam built downwards was in slow motion as if to share the calm of the surrounding. The small bubbles and other tiny particles of debris were floating glittering bright with the rays of light that fell on them at acute angle. The warm yet cool rays of light traveled in bands between the Sisau trees that lined the eastern bank of the river. The images of the trees in the water seemed to touch the blue sky at the bottom of the river.

A crow flew across the river to sit on a branch of a tree on the other side as few others were heard crowing at distance interrupting the calm of the morning. The distant rumbling of the speeding vehicles with their blazing horns reminded what a rush was there in the real life in the city. A cartoon like sketch of a human being lay there in front of Ramesh, carved in a block of concrete probably meant for keeping the belongings of the deceased before they were cremated in the adjoining cemetery. The sketch looked pretty distorted despite the utmost effort of the artist to make it look like a human being; this is probably why so few among the people are successful artists.

The 'Ghat' or the cemetery bore a deserted look as the morning sun made it look perfectly tranquil. The partially burnt wooden logs scattered beside the river made it clear at least one corpse was cremated in past few days. A piece of cloth was seen revolving along a small circle in the water close to this bank. Ramesh was suddenly filled with sympathy for those who died planning throughout their life and failing to implement even a single of them. Even those who died after aging adequately kept planning for years, let alone the unlucky ones who are forced to leave this world earlier. This gloomy reality reminded him of the desperation with which he had exited his room to take refuge of this cemetery in the early morning; quite unusual by any standards. The tranquility in this remote corner of human dwelling had almost made him forget the sorrow that was there in his personal life. 'How can an unfortunate creature like me afford such pleasant moments?' he ruminated as often.

The sun was now closer and warmth was growing. And this warmth in winter was an uncommon commodity in this section of earth where the fog ruled almost the whole of the winter. The shadows of the trees were now shorter and the floating particles in the river seemed to travel faster. More crows were now flying tree-to-tree and the chirpings were of more variety. The dew drops on the leaves of grasses began to vanish though the leaves in the shadows of trees were still wet.

Suddenly a beggar appeared as if from nowhere. He was probably of Ramesh's own age but looked much older with the wrinkles gifted by poverty all over the face. He wore a dirty grey shirt that was probably white when new with a pair of pants that most have been black when they were bought by some benefactor. He had a long face with untidy beards looking longer than they actually were by the emaciation that made the facial bones protrude. He was also wearing a rusted thin jacket that was unable to cover the front part of his trunk as there was no working zipper. As he came nearby, it turned out that he was not a beggar instead did the precious job of scavenging the useful things out of the waste: there was a huge sac made by sewing many pieces at his back that contained the plastic bags, papers and many other materials collected from the heaps of the waste. He walked stooped burdened by the weight of the luggage and was apparently moving to other location from the city and had taken the unusual short-cut through the cemetery.

"He is probably more unfortunate than me," Ramesh guessed and hoped to get some solace by talking with him. He politely invited this prematurely aged man to seat beside him. The man hesitated at first but eventually obliged as probably this was his time to take some rest even otherwise. After making little formal talking, he began a query about the past of this strange man. This scavenger was probably having difficulty speaking with a gentleman and was frequently looking for excuses to leave. Ramesh was able to coax him into telling part of the story. He was from a family of relatively good fortune until a terrible disaster befell on them erasing all those fortunes, but he was apparently unable to explain what exactly the disaster was.

The Gurkha Legacy: Nepal's National Shame

I believe soul-searching is very important, both in the lives of individuals as well as the societies. Arrogance and hypocrisy largely result from the fact that most people do not bother reflecting on their own deeds and keep themselves at the center of universe as an infallible entity. Nepal may be one of the least prosperous countries in the world but that per se has nothing to do with our dignity as citizens of this modern world. Foreign friends who have been helping Nepal financially deserve our sincere gratitude but by no means a voiceless servility. Moreover, while our individual identities are obviously significant, our collective identity as a people is no less significant. In this pretext, I intend to dissect the legacy of 'Gurkha recruitment', a process in which Nepali youths have been serving in the foreign armies for more than a century now.

First, I doubt even my nationalist credentials, let alone being a chauvinist or a jingoist. I am also one among large number of people who are highly skeptic of history in the conventional sense. But I abhor the notion of so called post modernists that history does not exist. Second, I know how it feels to dream of an ultimate utopia to be achieved through the proletariat revolution. But now that I am at safe distance from those romantic ideas, that matters little to my judgement. Third, I have enormous empathy to poor Nepalis who were forced into performing some of the worst and unwholesome jobs in the world and continue to do so till date. While I consistently blame the system and the institutions that benefited from it, I place no blame at persons who were either lured or forced into the arrangement to be discussed in this article. With this clarification, I intend to give a Nepali perspective of a process by which Nepali youths have been offering themselves for service in foreign armies. The immediate background of this article is a thought-provoking recent book in Nepali and I start the discussion with an reappraisal of a related documentary and a talk program that help us gauge the arguments on two sides of the debate.

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About this blog

And about media in general

Media are only one of many ways of communication. They do many things, often mutually contradictory. They inform, they dupe too. They reveal, they hide too. They are brave and meticulous, they are coward and callous too. They seek the truth, they blow falsehoods and semi-truths too. Most importantly, you think your interests shape the media but they end up dictating your behavior. Avoid paranoia but become cautious. Read everything but filter things before making opinion. Bulk does not ensure quality. To make best out of what you read, make it a habit to put what you read, listen or watch in proper context; derive and deduct, analyze and scrutinize. This way you can optimally benefit from plethora of media outlets. This blog is a place where you will probably fail to find anything enlightening or tantalizing but here I post what I write in a process of learning to interact with the world. Terribly undereducated in so many fields, I crave to learn and life is my fascination. Forgive the preaching, I have got those lessons about media the hard way. Any feedback is welcome.

South Asia and Beyond

TUTH/ Dr. Govinda K C

Friday, January 25, 2013

Michael Moore: A hypocrite? A debate

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