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Michael Moore spoke last Thursday night at the Bridges event. Theses events are supposed to “encourage exploration and [a] greater understanding of American history and values” in light of Septermber 11th. However, Moore’s comments were more passionate than thoughtful, as was the crowd’s applause. Instead of exploring ideas or values, Moore began by launching an ad hominem attack on President Bush. He wondered how it was that Prime Minister Blair and President Bush got along; after all, he said, Bush is dumb and Blair is smart. Instead of elaborating on why he thought Bush dumb, or which policies he disagreed with, or what he recommended as a solution, he just continued with another joke about a comment Bush made about toothpaste. Moore then went on to mock the fear that Americans have of another terrorist attack. It seemed like he could not understand where their fear comes from–after all, he said, it is not like al Qaeda is going to kill me or you tonight. Really? It seems to me that it was because of our lack of fear and our complacency that the attacks on 9/11 were possible. Finally, towards the end of the evening, Moore took a question from a student who brought up the issue of race relations. The student was angry because he did not think that Condeleeza Rice thought and acted like a black woman should. My initial thought was: why does this man think that all black women have to think alike? But Moore’s response was typical of the evening: humor and evasion…then move on.

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