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Moore's Sicko is Stupid
Moore's attack of American health care, the documentary film - Sicko, is unfair to say the least. Early in the film, Moore tells health care horror stories - a man who died because a bone-marrow transplant that might have extended his life was refused as "experimental” . A baby with a high fever died when her mother took her to the nearest emergency room where she was refused treatment, rather than taking her to a Kaiser Permanente hospital where she was insured.These and other examples will make anyone viewing the film feel that something must be done about our "broken" health care system.
But from there the film slides downhill in a hurry. Moore pulls a stupid, insensitive prank by boating sick people to Guantanamo, where he knows they won’t receive treatment. It gets worse. Moore walks through Havana and gets directions to a health clinic from some people on the street. Subsequently his patients get free treatment in Cuba. As if he didn't know that healthcare is free in Cuba and why hide the part that local officials played in getting American patients treated in Havana?
Moore claims that most Americans want universal health care and will to pay more taxes to achieve it. If so, why not show us what works in other countries and what could be applied to the American system? The difficult stuff is ignored, instead Moore takes us to Canada, England, and France. At each stop, he pulls the same sophomoric act of pretending to be surprised that health care is free in these countries. No mention is made of the delays in treatment or the instances of second-rate care.
Moore is condescending to his audience, thinking of us as stupid enough to be easily satisfied with superficial stories and easy solutions, the very thing of which he accuses the powerful in American business.
Posted by Phil Daigle on July 10, 2007 1:56 PM
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