Michael Moore is set to open his new film, Capitalism: A Love Story this week:
If you couldn’t guess by the trailer, Michael Moore newest target is Capitalism (GASP). The sacred entity that built America? The sacred cow that is not allowed to be touched? Yep that Capitalism.
In an open letter on his website Michael writes:
“The time has arrived for, as Time magazine called it, my “magnum opus.” I only had a year of Latin when I was in high school, so I’m not quite sure what that means, but I think it’s good.
I’ve spent nearly two years on this new movie, “Capitalism: A Love Story,” and have poured my heart and soul into this project. Many early critics and viewers have called it my “best film yet.” That’s a hard call for me to make as I’m proud of all of my films — but I will tell you this: What you are about to see in “Capitalism” is going to stun you. It’s going to make some of you angry and I believe it’s going to give most of you a new sense of hope that we are going to turn the sick and twisted mess made by the last president around. Oh, and you’re going to have a good laugh at the expense of all the banking and corporate criminals who’ve made out like bandits in the past year.
I’m gonna show you the stuff the nightly news will rarely show you. Ever meet a pilot for American Airlines on food stamps because his pay’s been cut so low? Ever meet a judge who gets kickbacks for sending innocent kids to a private prison? Ever meet someone from the Wall Street Journal who bluntly states on camera that he doesn’t much care for democracy and that capitalism should be our only ruling concern?….”
You get the point.
Moore has always been contentious with his movies and for the most part I find them entertaining. I don’t mind giving him my $10 to see his film, he is creative in his writing and that should be rewarded with my money. (That is kinda like capitalism, but I bet Michael doesn’t really want my money, he probably would let me see it for free if I wanted to, but the evil corporate studios won’t let him I’m sure). I always laugh at the people who won’t go see his films, as if somehow they will irreparably changed by the experience and might get liberal germs on them. I am all for the open and free exchange of ideas and for that I am thankful that I can share my views, whether anyone reads them or not.
However, while I do find Michael’s films entertaining and often times correct in their assessment of their subjects, they are often colored by his particular ideology and should be viewed as such. I usually judge a film or book with a pretty simple criteria:
- Did the film/book make me want to do something?
- Did the film/book make a change in my life?
- Did the film/book make me believe that I have the same ability as the star of the film?
If yes, then you get a “10″. If not, then you get a zero. Kinda a pass fail with me. (Example: When I saw Karate Kid I swore that I could become a karate black belt by the end of the film. This ended badly when I tried a flying kick and severely twisted my ankle)
Regardless, Karate Kid gets a “10″ in my book because it met my criteria. Michael Moore typically gets a “10″ from me because he makes me think about corporations, government, healthcare, etc. and I typically want to do something about it. Even if that something is to tell people the Michael Moore is wrong.
(Full Disclosure – I have not seen Captalism yet, but will and I am intrigued by the trailer that he has released.)
This brings us to Adam Smith:
Adam smith is widely regarded as “The Father of Capitalism” for his work in the 1700’s and his seminal work, The Wealth of Nations (Bantam Classics)
“Smith critically examined the moral thinking of the time and suggested that conscience arises from social relationships. His aim in the work is to explain the source of mankind’s ability to form moral judgements, in spite of man’s natural inclinations toward self-interest. Smith proposes a theory of sympathy in which the act of observing others makes people aware of themselves and the morality of their own behavior.”
Let me break this down for you:
- Question: How do you explain the “source of mankind’s ability to form moral judgments, in spite of man’s natural inclinations toward self-interest”?
- Answer (According to Smith) – By observing others, people become aware of themselves and the morality of their own behavior.
Wow. By being in a community, I inherently don’t want to be a jerk to someone else in my community. Why would I rip off the guy that I am going to see tomorrow? Even if I am the most selfish person in the world, I would probably be less likely to rip him off if for nothing else than to preserve my own standing in the community.
Community is the problem. Capitalism is based on self imposed restraint (morality), but if I am not part of community, one of the reasons for self imposed restraint is removed. Why is there fraud on ebay? Because the predator never has to meet the victim. Part of the guilt is removed from the equation. Why would someone on wall street take advantage of the less fortunate? Because they never have to meet their victims.
I know that this is issue is much deeper than I am laying out here, but I believe if we lived in communities like Smith did in the 1700’s we would have less fraud.
I am reminded of a speech that I heard Chuck Colson give at Harvard Business School on ethics (posted here). I remember him saying:
“Someone sent me a letter suggesting the topic for this speech, “Why Good People Do Bad Things.” I didn’t have time to write back and say I really think that it would be more appropriate to address “Why Bad People Do Good Things,” because that’s a more difficult question.”
And so here we are again. Just as I showed that Dr. Ezekial Emmanual and Betsy McCaughney really think alike in Is Dr. Ezekial Emmanual the devil or just pragmatic? Michael Moore and Adam Smith probably think alike as well. Capitalism doesn’t work without morals. What happened in the US markets in 2008 and 2009 was not capitalism at all. It was fraud. Fraud perpetuated on all of us, by some of our politicians and some of our business leaders.
Go and see Michael Moore’s movie, but do not be confused, what you will see is not capitalism as defined by it’s father, Adam Smith
