His first stop is Italy. He meets an Italian couple who are titled "middle class". What Moore neglects to say that Italy's economy is so bad its middle class has had better days. Watching how every Italian business owner tells Moore how they love to pay money on employees, Moore starts laughing in disbelief. He has a point! No business owner in the world actually enjoys paying employees a 13th salary, even Italians. They're capitalists too, you know! Just because there are more liberal laws unfortunately doesn't mean it's all working out as amazing as Moore portrays it. We can't all be Germany! Italy, in fact, is falling apart, and less liberal people probably have a point when they say this 13th salary, and all the other pretty large spendings the Italians consider ok, are to blame for that...
Moving on to France, where I appreciated Michael Moore's humor about them not resisting him very long. I love a joke on the French. The joke in that segment, however, was that every school in France serves three courses, plus Camembert. Which kid in the word eats shellfish? Even French kids are kids. And sharing their ice cream is not a particularly French thing either. But all this doesn't matter because Moore immediately states where that money comes from, and here we have the closing argument for every argument when discussing American economics or politics: the French don't have to attack the Middle East or send out drones and spies around the whole globe. And because of that, their kids are healthy and not fat! Before even going on watching, I think that might just be the silver lining of the movie... hell, maybe just of the whole damn problem with the United States.
The Finnish part made me a little mad. Maybe it's jealousy because I know this segment is accurate. The Fins nailed education, and if they are as nice about it as the math teacher that claims his purpose is to "teach the kids how to be happy", then damn, I wish I had that system where I grew up. However, it's easy to praise this system that is obviously looking out for much fewer children than other places. That shouldn't matter, but it does. The rich kids and the poor kids are not automatically going to be equal just by going to the same school. Rich and poor are social structures that don't just disappear in the sand, Eventually, even kids learn that. I was poor and went to a private school with a whole lot of rich kids. We did learn the same things, but their subsequent lives were a lot easier still. And the reason is money. Daddy's money. Sorry to burst the bubble!
I will skip Slovenia because Germany was next and duh, I was most excited about that. Also, we got free education, too, yo, we just didn't have to bring down the government for it. When the movie takes us around beautiful places in Germany my homesick eyes teared up, and I couldn't wait which of the great points of Germany Moore would highlight. And then he starts with debt free college grads starting a career. I had to go "Reeewind!" because mate, if there's one problem we also have it's youth unemployment, and I know more about it that I would like to, mostly from empirical research. Also, I have debt. I didn't pay tuition, but I did have to eat at the same time. The movie then continues to talk about all the benefits of being employed in Germany which is a luxury most of my peers have not yet been able to enjoy. I would looove to be employed. With a contract. And an hour in the day where my work finishes. But I am 27 with only two Master degrees, I can only dream of that, But Michael Moore obviously turns it around when he acknowledges our acceptance of the ghosts of the past, and then he flies away from that beautiful country like I have many times. Heartbreaking!
Next up Michael Moore gets a shirt that reads "I'm liberal and I love it!" No no, that doesn't actually happen, but it could have. He talks crime and identifies that crime does not equal American crime in Europe. Portugal decriminalized drug usage because, let's face it, that just means that there will be less prisoners, consumption will not be affected by illegality. It is true because it's silly to imprison someone who has a problem. Treat that stuff! And then Moore shows how they do it in Norway where a guy is living in a cute little flatshare for 11 years because he killed somebody. Seeing this it suddenly makes total sense that Anders Breivik sued the state for inhumane treatment: if that's what he expected prison to be, that cold coffee he was served seems like a pretty bad bargain. Then again, he killed over 90 people. I won't argue I feel bad for him...
And finally, we're in the Middle East where it becomes apparent Michael Moore came to "pick the flowers, not the weeds!" There is so much American culture would oppose to even in a democratic Tunisia. The Middle East they know is different. And the one thing that radio journalist is right about is that Americans can learn from others. The Icelandic women said the same. Why do Americans fight so hard not to be like us? It really is a monumental question. And as if I didn't love this movie enough yet, Michael Moore ends it in Berlin where my country was reborn. He says "name anything that's impossible, and this wall proves that it can be done!" You have to have will. And that's what every person in this documentary had. Will to make something better. Will to be good. Will to possibly sacrifice. Americans don't have that. At least not yet...
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