Capitalism A Love Story

[KJane]

Michael Moore...I love him. This was written and posted by Steely_Dan over at DU. It's about his experience while watching this movie. I had a similar experience, complete with tears. I sent him a pm asking if I could post his complete piece to this forum and he said he'd be honored..so here it is with the link to the comments.

Just Finished Watching "Capitalism: A Love Story"

This is hard for me.

I openly wept for 20 minutes at the end of the movie. I'm not even sure why.

I'm sorry...I'm having difficulty finding the words.

Maybe if I wait a little while. Maybe if I can get my emotions under control. Just for a moment. Just for a brief moment.

My sadness is only exceeded by my anger. And yet, I cannot shake the awful reality of: "And the saddest of these, is what might have been."

My emotions did not get the best of me until the movie showed FDR's funeral and that he did not live long enough to see the end of the war or to see his "Bill of Rights" implemented. My mother told me not long ago what FDR represented to her. She said that it was like he was a king. For the entirety of her youth, it was all she knew of what was a "President." The sadness of his loss must have been so devastating. I did not live during FDR's time. However, I was greatly saddened watching the people of all races weeping on the sidewalks and in their personal misery.

My weeping is for our country. For our loss. For the millions of people living lives of quiet desperation. What might have been.

I watched Jimmy Carter's face as he pleaded with our country to understand that we are becoming a country that no longer places value on who we are, but instead on what we own. It truly impressed me that there was indeed, a turning point...a fork in the road. He looked so sincere. He looked so concerned. He looked sad.

I've often been told over my lifetime that I need to "chill." I need to not take things so seriously...and not to let my passion over-ride my reason. I guess some of us are just hardwired that way. We often suffer from emotional issues like depression and anxiety. But, I make no apologies. I prefer my life of passion, my life riding the "razor's edge."

I suppose that is why I cannot shake this feeling of sadness and anger which seem to be competing with each other to own my thoughts.

What happened? What happened to our country? What happened to our compassion and our sense of justice and fair-play? I am by no means a religious man. However, watching this film was as close as I have come to touching the face of God. The references to how Jesus would view capitalism somehow made me understand the Bible in a way that I had not previously understood.

For me viewing this film became a very personal experience. It touched me and validated my deepest convictions of how I see my fellow man. But more importantly, it confirmed that I was "a good person." That I'm okay.

You see, for so long, I have been called everything from a traitor to a communist. I've been told over and over again that I "hate America." I've tried to let such statements slide by. But after so long, one begins to question themselves. I've lost family members and friends because of my refusal to compromise my convictions. This film allowed me to reaffirm my commitment to my brothers and sisters. I can go to my grave with the knowledge that I stood against injustice and man's inhumanity to man.

And then there is the anger...

Where are we now and what progress have we made? How was it possible that no one stopped these people before they ruined our country?

My tolerance is at an end. I will no longer excuse those who would see our country to ruin. I will not allow ANYONE to refer to me as a person who "hates America." It is my love, my enduring love for this country that calls me to fight for what is morally right.

I want our government to STAND UP! To fight and not allow this madness to continue another day.

I can cower in the corner and let what has happened to our great country eat at my soul...or I can stand against all that would bring shame and injustice to this grand experiment called America. I may get knocked down. But I know that the measure of a man is not on how many times he is knocked down, but in how many times he rises back to his feet to fight again.

Purpose.

I am Paige Anderson, American.


http://www.democraticunderground.com...ss=389x8834050