Talk:Manufacturing Dissent

Alfred Smith memorial dinner
The allegation in Manufacturing Dissent that Michael Moore took George Bush's words out of context does not appear to be accurate. If Moore was attempting to play the scene straight, then why did he not delete or remove the laughter that followed Bush's remarks? Having watched the clip several times, it seems to me that Moore's actual point, simply made, is that many a true word is spoken in jest. smb 00:17, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2000/10/18/politics/main242210.shtml Al Smith Dinner

Everyone's supposed to joke and make fun of themselves.

"Gore chose to allude to his debate style and the silliness of some political catch phrases, including one of his favorites: putting Social Security "in a lockbox."

"I'll put Medicaid in a walk-in closet," joked the vice president. "I will always keep lettuce in the crisper." " —Preceding unsigned comment added by Souj12323 (talk • contribs) 21:20, 30 January 2008 (UTC)

Bowling For Columbine Bank-gun scene.
Moore clearly implies in the film one may purchase a long gun in a Michigan bank then and there, upon opening an account. He leaves bank holding said gun, aloft. Completely staged. Moore originally applied for the gun two months beforehand, satisfied the required background check and was expected to pick up the gun at a firearms dealership. He insisted the gun be present at the bank branch in advance of filming. He presents himself at the branch, fills out some forms and ask a number of silly, irreverent questions of the employee, Jan Jacobson, before leaving with his gun. This article was undone several times, almost as soon as the article initially saved, by Microcell and Dynablaster. Down the Wikipedia Memory Hole.


 * This criticism is described in detail on the Bowling for Columbine article. According to the chap who produced this scene (it wasn't actually Michael Moore) nothing was done out of the ordinary except to compress the timeframe. The bank is a licensed gun dealer and it transpires that they do indeed store firearms securely on their premises (although Moore's rifle came from a different branch). Dynablaster (talk) 22:43, 3 December 2009 (UTC)

Let's add balance to lead & 'Response' section
This article deserves more secondary criticism, including one in the lead section. There are many to choose from among Rotten Tomatoes listings at, like this one: "Manufacturing Dissent comes across less as an expose of a polarizing public figure than as the realization of a personal and not especially interesting grudge against a once-admired colleague who has moved on to bigger things." - Chicago Tribune Perhaps the Pilger line (currently buried) could be reworked for ending the lead. Then two or three others, pro and con, could go in the 'Response' section. PrBeacon (talk) 10:12, 30 March 2010 (UTC)