You know what Michael Moore’s problem is:

You know what Michael Moore’s problem is: he was the psychologist for Flint!


Think about it; what do psychologists do?

They work with people who have life adjustment problems.

They help people see problems within their lives, helping them dissect the problems and then guild them on how to solve those problems.

With his movie “Roger and Me” Moore brought to the attention of the people of Flint a problem they didn’t want to see.

The reaction of the people can be seen in parallel with the Battered Woman syndrome.

DENIAL: The woman refuses to admit--even to herself--that she has been beaten or that there is a "problem" in her marriage. She may call each incident an "accident". She offers excuses for her husband's violence and each time firmly believes it will never happen again or in many cases even transfers her anger onto the therapist for making her face the facts.




FLINT: Flint refused to admit that there was a “problem” with how GM was treating them. Their action (GM’s) was just a byproduct of doing business.

Moore made us see that there was a problem and many of us just didn’t want to believe it. We wanted to believe that it would all just work itself out. We made excuses that there was a changing economy and that we had to just go along, or that we just needed to work harder and give up what we had gained so that business (GM) could grow, or that the unions where the problem helping to create a lazy workforce.

The confusion over what excuse was the correct “one” created frustration that caused us to turn against the messenger. Not knowing who to take our anger out on or how to combat the deeds being done to us and the embarrassment brought by being duped by the “Big Three”, clouded our decision making to the point that we transferred that frustration and anger onto Moore.

Do I personally think that Moore knew that he became the psychologist for Flint? Not really. Yet, consciously or unconsciously Moore did play a roll in making us face the facts. Those facts did make us see the problems and yes, Flint continues to struggle through the process of the “Battered Woman” but we’re getting there.

The problem with Michael Moore as our psychologist: He didn’t complete the job! Good psychologist help give guidance on how to solve life problems.

“Roger and Me” left us with no positive solutions. We’ve had to go it alone, searching and struggling to find our new path and identity. But still all in all, Michael Moore may not be a hero but certainly he has become a legend.

This article (attached below) about Michael Moore has given me a new respect for the man, a better idea of what’s in his head and why he’s done what he’s done.

Sometimes it just takes a awhile to figure a guy out!

http://www.alternet.org/news/147430/michael_moore:_why_i_had_to_hire_9_bodyguards_after_winning_an_oscar?page=1

But I can’t start without a GRANT

Hanging around my old home town again, for the last 9 months, I’ve been hearing the same mantra over and over again. I can’t do it till I get a GRANT!


Hmmm. So, I’m thinking about what grants are and what they do.

Government and philanthropic grants are a great way to stimulate the economy, helps create needed organizations and creates some jobs. Yet, when you think about it, government grants should only be available till the economy finds its equilibrium.

See, the trouble with grant money is, that you become dependant on it. Your job might even depend on ‘em continuing. That dependency could even influence whom you vote for politically.

Shoot, many politicians pride themselves on bring home the “bacon” and many voters rate a politician on how much of our tax money they get out of Washington and back into our hands. This might be rightly so but, it also helps to keep the grant business in business, and you have to understand it’s BIG business.

Those in charge of granting grants, especially those philanthropic groups that have been given the right to administer government grants, have a lot of power and that power can influence how our communities’ economy and governments are run. Once you start suckling on that sow's tat it’s hard to get weaned from it.

The WEANING: We’re doing a good job in Flint of getting grants for training programs, spending lot of money keeping those offices staffed, giving them paper work to be pushed and even getting some people educated along the way. But what comes next?

Entrepreneurship! Look, Flint is full of brain power. We’ve got U of M, Kettering, Mott College, Baker etc. Of course the brain power that is being produced here is being exported to other states to fill their job needs. That’s crap!

It’s simple. Flint’s number one product is BRAINS and our number one export is….. BRAINS. We’ve got to find ways to keep those BRAINS engaged here!

If anything needs a grant here in Flint it’s the start up to an entrepreneur college and programs that gets the brainiacks meeting the risk takers. Can you see what that will cause?

Smart people with technical ideas (with no business experience or want of business experience due to their going to get a job anyhow), coming together with the folks that have the drive and know how to start new businesses and enterprises, plus we already have a trained LABOR force ready to put the sweat behind the construction of physical needs.

What will happen then? Brains and Risk Takers come together, start a business. That business needs buildings built, floors swept, and office clerks etc etc. so that makes more people working, more tax dollars collected, policemen, firemen back on the job etc. etc.

But I can’t start without a GRANT!

Dear banks and lending companies, you’ve screwed up bad! The government is about to replace you with its own form of lending institute. It’s going to take your job away cuz you forgotten what you are soposta do. Take on loans for qualified applicants and help them….help them and guide them to success. You need your “lendees” to succeeded cause then you get your money back and you get to lend that extra money to lots of others so that you can keep your fat profit margins and stock holders happy!

Crap, you guys forget that “we the people” are the ones whose money you’re using and we the people are the ones living outside your very front doors. It’s not about the Chinese (Bless their hearts) or stock swap schemes or spending all your time figuring out how to create fees or loop-holes to screw over someone’s bank account or mortgage! Get back to basics.

Bottom line! I am not against grants, grant makers, or the idea of grants, just that we need to think about how dependent we can become on them.

By the way, I might be starting a new web dating site that matches Brainiacks with Entrepreneurs. Maybe I’ll call it “Job Creation for Flint!” of “Finding Flint’s Flintapreneurs”!

That is, if I can get a grant to start it.

Stephen James Comedy Improv & Human Resource Training Consultant Flint, Michigan.


If you’re looking to re-energize your Sales Force, inspire your Marketing Department or to encourage your Board to think “Out of the Box”, “The Stephen James Comedy Troupe Corporate Team Building” will work together with you in delivering the message you want to give! Team Building will always be a top priority for today's organizations. Building effective teamwork through leading edge corporate and organizational team building programs is one of “The Stephen James Comedy Troupe” (Corporate Team Training) greatest capabilities! And we make it so much FUN! CONTACT US AT: Email: stephenjamescomedy@gmail.com Phone: 810-618-7517 Website: http://sites.google.com/site/thestephenjamescomedytroupe


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