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
