don's report archive

by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.

Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

"LeBron decided not to go to college. He found seasonal work in Cleveland."
(Seen at the bottom of the end-title updates on what became of the players featured in the film, More Than A Game, Review by Joe Morganstern "On Film," Wall Street Journal, October 2, 2009, p. W3.")

I love understatement. Michael Moore is NOT known for this quality, but he does exhibit it nicely on at least one occasion in Capitalism: A Love Story. This memorable moment occurs when he off-handedly remarks that it is kind of hard to make a case that capitalism still works in America when one percent of the population controls more wealth than the "lower" 95 percent.

Capitalism IS an issue for wellness promoters, in case you are wondering why I would review this movie. REAL wellness may focus primarily on matters of reason, exuberance and liberty while celebrating lifestyles that enhance quality of life, but all such efforts will fail if the social order deteriorates. Maslow made this abundantly clear when he described the security and safety foundations of his memorable "hierarchy of needs. A sound economy and a functional economic system are prerequisites, it seems to me, for success at individual and social advances towards the benefits of physical and mental well being.

Capitalism: A Love Story starts with a clever montage contrasting America's current fiscal crisis with the fall of ancient Rome. Classic Michael Moore—and it gets better as it goes along. Well, with one exception, soon to be noted.

I came away from this show with five major impressions, four are favorable about the show. The fifth impression or point of view about Capitalism is not so favorable, but it's a minor quibble compared with the positive reactions, as follows:

1. Wall Street and other fiscal leaders have either learned little from the implosion and near-collapse of the economy or they just don't care, provided they can hold on to power and increase their own wealth.
   
   
2. Capitalism really is, as Moore describes it, "a beast that needs to be reined in" by the 95 percent of us who have so many more votes than the one percent that has the wealth. In Moore's words, capitalism in this country at least is "an economic system that doesn't work, it's not fair, it's not democratic, it's not just and it's got to go."
   
   
3. In the year since the fiscal crisis began on September 13-14, 2008 with the fall of Lehman Brothers, little has been done to reform the root problem—capitalism itself.
   
   
4. While there are countless villains responsible for nearly bringing down America and most of the world of nations with us, outsize "credits" are given to Ronald Reagan (an actor-pitchman-turned “spokesmodel president”), George W. Bush and a team of current and past fiscal experts. President Obama, it seems, did not pick wisely when he assembled his economic advisers.
   
   My fifth impression is the negative one.
   
5. Michael Moore seems to believe that representatives of the Catholic Church in the midwest are the best people to query on the subject of contemporary capitalism, particularly if it should be considered “evil". I wonder why Moore chose to offer so many interviews with religious figures, who offer little but godtalk to support their opinions. The insertion of priests nearly ruins the movie, in my opinion. And then, at the end, the audience has to endure a hymn! What was Michael thinking?

Naturally, Capitalism is not a fair and balanced presentation. Those shown in unflattering ways have no opportunity to defend their actions or rebut Moore's assertions, but who expects such a thing from Michael Moore—or wants it, for that matter? Not me—I enjoy the red meat stuff, and Moore rarely fails to serve it up, most of which seems just right to stimulate and entertain my ideological taste buds.

The film may be less authoritative than what you would expect from Karl Marx or any other deep thinker, but it is impressive in its scope, nonetheless. Give Moore credit for addressing a wide range of issues surrounding the financial meltdown of 2007–2009, including all of the following:

• the recovery stimulus plans;
• the casino mentality of Wall Street;
• the horrific case of a for-profit youth prison scandal;
• The influence of one firm, Goldman Sachs,' in shaping government policy;
• the scandal (and dangers) of underpaid regional airline pilots;
• the practical dynamics of home foreclosures; and
• an up close and personal look at how capitalism promotes and enables "runaway greed."

Highly recommended, despite the religious distractions.

Always look on the bright side of life.

(Note: This essay will be filed in the archives in the MEANING DOMAIN under the skill area of applied wellness. Additional articles related to this theme may be found there.)

(Ed. Note: Views expressed in this and other columns are those of the author and not necessarily those of the SeekWellness Editorial Board.)

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