Michael Moore Accidentally Explains How He Benefits From Capitalism
Michael Moore didn't believe his work benefitted from capitalism – but then explained exactly how capitalism spurred his success. In an interview with CNN's Piers Morgan on Monday, the liberal filmmaker questioned the notion that his work benefits from capitalism.
"In a way that is capitalism. I mean you've got a business," Morgan told him. "Is it really?" Moore answered. He then inadvertently defended the free market.
[Video below the break. Click here for audio.]
"The only reason I do well is because so many millions want to go see my movies. If they didn't like the movies, they wouldn't see them and I probably wouldn't be sitting here. So there you go," Moore insisted.
The situation is an example of the free market. The customer gets to choose whether or not he will pay to see Moore's product. He enjoys the films, and pays to see more of them. Because of the free market, Moore benefits from these paying customers.
A transcript of the segment, which aired on September 27 at 9:11 p.m. EDT, is as follows:
PIERS MORGAN: Tell me about capitalism, though.
MICHAEL MOORE, filmmaker: Yes.
MORGAN: Is capitalism in itself wrong? And the reason I ask you that, you're a very, very successful, very rich filmmaker, apart from everything else you do. In a way that is capitalism. I mean you've got a business.
MOORE: Is it really?
MORGAN: You've got a company. Well – isn't it in its purest sense? Isn't it?
MOORE: Well, Piers, there's nothing pure about capitalism.
MORGAN: Is there not, though?
MOORE: It's not capitalism.
MORGAN: What is it?
MOORE: First of all, I do well. For a documentary filmmaker, I do really well. I'm very blessed and fortunate that people want to go see my movies. The only reason I do well is because so many millions want to go see my movies. If they didn't like the movies, they wouldn't see them and I probably wouldn't be sitting here. So there you go.
MORGAN: Is there a good form of capitalism?
MOORE: Well –
MORGAN: Has it simply been corrupted?
MOORE: It's like saying – you know – when you say the word capitalism, you have to talk about it in its current sense. You can't talk about the old days or the way maybe, you know, the Adam Smith, the sort of old capitalism.
MORGAN: Wasn't America fundamentally built on a form of capitalist dream? I mean the idea that you can come from nowhere –
MOORE: The idea that if you work hard –
(CROSSTALK)
MORGAN: You succeed – yeah. All those things.
MOORE: And then everybody else prospered. And not only that, as you prospered the wealth was shared with your employees, with the government, everybody had a piece of the pie. You who started the business or invented the light bulb or whatever, you got a bigger piece of the pie. And you know what? Nobody cared, because you invented the light bulb. That was a pretty cool thing.
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Comments
What did Forest Gump say?
Submitted by Radical1979 on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 4:03pm.
stupid is as stupid does. Fits this moron perfectly.
No ,he benefits
Submitted by theduck6 on Wed, 09/28/2011 - 7:38am.
because a lot of people went to see his early films that said what they wanted to hear and purported to prove it. His later movies were not nearly as sucessful and all have spurred cottage industries showing the fallacies, misrepresentaions and outright lies of his crockumentaries. There is no legal responsibility to tell the truth in a crockumentary. Michael Moore is a lying sack of slimy, Siberian sheep feces.
Capitalism for me, but not for thee....
Submitted by motherbelt on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 4:07pm.
He certainly didn't mean that everyone should be free to become rich if they could!!
Because, you know those other people would hoard all the money to themselves....that's what's wrong with this country......
This reminds me of the time
Submitted by MrSnuggles on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 4:03pm.
This reminds me of the time Moore said, while advocating for gun control, that the neighborhoods that had all the guns didnt have any crime.
well if there is proof that capitalism works
Submitted by kata on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 4:12pm.
he's it.
For every chia pet, thigh-master, slap-chop, pet rock or Michael Moore movie, there is a customer waiting to pay for it.
Thanks, kata
Submitted by HockeyKid on Wed, 09/28/2011 - 10:46am.
You've found a way to make the phrase "you're gonna love my nuts" even MORE repulsive.
"Beauty is only skin deep, but liberal's to the bone." - me
He may be fat, but......
Submitted by almostacowboy on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 4:16pm.
at least he's intellectually dishonest.
deleted by me
Submitted by almostacowboy on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 4:17pm.
double tap
TAKE OFF THE CAP!~
Submitted by GG_NB on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 4:17pm.
I cannot tell you how much it irks me that Moore often wears a Spartan cap. I graduated from MSU, and it's downright embarrassing to see him wearing Spartan gear. Moore has no relationship whatsoever with MSU. I have no idea what his deal is with this, but out of all the schools to choose, why-oh-why must it be us Spartans? Sigh.
PLEASE, TAKE OFF THE CAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"If not us, who? If not now, when?"
~Ronald Reagan
That's a Spartans cap?
Submitted by almostacowboy on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 4:20pm.
I thought it was a "green Socialists" cap!
~Now, if that had been, "Take off the HAT"
Submitted by Wrathful Brunette on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 4:33pm.
We'd have been in the middle of a Ron White skit.
Or, Bru---
Submitted by matthewdean on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 5:50pm.
in the middle of being thrown out of a bar in New York City---
MD
~
Submitted by Wrathful Brunette on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 6:03pm.
"I don't know how many of them it would have taken to whip my *ss, but I knew how many they were going to use."
Classic.
or one Moore should heed
Submitted by theduck6 on Wed, 09/28/2011 - 7:50am.
"At that point I had the right to remain silent...however I did not have the ability."
Bru~
Submitted by GG_NB on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 6:12pm.
;)
"If not us, who? If not now, when?"
~Ronald Reagan
That arrested adolescent shows up to adult scenarios
Submitted by WhoIsJohnGalt on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 5:00pm.
such as TV interviews, movie premiers, political events, etc., wearing a t-shirt and a baseball cap...as if we needed any further proof that he's about as immature as anything weighing 400 lbs can be.
MSU Hat
Submitted by DSVAN on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 5:22pm.
I also graduated from MSU. Moore never even attended college. He actually was excepted at U of M Flint but never made it to his first class. As he tells it, he couldn't find a spot in the ramp the first day and just left. Apparently it took to much effort to find some other place to park and to walk the extra distance required.
DSVAN~lol
Submitted by GG_NB on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 6:33pm.
Why is that not hard to believe?
He never would have made it trekking all over MSU's campus...or during the winter, standing up crammed into one of the buses. He would probably have been at the Dairy Store all day.
If only we could stick him out in Brody...until he'd never wear our gear again.
"If not us, who? If not now, when?"
~Ronald Reagan
GG, He can't take off the cap
Submitted by Dave. on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 7:44pm.
LOL - He has a couple of hot dogs stashed up there, and they might hit the floor.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
Dave~Hotdiggity
Submitted by GG_NB on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 11:19pm.
Well, maybe I'll just spring for a new baseball cap for him.
[I'm now thinking of the not-nice things to put on his new cap...]
"If not us, who? If not now, when?"
~Ronald Reagan
Here ya go GG*
Submitted by cajun2 on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 11:30pm.
Either Moore or Maddow, fits both of them.
http://rlv.zcache.com/im_with_stupid_hat_left-p148641678079757449tdto_15...
or this one
http://rlv.zcache.co.uk/im_with_stupid_trucker_cap_hat-p1480277376201113...
Caj~
Submitted by GG_NB on Wed, 09/28/2011 - 9:26am.
The second one! The second one! :)
"If not us, who? If not now, when?"
~Ronald Reagan
And Michael Moore didn't get
Submitted by MightyMouth on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 4:17pm.
And Michael Moore didn't get where he is at on his own either... no no no!.. we all helped pay for the concrete his lardass walks on to get to the hotdog stand! Yet does 'Mr' Moore thank us? Noooooooooo! Of course not! (ingrate).
...and I'm curious exactly how large a piece of the pie
Submitted by WhoIsJohnGalt on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 5:02pm.
that this twit gave to the little people who worked on his movie, the caterers, the craft people, the drivers, etc.
Any guesses?
Zippo.
Of course the little people
Submitted by crimsonspark on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 6:53pm.
Of course the little people didn't get to share in the wealth. Remember, this is the guy who refused to use unions while shooting one of his crappy movies. Hypocrite, thy name is Michael Moore. Then again, I'm not surprised he didn't share much of his pie. Look at him-does he look like he'd EVER give up dessert?
I do k now
Submitted by theduck6 on Wed, 09/28/2011 - 7:53am.
He does his post-production work in Canadia to avoid union rates.
Hypocritical pile of poo.
I'm stumped...
Submitted by m4ster chief on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 4:18pm.
I'm just dying to post something witty and sarcastic about this interview, but what can you say about this guy? He's completely off the stupidity meter, everything has been said about him...
Well, I guess I'll just read the next story.
First the cheap shot: has
Submitted by mostlymoderate on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 4:20pm.
First the cheap shot: has this guy ever exercised a day in his life? I have never seen somebody on television that was so pale, lard-a$$ed and soft.
Second, Michael Moore would not be allowed to freely express himself anywhere but the U.S.A. He should LOVE this country.
I truly believe the fat has
Submitted by Scuba Dude on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 4:20pm.
I truly believe the fat has replaced the brains on this uber libturd. What a friggin IDIOT!!!!
I am proud to say that I have never paid a single penny to view any of the trash he has produced for the film industry.
This hypocritical whale is
Submitted by celator on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 4:32pm.
This hypocritical whale is the most disingenuous, phony propagandist in the US.
This idiot doesn't understand
Submitted by ForeverOnTheRight on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 4:55pm.
This idiot doesn't understand that if it weren't for capitalism he'd be as poor as a Kremlin mouse.
No capitalism = No freedom
Submitted by Edhenry on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 5:32pm.
No capitalism = No freedom
Looks to me like
Submitted by Marcus Porcius on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 5:12pm.
Michael Moore benefited from capitalism in more than one way. McDonald's was a direct result of capitalism and it looks like Moore has spent a considerable amount of time there.
BTW, "benefited" only has one "t." Check out the first sentence of the article.
"Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions." G.K. Chesterton
www.theconservativereview.com
Don't let Michael Moore fool you.
Submitted by Boil It Down on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 5:15pm.
Just because he dresses like a homeless guy and argues like the old drunk hippy at the end of the bar, that does mean he's not a capitalists at heart. -bidn-
Corpulent hypocrite
Submitted by Ben Arnold on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 5:19pm.
The wonder is not that the pig makes sense when it talks, the wonder is that the pig talks at all.
Moore, you Do have a "business."
Submitted by CobraMan on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 5:57pm.
Moore, stop lying to us. You DO have a "business." It's a production company, named Dog Eat Dog Films. Or do you deny this business exists? If so, then you need to update your own website which promotes, and SELLS, the products you produce. That means you are a hardcore, dyed-in-the-wool capitalist, and there's no denying it.
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States. The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus. The US Supreme Court
Or Anwar al-Awlaki.
I'm guessing that you could
Submitted by Antisocial-ism on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 6:27pm.
I'm guessing that you could multiply Moore's I.Q. by six and not even come close to his weight.
MORON!!
No Capitalism = No Michael Moore
Submitted by GerryC on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 6:46pm.
Without capitalism Michael Moore would have nothing. We would have never even heard of him. My point is, even some liberals know that to be "famous" in any capacity equals wealth. He profits from capitalism, by opposing it.
Liberals have to lie to accomplish anything, because their ideas have been completely proven to lead to failure in all of history.
yo mike
Submitted by D'saredumbpeople on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 6:57pm.
is there a twinkie convention your missing.......
The "S" on his hat...
Submitted by shooter on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 7:36pm.
...stands for "STUPID"!
_________________________________________
"An armed society is a polite society" -- Robert A. Heinlein
Speaking of light bulbs,
Submitted by balboa on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 7:49pm.
Speaking of light bulbs, didn't Edison make sure he prospered from that invention? Not sure he cared about others getting a piece of the action.
~Edison
Submitted by Wrathful Brunette on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 7:52pm.
didn't go around lecturing others about the eeeeeeeevils of capitalism while getting fat off it, did he?
can we make Non-Sequitorian a title?
Submitted by kata on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 7:55pm.
.
~Sounds good to me
Submitted by Wrathful Brunette on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 8:45pm.
It'd save time, that's for sure.
No he didn't. I was arguing
Submitted by balboa on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 11:03pm.
No he didn't. I was arguing against Moore's example.
He patened that lightbulb.
Submitted by CobraMan on Wed, 09/28/2011 - 12:53pm.
Edison didn't want anyone else getting a "piece of the action." He patented the light bulb and spent a lot of money trying to sue anyone who came up with a similar design. Kinda like Moore and his copyrights on the films he produces.
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States. The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus. The US Supreme Court
Or Anwar al-Awlaki.
Another reason why Moore's
Submitted by balboa on Wed, 09/28/2011 - 5:43pm.
Another reason why Moore's statement is a bit out of whack.
Moore is such a moron
Submitted by ProudAmerican58 on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 8:54pm.
he doesn't even know that he actually admitted he got rich off "movies" (fictional stories) and not "documentaries."
I can't help but laugh...
Submitted by j_phred on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 9:49pm.
I can't help but laugh every time I see this worthless POS. All I can think of is "Fat Bastard" from the Austin Powers movies!
I wonder why no one in the
Submitted by motherbelt on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 10:05pm.
I wonder why no one in the media makes fat jokes about Moore, the way they have about Christie.
Christie may be fat, but Moore is both fat AND a slob.
This fool has got to be on
Submitted by jessieH on Wed, 09/28/2011 - 12:15pm.
This fool has got to be on drugs.
at least he's intellectually
Submitted by bagtree on Thu, 03/29/2012 - 5:08am.
at least he's intellectually dishonest.
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