Not hate mail, volume 1

We’ve published so many hate mails on this site I lost track a long time ago.  I received this mail today from someone called themselves a fan of Moore’s work, and I wanted to share it, as well as respond to something contained within.

I have been looking over your site recently, as well as other “anti-Moore” sites, mostly out of curiosity. Many of these sites seem to be nothing more than unreasoned hate-mongering. Note that I did not say “all”. I have found some points that you make to have merit. While I consider myself a fan of Moore’s “work”, and I do not wholeheartedly agree with all that you say, I concluded long ago that Michael Moore produces propaganda.

I do, however, believe that his propaganda has bits of truth in them. I do not assume that because he said it, it must be true. More than that, though, I find his books and movies entertaining. I certainly don’t expect everyone else to feel the same way, though.

Now that that is out of the way....

I don’t want to blow by that at all.  I find it refreshing that someone can have issues with what we publish here at Moorewatch and still be as nice, polite and clear about their beliefs as you have been.  We can disagree on things without debasing ourselves or resorting to dirty pool to “win” some online argument.

I have lost sight of that myself on many an occasion.

Please do not assume that the hate mail you get is representative of Michael Moore’s entire fan base. In any segment of the population, there are nutjobs. You have made occasional statements alluding to these awful emails as being representative of the group as a whole. For example:

“Can you imagine the mentality of someone who would not only stretch the boundaries of imagination to come up with that analogy, but would then take the time to send it to me?  My God, no wonder they keep buying his books and movies.”

Statements like that make it hard for myself, and others like me, to (a) take you seriously, and (b) continue reading the posts on your site in an objective and fair manner. I ask that you refrain from making sweeping statements about Moore’s “fan base”. If you really, seriously, think that making those kinds of generalizations are fair, then you don’t know them.

Fair enough.  I was writing that while under a literal non-stop barrage of emails, news stories and blog posts attacking me, but you are correct.  I generalized, I have done that far too often in the past and I will make an effort to not do that in the future.  We’re all dealing with a commenter right now who refuses to stop generalizing about “the right wing,” so this especially struck me as something I need to stop doing.

That having been said, when someone pops in and acts like the stereotypical “Moore-on,” we’re all gonna have a go.  Some folks need to be slapped before you can talk them off the ledge, you know what I’m saying?  :)

One last matter:

It was stupid of Moore to send you $12,000 anonymously and then go public about it. I think it was unfair to you, and says much more about him than it does about you. I also think that anyone who claims that you should return the money on some kind of ethical or moral grounds is seriously misguided, and clearly has never been in a situation similar to yours. He freely offered you the money for a specific purpose, and you used it for that purpose. How is that hypocritical?

Regards,

-a “Michael Moore fan”.

Thanks.  I thought it was pretty obvious myself.  Those first few days were, as I said, literally a non-stop assault on me.  Thankfully, since those early days, many very nice people who disagree with me about Moore wrote to say supportive, kind things.  I should have known that was coming, it usually takes those kinds of folks some time to reply.  In the end the replies have been around a 60/40 split, with the negative and nasty leading the pack - but not by so much that it’s disheartening.  :)

Anyway, thanks for the email, and if you’d like to join up and contribute to the conversations here at Moorewatch, we’d be glad to have you.  I think we could use someone with some skill at the keyboard to keep us honest just like we’re trying to keep Mike honest.