Michael Moore - A hero

Michael Moore
born: 23-04-1954
birth place: Flint, Michigan

An unlikely political figure, bumbling along in glasses, cap and baggy jeans, Michael Moore is America’s most fearless and populist political commentator. A passive aggressive, Moore’s style is to hurl himself into major issues with wit and humour, and hope his energy captures public opinion. He believes fervently in the common man’s stand against the State.

Moore’s politics is home grown. Born in Flint, a town then dominated by General Motors car plants, he saw his Irish father and grandfather earn their livelihood at the factories, and then watched as a town of men like them were sacked, as GM relocated to cheaper labour pools in Mexico. The town was left destitute as GM and its shareholders' profits fattened.

Moore’s lust to reveal cooperate injustice and misdemeanour began when he was an Eagle Scout and made a slide show exposing all the businesses that polluted Flint. At 18, Moore won a seat on the Flint school board, making him one of the youngest people in the US to hold public office.

Preferring activism to study, Moore became a journalist on the 'Flint Voice' and, in time he became editor, and the paper expanded into the 'Michigan Voice'. The outspoken writer graduated to editor of 'Mother Jones', the leftist political journal in 1986, though frequent arguments with the publishers made the partnership a short one.

Moore used his 'Mother Jones' settlement money as the seed for 'Roger & Me' - a documentary film describing GM’s part in the economic collapse of Flint. Determined to get the story on the air, Moore had to sell his house and host bingo evenings to finish the film. It was one of the most financially successful documentaries ever.

Moore then dabbled in TV, but could not get his ratings up, so in 1996 he wrote 'Downsize This' - a political commentary. It was a best seller. Since then, Moore has continued to write and make successful documentaries - 'Bowling For Columbine' (2002) won a Jury Award at the Cannes Film Festival.

Moore is a fierce and very public critic of George W Bush, his administratiion and the US invasion of Iraq. His hard hitting documentary, 'Fahrenheit 9/11', an attack on Bush's ability to run the US, has become a worldwide blockbuster, becoming the highest grossing documentary of all time.