Rhetorical Analysis: Capitalism: A Love Story - Essay Example

? Rhetorical Analysis: Capitalism: A Love Story “Capitalism: A Love Story” is a documentary by Michael Moore that seeks to bring out the evils associated with capitalism, in a bid to dissuade Americans from a fiscal, economic and governance system that most of them are familiar with. Moore strategically releases the documentary at a time when he knows that Americans are just recovering from the consequences of economic meltdown and financial crisis. The financial crisis left many Americans homeless and jobless and with tremendous disillusionment. Moore capitalizes on this state of affairs to rally Americans against capitalism and those who promote it. The rhetorical situation that perhaps inspired Moore to film the documentary is that Americans are quickly losing confidence in the structures and institutions of governance, and with the leadership. Leaders constantly make promises that they do not fulfill and the policies they implement are neither effective nor sustainable. In essence, Americans are in desperate need for change that they even elected President Obama the moment he promised them change. Michael Moore is an accomplished film maker who uses his talent for an apparent philanthropic quest to educate Americans on political, social and governance issues affecting them. One his most famous works is the Fahrenheit 9/11 provides controversial accounts of the events that supposedly led to the 9/11 attacks. That his works are controversial is no doubt and the issues he tackles are weighty and as a result he never lacks audience. He has taken the position of an activist against the oppression of the common people by the rich and the powerful. Consequently, many people identify with him and would actually believe his stories. Perhaps his credibility stems from the fact that he seems to sympathize with the “oppressed”. Moore’s intention in the documentary is straightforward. Moore seeks to attack corporate organizations and key institutions that are mostly mandated with the task of service delivery to Americans. According to Moore, these corporate organizations and institutions are the same ones that are stealing from the very people they are supposed to protect. Moore seeks to attack these corporate organizations and institutions while at the same time persuade Americans persuade Americans into following his beliefs. Essentially, Moore targets the lower class and the bourgeoisie because they are the ones who have mostly been affected by economic crisis. The lower class and the bourgeoisie perhaps hold Moore with high regard because they see him as the one person who has been brave enough to speak against the rich and mighty. Regardless of whether Moore’s postulations are real or not, the fact is that he will always have people to listen to him and to encourage him to continue what many believe is whistle blowing. The primary objective of Moore in the film is to bring out the fact that the real thieves are the corporate leaders. The leaders fleece out public funds and then use their offices to protect them from being discovered and possible prosecution. In the beginning of the film we see rather naive and inexperienced robbers who are caught on camera. In essence, these robbers will soon find themselves locked for a very long time in prison. Moore then brings into perspective the scandals that have recently hit the American nation. For instance, Moore touches on the controversy surrounding the bailouts given to institutions during economic crisis where most of the money was used to pay CEOs. Moore also outlines that in most instances CEOs of banks steal huge chunks of money and use their offices and connections to avoid being caught. Moore also explains that as some Americans were being evicted out of their homes, some insurance companies were actually gaining. In essence, Moore seems to outline that the economic crisis was as a result of mistakes made by those in power and now the low class and the bourgeoisie were the ones who were dearly paying. Although the documentary comes out as satire, it is direct enough to arouse strong sentiments. Furthermore, the way Moore chronologically revisits history and narrates of his encounter with the key players in government institutions such as the treasury adds credibility to his claims. Although the audience is able to identify the highlight of Moore’s story, there is also the realization that his main arguments have some inconsistencies. Moore’s main argument is against capitalism but he spends a large portion of the film tackling monetary issues. Capitalism is an economic system and monetary issues are just a portion of capitalism. Moore speaks about billions being lost in bailouts but does not actually take the audience to the root of the problem. Perhaps if he could have spoken more of the organization of institutions, it could have been easy to create a connection between capitalism and economic crisis. However, one primary observation is that the documentary could not have come at any other time. Moore’s timing was perfect in the sense that he filmed the documentary during a period when America was still recovering from the economic crisis. The pain and the desperation of losing homes and other material belongings were still fresh in the minds of most Americans. The detailed revelations of the documentary obviously created a public discontent with regard to government response to the financial crisis. The Fahrenheit 9/11 was also released strategically at a time when Americans were losing confidence on the government’s military invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan as part of the US war on terror. Evidently, Capitalism: A Love Story was bound to enjoy similar popularity just as Fahrenheit 9/11. The form of communication used by Moore reveals a very important aspect of the American culture nurtured over years of disappointment by the government. Instead of confronting the government directly Americans opt to use creative way such as documentaries and films. Americans also seem to have grown tired of being lied to by leaders to the extent that they have opted to keep quiet. It is for this reason that an individual like Moore will continue to enjoy popularity. This is because he is seen as some form of a savior who still has the energy and is bold enough to speak out against the government. Furthermore, the common American perhaps feels that they are not conversant with complex issues going on in higher places. Therefore, a person like Moore becomes very important because he is seen as a person who is knowledgeable and sensitive to the dynamics at play in the government. The subtle activism approaches by Moore places him within the culture of the contemporary America where violence is no longer preferred as a tool that can be used to express discontent. Works Cited Capitalism: A Love Story. Dir. Michael Moore. Perf. Michael Moore. 2009. Film. Read More