Sicko

I'm slowly starting to adjust to this whole apartment-falling-apart situation, so bear with me here.

Anyway, another one of the movies I got for Christmas was perhaps my favorite documentary yet, Michael Moore's Sicko. While I had not yet seen any of Moore's other films prior to seeing Sicko for the first time last year (largely due to having bought into the Republican mentality that he's full of shit), I decided to give this film a try, perhaps due to the fact that its subject matter somehow seemed more relevant than that of his previous films. And of course I ended up LOVING the movie, so when I got it for Christmas I really wanted to share it with Candace, which I did the other day.

My second time watching it, although not quite as striking, was certainly still very moving. It touches me in so many ways...everything from sympathy for some of the people in the film and the fear that this could happen to me too (not being insured) to pride in European (and Canadian) advancements in social policy and the resultant desire to either do something about it here or leave. I am often criticized for my seemingly wholesale belief in Europe's superiority over America in terms of social policy and culture, but although there might be some truth to this critique, it's a film like this (made by an American no less) that affirms for me that the core of my belief is true.

Now all they need to make is a film comparing the crime rates, drug addiction levels, poverty levels, and quality of widespread education (amongst other things) between America and Western Europe (from whence we came but somehow still choose to ignore when given the opportunity to learn from their example), and then I'll be able to simply point to some sort of journalism to help prove my point rather than having to offer up the much harder-to-swallow "just go live over there for a year and you'll stop giving me so much shit" line I often feel like delivering.

I'm getting off subject here though. Sicko really is a great movie, even without all the pro-European/Canadian messages. Hopefully it marks the start of a new push to remove our nation's healthcare from the hands of greedy companies and instead give it (back) to the people themselves. Definitely check out this film if you get the chance!