- Paperback: 336 pages
- Publisher: Avon; later printing edition (Aug 14 1997)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0060977337
- ISBN-13: 978-0060977337
- Product Dimensions: 20.4 x 13.5 x 2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 272 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (128 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#132,749 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #63 in Books > Entertainment > Humour > Political
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
Who says the left wing doesn't have a sense of humor? Maybe it doesn't, but documentarian Michael Moore sure does--Exhibit A was Roger & Me; B was the ill-fated TV Nation; and C is 1997's print skirmish Downsize This! Moore's politics are rabidly liberal, populist, and anti-big business--about what you'd expect from the former editor of Mother Jones. While this restricts his audience to Americans on the left side of the aisle, for them Downsize This! will be a chance to point and laugh hysterically (if ruefully) at the clique of rich white guys who run everything.
Moore is at his best as a prankster, whether it's trying to see if Pat Buchanan will take a campaign donation from the John Wayne Gacy Fan Club (yes) or whether he can have Bob Dornan committed to an insane asylum based on his bizarre behavior (no, but it was close). Moore is one of our sharpest satirists, and Downsize This! makes one wish he would write a "Sorry State of the Union" every year. But only if it doesn't cut into his moviemaking--that's too big a price to pay. --Michael Gerber
From Publishers Weekly
Moore, whose documentary film Roger & Me and television series TV Nation have a strong cult following, takes on corporations, politicians and Americana in general in a mordant satire that will leave both conservatives and liberals reeling with embarrassment. Moore tears into corporations and labor unions alike. Citing "economic terrorism," he goes after the "Big Welfare Mamas"?the CEOs?detailing their cozy tax deals with federal and local government, which have added to the deficit. He attacks the unions in "Why Are Union Leaders So F#!@ing Stupid," citing how they have collaborated with corporations (while taking huge salaries) to slash jobs from their own memberships. No one is immune; Moore scrutinizes the President, Bob Dole, NAFTA, Cuban refugees and Pat Buchanan. A scathing, funny book packed with facts, it will appeal to those who loved Al Franken's Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot. Photos. Major ad/promo; author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
SINCE MAKING Roger & Me in 1989, I've listened to a lot of stories from people, strangers in the street, who want to buy me a beer or a burger and tell me what happened to their American Dream. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
SINCE MAKING Roger & Me in 1989, I've listened to a lot of stories from people, strangers in the street, who want to buy me a beer or a burger and tell me what happened to their American Dream. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Conservatives really need to get a sense of humor,
By not4prophet (North Carolina) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Downsize This!: Random Threats from an Unarmed American (Paperback)
Regardless of whether you're liberal, conservative, centrist, or nonpolitical, you must agree that this book is hilarious. How can you not laugh when Pat Buchanan, America's self-proclaimed moral crusader, accepts a campaign check from the John Wayne Gacy Fan Club? Or when Moore suggests that we forget about Senators and simply vote for our favorite lobbyists?Moore guides us through the landscape of the American political and economic system, with one chapter devoted to each major issue. Although he maintains the humorous tone throughout the book, he also presents plenty of solid information of the sort that you won't hear about in the "mainstream" media. For instance, in one chapter he lists the gigantic government handouts that have been given to America's multi-billionaire "corporate welfare mothers". Moore is at his best when skewering the hypocrisy of conservative corporatists (i.e. those who brag about their patriotism while sending our jobs to Mexico.)
4.0 out of 5 stars
It changed my opinion of the O.J. Simpson murder case,
By
This review is from: Downsize This!: Random Threats from an Unarmed American (Paperback)
You may want to read journalist Michael Moore's book DOWNSIZE THIS just for the chapter entitled "O.J. Is Innocent." That passage is a sobering reminder of how the news media selectively reports facts. If all of white America could read Mr. Moore's take on O.J. Simpson, many would agree the ex-football star deserved to beat the double-murder rap.DOWNSIZE THIS comprises Mr. Moore's take on many other controversial issues. His insights on U.S.-Cuba relations; the state of black America; former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton; corporate America's massive job exports; and the lookalike Republican and Democratic parties will widen your eyes, crack you up, or both. You may want the paperback version of DOWNSIZE THIS, as it offers extra text not included in the hardcover. Drawback: the hardcover photo of Mr. Moore has him wearing a "G.M. Mexico" hat; the paperback uses the author's hat for the book subtitle. DOWNSIZE THIS and G.M. Mexico - that says it all. Read DOWNSIZE THIS!
4.0 out of 5 stars
All depends on your political beliefs,
This review is from: Downsize This!: Random Threats from an Unarmed American (Paperback)
Like most political satires and/or commentaries, those who agree with the author's point of view will generally enjoy this funny little book. Moore exposes the corporate crimes and hypocrisy that take place in this country, but is by no means against Corporations in general or the virtues of making a profit. He just feels that corporations have gotten completely unreasonable by firing thousands of employees while profits are at a peak and leaving cities after receiving tax breaks as an incentive for staying.The picture of the Federal building bombed in Oklahoma City is placed next to the picture of a condemned factory in Flint, Michigan after GM pulled out. The pictures are nearly identical and the imagery is extremely powerful. What exactly is terrorism, Moore asks? Many will disagree with Moore's opinions and some will be offended by certain things in this book, especially the chapter dealing with the L.A. Riots and the O.J. Simpson case. However, I do think it's worth a read, even if you disagree, if only to reinforce your views.
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