Michael Moore

By Rachelle King

Everyone should familarize themselves with the witty world of Micheal Moore:

Michael Moore’s Effective Use of Humor and Irony in Roger and Me

Few people in this world have the ability to illustrate a subject without tainting the credibility of it by confessing to be biased from the start of the argument. Michael Moore is a particular individual well educated in the art of persuasion by example. Moore’s utilization of humor and irony in his enthralling documentary, entitled Roger and Me, which illuminates the hardships faced by Flint, Michigan residents during the GM (General Motors) factory closings in the late 1980’s, does just this. His snide antics during interviews with Miss Michigan, GM management, and even at the corporate offices of GM as he tries to interview Chairman of GM, Roger Smith, are central to the film’s fundamental point. Moore’s “everyday man in everyday clothes” tactic and overlapping commentary during the film is imperative to the perspective being presented for consumption by the audience. Without his intervening presence most of the irony and humor exposed by the reality of a situation might not be obvious to a mainstream audience.

Moore’s cynical humor in the documentary went hand in hand with the ironic reality exhibited. For instance, in the beginning of the documentary the city officials of Flint rectify this truth when a parade is decidedly given to uplift the spirits of the community members. The parade focuses on honoring the surviving residents of the first sit down protests at the Flint, Michigan GM factory. This sit down provided the catalyst for the establishment of the union. Ironic that the daughters and sons of these last few survivors were now out of jobs (30,000 of them to be exact). Even more sardonic is the inclusion of Miss Michigan in the festive occasion. There is no need for Moore to point out the sarcastic humor one may obtain from this interview. For Miss Michigan reveals herself as she wittily remarks that she feels “a little sad” due to the recent epidemic of unemployment, but she’s optimistic because she’s “all for working in Michigan.”

Again Moore reveals the secret to his point-making antics as he tells the audience in the documentary that the current major of Flint decided to shell out 20 thousand dollars to TV evangelist, Robert Shueler, to come and “rid the city of its unemployment plague.” The humorous irony in this lies in the mere fact that a very high percentage of Flint residents were jobless and homeless as the major decided to pay a preposterous amount of money from tax payer’s dollars to a Christian evangelist. If a Christian evangelist was so concerned with the city and the religious state of it’s people, would not he have come for free to spread his message of endurance? The real secret to the irony and humor found in this particular situation illustrated in Moore’s documentary is the situation itself.

Michael Moore is a man that appeals to the masses through his sarcasm and humor but more so through his representation of the “everyday man” figure. He becomes an icon of hope by being a man everyone can relate to. He walks in the doors of the GM corporate offices filled with the upper-class elite of the community wearing his flannel shirt and a tie. Irony and humor is therefore conveyed through Moore’s appearance as this everyday man. It is ironic that he is dressed like the factory workers of Flint, Michigan while attempting to passively interview Roger Smith for his take on the factory closings. Ironic more so that they will not allow the very man that represents the people that keep the factories running in to see the Chairman of the Company. The humor lies in the mere fact that he is attempting to interview the chairman of GM wearing a flannel shirt, a tie, and a tattered ball cap.

Even Roger Smith himself could probably not deny the effectiveness of Michael Moore’s humor and irony rendered in his documentary, Roger and Me. The genius of the film lies not in Moore’s ability to be humorous and outline irony. The genius lies in his ability to show the audience that the ironic humor of everyday life is already present. Moore just emphasizes this truth by presenting himself as a passive mediator letting the people, their opinions, and their situations, speak for themselves. Michael Moore just provides the obvious that may not be so obvious if one were to glance at a situation without the intention to dwell on it. His role is central to the film’s perspective, its irony, and its humor, but yet, it does not impact the point itself-the truth already existent in the circumstances ultimately influence the argument.

Talkback: Post Reply | View replies (8)