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  • Essay / Idiot Nation by Michael Moore: the flaws of the American education system

    Michael Moore is an American writer and filmmaker known for creating documentaries and controversial texts. Moore is also known for expressing his opinions in highly successful films, something that is difficult for other filmmakers to do. Some of his most important works include "Fahrenheit 9/11" and "Bowling For Columbine", which received several award nominations (IMDb). Moore's intention in writing this piece was to air his opinion on the current corruption of the education system, also speaking out about the poor political judgments that have caused schools to accept the backlash of poor corporate funding. He talks about it because his main goal is to bring attention and awareness to this problem. Idiot Nation is an explanation of Moore's irritation with the American education system and how it has been affected by politics and big business. He repeatedly denounces the selfishness of big business when it comes to education and how unqualified political figures have a say in the next generations of education. In this essay, I will examine and explain why Moore feels the way he does about the American education system. I will discuss topics such as why Moore believes political beliefs, socioeconomic status, and age are all important factors in the American education system. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The first topic Moore writes about is his concern about the qualifications of politicians. Moore lays out his views on hypocritical and selfish politicians who are not equipped to have education funds in their hands. Moore claims that "politicians like Senators Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Herbert Kohl of Wisconsin want to go after MTV when they are responsible for the massive failure of American education." His tone is an attack on ethics by claiming that politicians attack reality TV to divert attention to themselves while blaming someone else. When in reality, a television channel has no control over the destination of the funds and it is not the channel that is responsible. From this statement, Moore believes it is obvious that politicians care more about what people say about them than about educating the younger generation. From this perspective, Moore's target audience is politically active Americans, whether Democrats or Republicans. This is simply targeting and insulting Republicans, but addressing Democrats more. Moore claims that politicians in general are hypocrites, stating, "The ultimate irony in all of this is that the same politicians who refuse to adequately fund education in America are the same ones who are lashing out at how far our children are falling behind." to other countries.” An example of poor education funding is where he explains and blames part of the Bush administration. “In his first budget, he proposed cutting federal spending on libraries by $39 million, to $168 million, a reduction of almost 19 percent,” Moore says. The Bush administration was Republican, which is why he attacks that party while asking Democrats for help. Historically, Republicans are more biased toward funding the military and national defense, while Democrats fund more education and health care. In this case, Moore is trying to implymore Democrats on this issue and set aside money to help the nation's schools get what they need. Due to the qualifications of politicians, businesses do not fund schools enough. The socioeconomic level of Americans and their connection to the educational system is an important issue in Moore's life. In this case, Moore is speaking more to the upper class but also to the middle class for inappropriate use of American school funding. Moore says big companies like Cola-Cola, Pepsi and Dr. Pepper use schools for their own profit, and schools can use their own money to buy materials for students. An example he uses is "The Wylie, Texas, school district signed an agreement in 1996 that shared the rights to sell soft drinks in schools between Coke and Dr Pepper." He uses logos to explain that the transaction cost a little over "$160,000 plus an additional $20,000 in legal fees, for a total of $180,000. With that $180,000 being used to introduce soda into schools, the district is essentially gambling with its money." and deprives its students of its resources, according to the CDC, federal law prohibits the sale of soft drinks in schools until the beginning of the lunch period, and in this case students have access to them 24/7. So while selling soda will be affordable for students, it will also give them the mindset that it's OK to drink soda every day. Moore also says that "few states choose to." respond to the money going to libraries… This is one reason why the materials in many school libraries today date from the 1960s and early 1970s,” and another reason why schools do not are not using their money wisely. The audience in this case is the working middle and upper class, but big business is the victim. It is aimed at the middle class because, in general, schools do not have a very large budget like businesses. Moore takes aim at the upper class, giving off a hostile tone to get the audience to identify with this issue, as many readers have had basic education from K-12. The reason Moore is speaking to this audience is because these big corporations are taking advantage of these low-income schools. Major companies including Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Dr. Pepper. While corporations profit from schools, Moore says the younger generation isn't getting the best education or messaging from their teachers because they're paying less attention to students' wants and needs. Moore says: “Children deprived of access to good libraries are also prevented from developing the information skills they need to keep pace with workplaces that increasingly rely on rapidly changing information.” This means that because these libraries are not frequently updated, students receive poor and outdated information. This poses a problem for students as they get older and will have to navigate all the new information that actually means something to them alone. He also says schools today struggle to mentally support students. For example, "when Mike Cameron wore a Pepsi shirt to 'Coke Day' at Greenbrier High School in Evans, Georgia, he was suspended for a day," Moore says. The point Moore is trying to make here is that this student was punished for speaking out. Here Moore puts pathos to work because he expresses his own opinion and highlights how this.