In just the latest demonstration of how widespread video and web 2.0 technology is democratizing our media and revealing previously underexposed sides of our culture, much of the country has already seen footage of student Andrew Meyer being held down and tasered by police after rather angrily confronting Senator John Kerry with some controversial questions at a forum and resisting arrest. But more fascinating to me than the event itself have been the strongly emotional responses, both by those defending Meyer and those defending the police, which indicate the extent to which the incident evokes, for many of us, past experiences, defense mechanisms and projections revolving around issues of power, anger and authority. In this post, I discuss my view of this controversial story in the context of our current social state and the possible psychological and developmental roots of the actions of Andrew Meyer and the police, as well as people’s various responses.

Conclusion (Part 8 of 8) Note: This is Part 8 of an eight-part series. You may want to start at Part 1 of the series, Summary and Table of Contents. There are tremendous challenges in our world today. Michael Moore’s films have been some of the most powerful channels through which many of us have […]

A Formula for Fundamental, Sustainable Political and Social Change in America (Part 7 of 8) Note: This is Part 7 of an eight-part series. You may want to start at Part 1 of the series, Summary and Table of Contents.   The Inseparable Roles of Moral Courage and Campaign, Election and Media Reforms in Fundamental […]

In his previous films, Michael Moore opened minds regarding injustices in deeply emotional areas including corporate responsibility, gun violence, 9/11 and the Iraq War. In Sicko, and his related appearances, he has pursued change in the American health care system. But Moore’s work and life embody two underappreciated themes even more central to social change in America – moral courage and campaign, election and media reform. In this eight-part series of posts, I explore the importance of these intertwined themes and their relation to Michael Moore. I then propose a formula for focusing influential individuals and organizations on these core leverage points to stimulate fundamental, sustainable sociopolitical reform in America.