Fahrenheit 11/9: Exposing the political problems of the U.S.

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photo provided by Midwestern Films

Moore’s documentary encapsulates the current political system and exposes its flaws.

Landon DeBoer, Sports Editor

Warning: Spoilers ahead.

Michael Moore’s enlightening documentary, “Fahrenheit 11/9,” reveals the events that led to the unsuspected election of President Donald Trump on Nov. 9, 2016.

Moore’s exposé on the 2016 Presidential election and how President Trump won the presidency is informative for viewers of all political parties. Although the documentary has a politically leftward skew, Moore still does a good job not only taking jabs at the current administration but also towards former President Barack Obama, the DNC and Democrats across the country. Moore takes shots at the superdelegate system of the Democratic primaries, saying that 2016 candidate Bernie Sanders was given no chance to win and he jabs at Democrats in office for accepting compromise while in control of Congress and the presidency.

Alongside his rundown of the 2016 Presidential election, Moore covers a topic closer to home: the Flint, Michigan water crisis. Moore grew up in Flint, Michigan and has been one of the main activists in trying to help get clean water into the city and stop the lead poisoning of his town’s water. As politicians in his own state (former Governor Rick Snyder) and even President Obama ignored the issues at hand in Flint, Michigan, people of Moore’s city grew resentment towards the government.

During a time of sadness in Moore’s film, while referencing the countless children who were sickened by the lead in the water and were seemingly brushed under the rug, Moore’s showmanship allows him to perform compelling acts that keep his audience entertained. One such act was taking a water truck full of Flint water and spraying it at the Governor’s mansion and another was bringing a cup of Flint water to a government official close to the governor and asking him to drink it (to nobody’s surprise… he did not).

After diving into an issue close to home, Moore uses this story of a government that has constantly let its people down to show our current political system through his viewpoint. In his closing arguments, he urges the people to take control and do anything to help advance the U.S. forward. Moore calls for term limits to stop government officials from serving the people with the main goal of re-election, the end of the electoral college and asks his audience to run for governmental positions and stand up for issues they believe in, all in order to induce a change in the country.

Moore is able to create a dystopian world for the audience that will show what he believes will happen if no change occurs to the current political climate. This documentary is not an anti-Trump film, but it is an anti-establishment, anti-political party film that leaves one seemingly hopeless at times, but it also makes one believe that if anyone can make a change in the current state of politics, it is oneself.