Humor is intended to make you laugh. Political humor is intended to make you laugh and think at the same time. We can forgive a pundit if on occasion he or she is able to deliver one without the other. However, a political humorist who provokes neither a chuckle nor a thought should leave us in anything but a forgiving mood. Thus, Michael Moore's a "Ficus for Congress" stunt will receive no pardon here.
This fall, a few Republican incumbents are running for reelection without real opposition-unless you count the libertarian party. I don't. Twelve years ago, Michael Moore was another unemployed resident of Flint, Michigan. Then came Roger and Me, Moore's smart and scathing critique of General Motors, which chronicled the fate of Flint and thousands of out of work autoworkers.
I loved Roger and Me-my mother grew up in Flint and her parents worked for GM. GM handed Flint a pretty rotten deal and Moore did a nice job sticking it to the bigwigs who left a crippled city in their wake. I also enjoyed Moore's second documentary, The Big One, which dealt with corporate downsizing. I read Moore's book, watched his television show and, in my pre-journalism days, went to cheer him on at an on-campus lecture. I even have a picture of us shaking hands.
I was a Moore fan-until the ficus.
Michael, you lost me on this one. There is a difference between making a joke about something and making something into a joke. The idea of running a wave of ficus plants for congressional seats goes too far. Sure, the fact that 24 Republican members of Congress are going to cakewalk to victory this fall bothers me. Most of us would prefer that every district offered people a choice. But, you do that by getting grassroots support for a candidate-not grassroots support for a... grass.
Moore frequently complains about the fact that the two parties have become gigantic accounting machines that simply take care of the rich and try to weasel votes out of the poor. Whether you agree with his assessment or not, Moore's latest gimmick is just that-a distraction that will leave the population no better informed.
This election is pivotal for the future of this country. Americans have choices to make from the top elected office in the land to the office of deputy county clerk. And we need to make these decisions in 2000 to get us out of a "perpetual state of election year." Since 1997, Congress has been more concerned with posturing for the next election than it has been about the business of the country. Can you name one bill that the 106th Congress has passed? This year, the White House, Senate and House could all change hands. This is not the time to focus on plants. It is time, however, to plant food for thought.
Despite the fact that there is no opposition to challenge these 24 incumbents, there is still a presidential election that requires the American people's attention. Al Gore, George W. Bush, Ralph Nader and Pat Buchanan are very different people, tied to different parties that represent different interests. Moore should spend more time encouraging the American people to take a good hard look at these four candidates, and less time urging people to come to the local "Ficus for Congress" rally (I am not making this up). By making a joke of the electoral process, Moore perpetuates indifference and apathy.
Moore claims that a potted plant can do no harm, whereas a Congressman can cause all sorts of trouble. Well, Congress has done nothing for four years. The 2000 election should be a call to action for dissatisfied people like Moore. Certainly, Moore understands what is at stake in this election, but what has he done? Not much.
Moore merely adds to the political disenfranchisement of the American people with a stunt like this. We need to make changes to the political process that will put the demos back in democracy. This is accomplished by pushing for change from within, and creating a concerted effort that topples the political establishment (See Minnesota, 1998).
After all, we don't live in a floracracy.
Martin Barna is a Trinity junior and Editorial Page Editor of the Chronicle.
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