Michael Moore’s controversial book, “Stupid White Men,” probes into the corporate and government agendas of America’s most powerful people and exposes them with political satire.
Moore, an author and film producer, will appear for a lecture and book signing at 5 p.m. Sunday in the EMU Ballroom. A live video feed will also be available in the EMU Ben Linder Room and 180 PLC free of charge.
“Stupid White Men” discusses issues from politics to the environment to race and gender in “down-to-earth language,” UO Cultural Forum Contemporary Issues Coordinator Geoff Hoffa said. Moore’s uncensored discussion of the current Bush administration has made the book controversial in a nation where Hoffa said recent polls have indicated most Americans approve of George W. Bush.

“Stupid White Men” takes a comical approach to explaining the state of the nation and the general power structure, said Tsunami Books owner Scott Landfield. He said humor is a great way to reach people about these uncomfortable issues.
“It’s best to do it behind the guise of humor,” he said, because the cold, hard truth is often difficult to accept.
Moore does not exactly speak the truth, but presents his take on the truth, Landfield said, and it is “closer (to the truth) probably than what we’re being fed.”
He said Moore’s choice to use humor to reach his audience was a smart one, because if he had taken a more serious tone, he probably would have been in danger of assassination.
Moore does not just take “pot shots” at powerful American men; he proves his statements with facts, said Cheri Smith, president of SEIU local 503, Oregon Public Employee Union Local 085. She said in his book, Moore brings to light many facts the public may not be aware of, such as exactly how interconnected the Bush family is and how that affected the 2000 presidential elections.
The book tells the reader, “You need to take a closer look at your government,” she said.
But taking a closer look at the government nearly kept the book from being published.
After the events of Sept. 11, publisher Harper Collins labeled “Stupid White Men” as “too offensive” and halted its distribution before it ever reached the bookshelves, according to a message Moore posted to his Web site, www.michaelmoore.com. At first, Moore agreed to postpone the release date for the book, he wrote, but Harper Collins requested he tone down the scathing commentary on the Bush administration and other power entities in the United States. Fifty thousand copies had already been printed and sat in a warehouse awaiting their execution by shredder.
Then, a group of librarians discovered the book ban and organized a letter-writing campaign that eventually led to the salvation of “Stupid White Men,” which appeared unchanged and uncensored in bookstores Feb. 19, according to Moore’s message, although some bookstores have refused to be a part of Moore’s tour due to the book’s controversial nature.
During the lecture, the Cultural Forum will release a list of Oregon’s own top 10 “stupid white men” that has been compiled based on community responses, Hoffa said.
As a preview to the lecture and book signing, the Cultural Forum will present a free showing of Moore’s first film documentary, “Roger & Me,” as well as excerpts from the film “The Big One” and his TV series “The Awful Truth” at 7 p.m. Friday in 180 PLC.
“The Big One” features an interview with Phil Knight about the working conditions in Nike’s overseas factories, Smith said. Moore’s works attempt to open people’s eyes to issues in their community, their country and the world, she said.
Moore “is a kind of vanguard of a movement,” Landfield said, and he gives readers a close sampling of what is occurring in America.
“Money equals power. Money equals right. Money creates the truth, and it’s getting out of control,” Landfield said. “We have a choice to be more aware.”