The majority of Americans are pro-labor, pro-choice and pro-environment, according to author and film producer Michael Moore, but the nation’s leaders see to it that the interests of money and power are upheld first and foremost.
Moore spoke to an enthusiastic crowd of men, women and children Sunday in the EMU Ballroom while promoting his new book of political satire “Stupid White Men … and Other Sorry Excuses for the State of the Nation!”
During the lecture, Moore often criticized the Bush administration, and questioned the source of its funding. He alluded to shady deals between the bin Laden family and the Bush family spanning more than two decades.
He encouraged the media and the public to ask the “tough questions,” such as what connections the Bush administration has with the bin Laden family, and who dumped their airline stock the week before the attacks on the World Trade Center.
Although Moore touched on many issues ranging from political corruption to the need for a living wage to having an unjust justice system, his insistence that the efforts of few could influence the lives of many seemed to resonate most with audience members.
For a complete list of “Oregon’s Top Ten Stupid White Men” with details, CLICK HERE
“It’s the system that wants you to believe one person can’t make a difference,” Moore said. He said one person with a great idea can promote great changes.
“Each and every one of us can make a difference,” Eugene resident James Dubberly said after the lecture.
But, “I think most people feel kind of helpless,” he said.
Dubberly said many people believe they are only one small person in the “big scheme of things,” and they often don’t realize what kind of impact they can make against injustice and corruption.
“If we all did a little bit and tried help out a little bit and actually voted our conscience, then I think it would make a difference,” he said.
Victoria Stockler, an undergraduate at the University, said she also agreed with many of the points Moore made during his lecture.

“The interest people have here in Eugene is in making a difference
— not just talking about it,” she said. Would-be advocates may feel daunted by large lobbying groups, she said, but even the creation of “mini groups” may serve as a beginning for change.
“I’m really glad he brought up the stuff about the prison system and the justice system,” said Faye Miller, a member of the Oregon Public Employee Union SEIU Local 503, referring to the innocent people mistakenly sentenced to prison time because of the carelessness of law enforcers.
Miller also said she agreed that the living wage issue needed to be brought to the forefront.
“Until there is economic justice, there won’t be any other kind of justice,” she said.
HarperCollins Publishers first refused to publish “Stupid White Men” because they felt the book was “too offensive” in the post-Sept. 11 political climate, according to Moore in a message he wrote for his Web site, www.michaelmoore.com.
In addition to Moore’s list of stupid white men, the UO Cultural Forum distributed a list of “Oregon’s Top Ten Stupid White Men” compiled from opinions gathered from the community, according to Geoff Hoffa, contemporary issues coordinator for the Cultural Forum.

Moore pointed out that the American public could rid our government of these “stupid white men” and establish a true democracy by using the founding principles of the U.S. Constitution.
“If we ever decide to make use of this document, (the government) would be in deep shit,” he said.