Roger And Me Themes

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“For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows” (English Standard Version, 1Timothy 6.10). Can the love of money ruin a person? Can it turn an innocent person, who’s high on the simplicity of life, into a tormented and greedy individual? The love of money most certainly can debilitate a person’s morals but money by itself is not evil. Michael Moore exposes the greed and selfish ambition of GM CEO, Roger Smith, in his documentary, Roger and Me, which was originally released in 1989. Moore, who grew up in Flint, captures interviews with former GM employees, some being his own friends, and covers the economic catastrophe following Smith’s massive downsize in shutting down the very large plant in Flint, Michigan. Even today many speculations are presented as to why Smith went through with the plant shutdown, but according to evidence and as explored by Moore, he did it out of hunger for money. Predominantly, there are three themes that stand out in the film, one…show more content…
Following the shutdown, the town goes bonkers. The town, which was once beautiful, now was broken down and stripped of all glory. The store’s windows were barred with wood slats and graffiti art was everywhere. Burned-out and empty house were the likes of the town. It is as if the town literally went insane. In that time, and according to Money magazine, “Flint was the worse place to live (Roger and Me).” Murders and crimes were on the rise. At one point in the film an ABC newscaster informs his audience that they attempted to do a live news report on the plant closings, however, a person jumped in the network truck and drove off with it, which ultimately stopped the broadcast. Moore also interviews a close friend of his who endures a nervous breakdown and lives in a monitored mental health
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