Sick And Tired Of The "Idiot Lottery"

[dudelovenext]

Iraq Veteran Sues Moore Over '9/11'.

God! What the hell is wrong with people?

I do sympathize with the war veteran. If you're misquoted like that, I can see some sort of compensation. But that much money? His wife suing for $10 million dollars for "mental distress"? Please! How weak is that?

Do I feel sorry for the Damon (the vet)? Sure. It's gotta suck losing your arms. That, however, does NOT mean you're entitled sue in a frivolous lawsuit like this. Yes, that's what it is.

I wonder if this nation will ever grow up and learn what personal accountability is...

Comments

[thestupidguy.livejournal.com]

Michael Moore is an ass. The lawsuit should be doubled.

[dudelovenext.livejournal.com]

I like Michael Moore, but I have the feeling that he tends to edit clips in his favor. I don't have anything to back that up, but that's the general feeling I get when watching anything he's done. :(

What don't you like about him?

[thestupidguy.livejournal.com]

That same thing. Not only that, but he tends to make others look bad to make himself look good.

He's a maniuplative hyporcite. And he DOES use footage and edits out of context. Like showing clips of Charlton Heston speaking at Columbine when he was really somewhere else.

For the record, I don't like Morgan Spurlock either. He's the biggest phony ever.

[humu-ted.livejournal.com]

Yes it's an exorbitant amount of money. However, if it were reasonable no one would pay attention. Of course it'll never settle for that amount. It's intended to shock people into paying attention to the issue. *cough*MichaelMooretactic*cough*

As for Mr. Moore, I have no pity for him. He parades himself around like the Bhudda of Truth and unbiased reporting when in fact he is just as slanted if not more-so than the people he attacks. Bush has few fans but at least he as the excuse of being a complete idiot.

Slander is not a frivolous reason to sue. People need to be held accountable, especially those who claim to report news and truth. No way should this settle for anywhere near 85 mil but it SHOULD settle for a nice hefty chunk to teach Mr. Moore that sinking to the level of the people he "uncovers" bears a heavy price tag.

[dudelovenext.livejournal.com]

He does tend to sensationalize, though I think that's the only way to reach some people nowadays. I'm not sure if that's a very good excuse, though.

I feel that the amount of money makes it frivolous. The reason itself is not.

[berrykitten.livejournal.com]

People need to be held accountable, especially those who claim to report news and truth.

Fox News?

[seattleotaku.livejournal.com]

"...Moore never asked for his consent to use a clip from an interview Damon did with NBC..."

Of course not; the clip is property of NBC. Note that NBC, the company that granted permission for the clip's use, is not a named defendant (at least from the info in this article) in this case. There's a lack of logic in there somewhere.

Did Moore spin "accurate clips" and/or quotes in favor of his point? Sure, all editorialists do that; editorials are the opinion of the editor. The particular juxtoposition does not signify that Damon felt he was "left behind", but that Moore thought that. Perhaps he was wrong, but it is opinion and distributed as such.

Still... I certainly hope FOX News is paying attention between their editorials-as-news spins.

[dudelovenext.livejournal.com]

Excellent point, Eric. Still, isn't the point of a documentary that is be factual and objective? If Moore said that these documentaries were editorials, hey, he can go to town and do what he wants.

Overall I think I back up Moore, but I would like to see him be...I dunno, a bit more honext.

[oishii-lemons.livejournal.com]

Current music: Care Bears Theme

ROFL <3 <3

[dudelovenext.livejournal.com]

Yes, great music to go along with the topic, huh? :)

[fearless-son.livejournal.com]

Nice Alice icon, BTW.

Is it so much?

[ithisia.livejournal.com]

Is it so much?
Consider how much he possibly made with his movie at the box office.

I don't think this case has anything to do with the guy having no arms.
It has to do with what the movie portrayed about the guy.

I'm no expert - I'm just saying that if someone took snippets of what I said and turned it into part of a movie and I didn't know about it prior - well fuck. I'd be pretty upset. Arms or no arms.

-Angela

Re: Is it so much?

[dudelovenext.livejournal.com]

It is that much. The movie isn't focused on this one guy. So why should he get so much? Why should he get about a third of the gross on the movie? He was in a snippet of the movie. If this movie was focused specifically on him, sure I could see him entitled to more.

Being misportrayed doesn't entitle you to millions of dollars. It entitles you to whatever damages happened because of that misportrayal.

Also.

[ithisia.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking that being a soldier - at least from what I've seen - is a whole identity thing after a while.

If it portrayed him as anti-whatever-he-really-believes-he-is...
Well, damn.
Nothing like someone taking a megaphone and hacking away at something that you pride your life, risked your life for, and sacraficed body parts for.

I donno. Personal view after beginning to know a few army men.
These people truly are proud to serve their country.
And it isn't just some half-assed flag posted on the back window of their car.
It's sealed in more than that.

*off soapbox*.
So maybe NBC owned the interview. Yet - I'm still a lil taken by this knowing some soldiers myself (beginning to get to know one VERY well...)
Fucking with someone's personal character like that. I don't know. It hits me funny and I have a hard time calling it the "idiot" lottery. Especially when that person has served our (not saying we have a great one) country. No matter how whacked out our country is - I still have a great measure of respect for those who will do what I don't want to. Like - say, go to Iraq.

-Angela

Re: Also.

[dudelovenext.livejournal.com]

It's cool to have loyalty to whoever you work for, whether it be a corporation or your government. If someone came along and quoted me as saying, "I hate Nintendo", I'd be upset myself. I wouldn't expect to receive millions of dollars. If I was fired because of the comment? I would expect compensation for that. Was this guy booted from the army? Didn't sound that way.

Granted, it seems that Damon put more work into his "job" than I have (I've never bled for the company). That's also something he chose to do. I can respect someone that puts their life on the line for many people, but soldiers understand the risk. Just like Alaskan fisherman get paid major money, they understand that death could be part of the job (I wasn't able to see if any legal suits were filed about this kind of job).

Basically, just because something bad happens to you, I don't think you're entitled to ungodly amounts of money. Compensation? Yes, no matter who you are. Too much compensation? No, no matter who you are.

[umipixie.livejournal.com]

I think Moore is a sack of crap just like Fox News is a sack of crap. Whether he's right or not, it doesn't justify his spinning of facts in order to manipulate people into agreeing with him. Yes, he is an editorialist, but he talks like he's a news guy, which is unfair. Just like Crossfire was hurting America, so is Michael Moore. It would be different if he presented himself as an editorialist, like Andy Rooney. Everyone knew Rooney was spouting off his own opinion, because he presented himself that way. Moore spouts off his opinion by editing clips of interviews with other people to make it sound like everyone supports him. That's the same crap Fox does, and if you don't want to be a hypocrite you'll disapprove of that sort of tactic no matter who is using it.

As for the guy suing, I completely agree with you. That guy does not deserve that much money (nor does his wife), regardless of whether or not he was slandered. People in this country think they are entitled to sue for bazillions for even the slightest offenses. Did Moore ruin that guy's life? I doubt it. If he ruined someone's life, or put them in great danger, that's pretty much the only time he deserves to be sued for that much money. Shame on all of you who said "Moore deserves it because it's the same tactic HE used in his movie against that guy." Seriously, didn't your mother ever teach you anything about taking the high ground? You berate Moore, you say he's a terrible person for using that sort of technique, and then you congratulate the soldier for using the same technique! Tu quoque is a logical fallacy. You lose.

[berrykitten.livejournal.com]

Just pointing out, that while I agree with you and your arguement, the way you said it could use some work, just a tad.

But yeah, people who take revenge on others by doing the same thing as they did are no better. Essentially what you're saying, right?

[dudelovenext.livejournal.com]

Would be nice to see him be a little more honest. I'll be honest, I do like him, though hearing some of the stuff that's been written here has made me lose some respect for him.

I understand and support his message, but not the way he's doing it. Sometimes the end justifies the means, but I'm not sure that's the case here.

[fearless-son.livejournal.com]

Reminds me a bit of when my father broke his back last summer when the ladder collapsed from under him. My parents suing the city (which was responsible for setting up and securing the faulty ladder) for a small regular lifetime stipend to compensate my father for work lost because he can no longer do all the same types of jobs that he used to (anything with heavy lifting.) I might add that this is the only time my family has sued anyone or anything, ever. I think that is appropriate, but nearly a hundred million dollars for some small slander is absurd. That is primarily a shock tactic.

However, I do not care for Michal Moore either. I do not approve of his tactics. I think that they make the rest of us who share similar opinions look bad by implication, since it invalidates any claim that we might have to "moral high-ground." I really wish he would stop so our serious arguments are not so easily brushed off by those who are inclined to disagree.

I stopped trusting the American media long ago. Not that I necessarily think that the media is outright lying to any of us, but I cannot count on our media to stay objective regarding national and international issues. This is the kind of thing that really requires multiple points of view in order to form a reliable perspective.

[dudelovenext.livejournal.com]

I think that's a completely valid reason to file a lawsuit. That's affecting his entire life and his ability to earn pay.

[ff8squall.livejournal.com]

Well, it is Michael Moore of all people....and it's a form of slander....though I do think the amount the soldier is seeking in damages is excessive.

[elsmd.livejournal.com]

Michael Moore is a douchebag. The price is high, but I hope the vet wins and more.

They should cut off Michael Moore's arms as compensation.

[berrykitten.livejournal.com]

Michael Moore didn't cut the soldier's arms off.

[tak178.livejournal.com]

It's called Defamation of Character. It's time that Michael Moore pay for his actions. Simply put, his views have contributed to his lack of judgement. 75 mil excessive? Maybe, but isn't writing outright fiction and presenting it as fact grounds for a lawsuit? I think so.

~Dave

[dudelovenext.livejournal.com]

I'd just like to see him be a bit more honest. I think if he was he'd get a lot more respect and people might take him more seriously.

I would think that Moore could edit his movie, or issue some sort of press statement, or something to correct the situation. Some money for any legal fees that had to paid. But yes, a tad excessive, I believe.