By Laura Jean Null
Staff Writer
At 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 28, the Pocono Cinema and Cultural Center on 88 South Courtland Street showed the Michael Moore documentary “Where to Invade Next.”
The show was open to honors students, but also allowed free access to any ESU student.
This Michael Moore film was a comedy with a sad hard core truth, as the filmmaker traveled to countries around the world revealing qualities Americans would simply be dumbfounded by.
The list of countries include those such as Italy, France, Finland, Slovenia, Tunisia, Portugal and Germany that have adopted ideas previously only used in America, and expanded on them to help the people in their home lands.
As Moore went into each country, he wanted to “invade” them without weapons, war and money, but just the abstract concept of stealing their ideas to bring home and planting the American flag on their territory.
In Italy, mothers that just gave birth get five months work leave ….. and get this: they are still paid.
Additionally, according to the film and European law, workers are guaranteed a “legal minimum of 22 paid vacation days and 13 paid holidays each year.”
In comparison, what the United States workers receive is quite ridiculous. The average person in the private sector receives 16 paid days of vacation and holidays. That is, if they have a good contracted and union paying job.
Ideas from France include healthy quality lunches for children in kindergarten through to their senior year of high school.
These meals are gourmet, cooked fresh by chefs that met with higher officials to produce a balanced meal.
The French do not make students wait in long lines or only give students 20 minutes to scarf down food.
Meal time is treated as class time, with manners and respect for healthy tasteful foods that last up to several hours, while American kids and lunches seem to be the opposite, rushed and distasteful.
Other countries that Moore traveled to and noticed well put together ideas are Finland and Slovenia.
In Finland, they have three to four-hour school days with no homework system, and are among the highest ranked students.
Slovenia’s students, with their free tuition at Universities, get great quality education and live debt free. And even the idea of forgiveness, never forgetting what happened and ideas of uniting and moving forth from Germany.
This Moore film was an eye opener to what Americans are doing wrong with the ideas we created in an attempt to better the people.
We ruined them, we ruined the American dream with so called capitalism that has turned into monopolies as businessman get richer and those making ends meet stay at the bottom.
Moore’s film pointed out that it isn’t communism if we give everyone health care, quality education, financial stability and equal opportunity. It’s human decency to treat people like human beings.
This comedic documentary is a must see in my opinion.
“Where to Invade Next” is a film that our future leaders need to watch and learn from.
They should perhaps borrow some ideas that will help to better the lives of people that live in what used to be the greatest country in the world.
Email Laura at:
lnull@live.esu.edu