Visual & Performing Arts Essay: Country Clubs for Some, Unemployment for Others: Roger and Me (1989)

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Country Clubs for Some, Unemployment for Others: Roger and Me (1989)
Roger & Me is a documentary film by Michael Moore that highlights a scenario of general motors plant closure in Flint, Michigan, which led to massive unemployment. Furthermore, the film provides a chronological arrangement of events documenting the director's attempt to interview the GM CEO. First-person narratives are considered an adaptation of an artist's efforts to transform social, economic, and political practices. Autobiographical and subjective approaches create a connection between the documentary to the contemporary political agendas. Moreover, community issues are compensated by the overall struggles of all filmmakers from minority groups. These minority groups could include underrepresented groups such as women, gays, lesbians, and minor ethnic groups. First-person narration is essential in ensuring audience engagement in the subject matter. Moore's documentary, Roger & Me, reflects social and economic changes in postindustrial areas. Moore's specificity in using first-person narrative and editing approaches contributes significantly to the social, economic, and political cultures.
Moore has been hired by Mother Jones magazine in San Francisco, and on returning to Flint, General Motors initiate the layoff of thousands of workers. However, it appears the company aims at accruing more profits by closing down the factories and setting up new production companies in areas like Mexico. The decision to close down the factories is accompanied by collateral damage as several workers lose their jobs. Thousands of workers are laid off, and more damage is caused as Flint's living conditions are dilapidated. Moore disguises himself as a TV journalist And interviews a bunch of walkers in Flint. Moving forward, he discovers that the workers dislike the General Motors chairman. The company's closure becomes devastating and is braced by confusion on workers since the closure is not connected to economic or financial upheavals. Furthermore, Moore interviews his close friends to establish the emotional effects of the closure. The director incorporates a montage of Flint damage with an interpolation of news reports on layoffs, increased rat infestation, and residents' inability to move out.
The director's narrative follows a political discourse that is oblivious of historical accuracy but aims at sharing his argument through satire within fiction. The documentary focuses on Flint's situation and presents it as a metaphor. Moore's narrative reflects workers' challenges in other cities and highlights that they do not know how to end these factories' closure. Moore opposes the Reaganomics transformation of the United States labor market and suggests that a sustainable job in a secure company no longer exists. Moore primarily reflects the theme of alienation by cutting into pop culture and TV programs that support escapism. Moore's sentiments about his community are similar to those of outdated singers and beauty queens. Ideas shared by these public figures aim at enhancing personal initiative as a solution to the crisis. The director combines footages that reflects the unrealistic optimism depicted by beauty queens and television personalities. However, Moore incorporates ironical duality to enhance his political arguments. The types of footage used are humorous since the messages relayed by beauty queens and TV personalities fail to reflect the community's situation. Furthermore, he incorporates the use of songs and upbeat lyrics to criticize the impact of Flint's decay. Moore reflects a significant symbolism using the song "Wouldn't It Be Nice" while cutting to an abandoned city's footages. The film cuts into close-up footage of rats and comments from radio programs, highlighting pests and crimes' increased rate. The director successfully incorporates ironic editing strategies to reflect the situation in his community.
The lack of hope in Flint is illustrated, but the continuous demobilization of the people. During the commemorative parade, politicians and trade unionists demonstrated that striking would not prevent factories from ignoring the employees. At the beginning of the film, the director introduces Flint's situation with footage of his childhood. The footage incorporates both Moore's family and public history. Moore uses community images as a representation of the contradiction of the private and the social. Moreover, he emphasizes his relationship with the crisis by describing his family as one where "everyone worked for GM. Moore's sentiments towards his community reflect his community involvement and serve as the primary motivation towards expressing his bitterness. He represents the epitome of patriotism among the members of the Flint.
Just like Moore, most documentary filmmakers employ the concept of truth with an exaggeration that inhibits objectivity. The director uses an antirealism approach since he incorporates fictional characters to describe a real-life event in Flint. Antirealism is presented in several instances in the documentary. For example, Moore's failure to include hints of group resistance against the GM plant's closure. Labor is predominantly depicted as a passive matter to reflect the social and economic changes that occurred in Flint. Moore shares contradicting ideologies on the union's leadership, which offers grants to the company but is involved in the crisis. The unsuccessful demonstration predominantly depicts the lack of workers' resistance during the commemoration of the 1937 strike, which influenced the management to recognize the UAW (Fine 1).
Furthermore, Moore uses his personality to engage the viewers from a subjective standpoint. Through various film devices, he manages to represent and depict the plight of his community. However, the antirealism approach employed by Moore serves an essential societal function. The director uses the film as a self-expression tool, and these ideologies harness society's political perspectives. "But they also shape the concerns of debates that are organized around "positive" and "negative" images, taken as appropriate o...