Michael Moore speaking at a march against Trump in New York City, Nov. 12, 2016. PHOTO/Mathias Wasik, through flickr.com. Creative Commons license CC by 2.0.
The recent murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson has brought fresh attention to the state of the U.S. healthcare system and evoked widespread outrage against that system. Now reporters want to know if filmmaker Michael Moore “condemns murder.” (Moore made the 2007 film Sicko, which explores how the profit motive in the U.S. healthcare industry interferes with providing effective, compassionate care.)
The subject of Moore’s views came up because when Luigi Mangione was arrested on suspicion of being Thompson’s killer, police said they found a “manifesto” in his backpack. Mangione’s manifesto reportedly mentioned Moore, and said that Moore’s work has “illuminated the corruption and greed” in the healthcare industry. In a Dec. 13 article on Substack, Moore noted Mangione’s reference to him, and said that reporters have been calling him and asking if he “condemns murder.”
In his article, Moore responded, “Hmmm. Do I condemn murder? That’s an odd question. In Fahrenheit 9/11, I condemned the murder of hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi people and the senseless murder of our own American soldiers at the hands of our American government.
“In Bowling for Columbine, I condemned the murder of 50,000 Americans every year at the hands of our gun industry and our politicians who do nothing to stop it.”
He goes on to say, “Here’s a sad statistic for you: In the United States, we have a whopping 1.4 million people employed with the job of DENYING HEALTH CARE, vs only 1 million doctors in the entire country! That’s all you need to know about America….If the purpose of ‘health care’ is to keep people alive, then what is the purpose of DENYING PEOPLE HEALTH CARE? Other than to kill them? I definitely condemn that kind of murder….
“After the killing of the CEO of United HealthCare, the largest of these billion dollar insurance companies, there was an immediate OUTPOURING of anger toward the health insurance industry. Some people have stepped forward to condemn this anger.
“I am not one of them.
“The anger is 1000% justified. It is long overdue for the media to cover it. It is not new. It has been boiling. And I’m not going to tamp it down or ask people to shut up. I want to pour gasoline on that anger.”
Moore adds: “And now the press is calling me to ask, ‘Why are people angry, Mike? Do you condemn murder, Mike?’
“Yes, I condemn murder, and that’s why I condemn America’s broken, vile, rapacious, bloodthirsty, unethical, immoral health care industry and I condemn every one of the CEOs who are in charge of it and I condemn every politician who takes their money and keeps this system going instead of tearing it up, ripping it apart, and throwing it all away. We need to replace this system with something sane, something caring and loving — something that keeps people alive.
“This is a moment where we can create that change.”
You can read the full article here. If you haven’t seen Sicko or haven’t seen it recently, there is a link in the article that will allow you to watch it for free.
Bob Lee is a professional journalist, writer and editor, and is co-editor of the People’s Tribune, serving as Managing Editor. He first started writing for and distributing the People’s Tribune in 1980, and joined the editorial board in 1987.
