Things that Make Me Think
posted by Larry Weintraub | 9:18 AM |
The other day I made a post about Chris Anderson's book Free. I received a comment from Demosthenes telling me that before I endorse Chris' book, I should read an article in the New Yorker penned by Malcolm Gladwell.
First, I love getting comments, even if they don't agree with what I'm saying, so thank you Demosthenes. Second, thanks to that comment I was turned on to a great article by an author I respect tremendously, Malcolm Gladwell.
My guess is that Chris and Malcolm are friends. I don't know this for a fact, but they run in the same circles - both can be seen on TED.com giving speeches - Chris about his earlier book, "The Long Tail" and Malcolm about Spaghetti Sauce. (Trust me, watch Malcolm's speech, it is fantastic.) I could be wrong on this, but I think I'm right. So it's interesting to see one respected author critique another.
And while I appreciate being made aware of this critique, I still choose to think of my experience with Free to be a good one. It opened my mind.
I correlate this choice with my feelings on Michael Moore.
I have a hard time with Michael Moore's movies. On the one hand, I enjoy them for their entertainment value. They do what good films do, they move you. If you watch Sicko you'll be outraged. Same with Bowling for Columbine and Roger and Me. But it is one man's opinion. One man who took his cameras and painted a picture he wanted you to see. Millions agree with that picture, but I know that millions disagree. After watching Bowling for Columbine I left thinking well as good as that was, a great filmmaker could turn around and make an extremely compelling movie about why guns are good.
Now don't get me wrong. I am not saying Moore's films are bad. Once again, they are great entertainment, poignant, and meant to create a reaction. They make you think. I personally agree with everything he is saying. But if I were in a room and said that Moore is a genius and his films are amazing, someone could easily come up to me and cite 10 reasons why his films are harmful and bad.
Sure this is true for everything. But we get what we need out of things. I got what I needed out of Free and I get what I need out of Michael Moore films. Both entertain and both make me think, even if they aren't entirely correct.
Sidebar: I spent some time with my father recently. He really likes Michael Moore and when I told him my thoughts about how Michael Moore movies leave me thinking about someone else making a compelling film about the opposite he said, "Then why haven't they?"
First, I love getting comments, even if they don't agree with what I'm saying, so thank you Demosthenes. Second, thanks to that comment I was turned on to a great article by an author I respect tremendously, Malcolm Gladwell.
My guess is that Chris and Malcolm are friends. I don't know this for a fact, but they run in the same circles - both can be seen on TED.com giving speeches - Chris about his earlier book, "The Long Tail" and Malcolm about Spaghetti Sauce. (Trust me, watch Malcolm's speech, it is fantastic.) I could be wrong on this, but I think I'm right. So it's interesting to see one respected author critique another.
And while I appreciate being made aware of this critique, I still choose to think of my experience with Free to be a good one. It opened my mind.
I correlate this choice with my feelings on Michael Moore.
I have a hard time with Michael Moore's movies. On the one hand, I enjoy them for their entertainment value. They do what good films do, they move you. If you watch Sicko you'll be outraged. Same with Bowling for Columbine and Roger and Me. But it is one man's opinion. One man who took his cameras and painted a picture he wanted you to see. Millions agree with that picture, but I know that millions disagree. After watching Bowling for Columbine I left thinking well as good as that was, a great filmmaker could turn around and make an extremely compelling movie about why guns are good.
Now don't get me wrong. I am not saying Moore's films are bad. Once again, they are great entertainment, poignant, and meant to create a reaction. They make you think. I personally agree with everything he is saying. But if I were in a room and said that Moore is a genius and his films are amazing, someone could easily come up to me and cite 10 reasons why his films are harmful and bad.
Sure this is true for everything. But we get what we need out of things. I got what I needed out of Free and I get what I need out of Michael Moore films. Both entertain and both make me think, even if they aren't entirely correct.
Sidebar: I spent some time with my father recently. He really likes Michael Moore and when I told him my thoughts about how Michael Moore movies leave me thinking about someone else making a compelling film about the opposite he said, "Then why haven't they?"
Labels: Chris Anderson, Free, Malcolm Gladwell, Michael Moore, richard weintraub, spaghetti sauce, ted.com, the long tail
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I see much in life as a possible business. It is exciting, but also torturous. I just don’t have enough time. A new idea often sends me into hours of thought, research, and ultimately deviation from what I really need to do in a day. I believe that the Internet has made it easy for anyone to create a business. I believe that the Internet has made nearly everything in life easier. I believe that trying to impact the masses is a tough notion, but finding a group of people similar to you, is at your fingertips. I believe that music is free, and that is not a good thing. I believe that life is a collection of experiences and that every day I learn something new and forget something slightly new.
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