Before his hugely successful documentary Bowling for Columbine (which he wrote, directed, and featured in), Michael Moore was a regular feature on cable network’s Comedy Channel. His programme, The Awful Truth (screened here previously on SBS television), became a cult hit, a bane and obstruction to conservative politicians and corporate oligarchs.
The back cover of this book sums it up: “everything you need to know about how the great and good screw us over, from electoral fraud and tame judges to how the rich stay rich while forcing the rest of us to live in economic fear.”

However, its humour and hilarity can be quite deceiving and since September 11 Moore is pissed off - more than ever. This is not to suggest that he has become bitter over the last two years. It is more an evocation of self-awareness toward our contemporary climate, beginning with the suspicious circumstances regarding the elected US President George W. Bush, to the present events unfolding within the Gulf region and North Korea.

Moore is twice as angry, and thank God for us, twice as funny. His caustic humour and political satire is no more evident than in Stupid White Men. Subtitled: And other Sorry Excuses for the State of the Nation, this edition has been picked up by Penguin paperbacks, featuring an insightful introduction and epilogue not included in the hardback edition. An exclusive inclusion it is too. Moore sets out to illustrate how close the book came to not seeing the literary light of day.
Stupid White Men was written in the month preceding September 11, 2001. The first 50,000 copies of this book came off the presses literally the night before. However, due to the overwhelming feelings of despair and remorse within New York City Moore, (a resident of Manhattan), thought it would be wise to delay the promotion of the book.

In the few months after September 11, America became a different place. A new attitude and world wide view born out of deep seated fear and insecurity had taken hold. With a new political climate sweeping across the landscape, Moore’s original publisher Regan Books/Harper Collins wanted a fifty per cent rewrite of the book. The author refused to compromise and subsequently the book remained shelved. Until, as Moore points out, something miraculous happened.

On December 1 2001, the author read two chapters from his non-book at a citizens action council meeting in the state of New Jersey. Unbeknown to Moore, a group of local librarians were present. Disgusted at the fact that the book was about to be pulped a protest notice was posted via the Internet. The following week Harper Collins decided to release only 50,000 copies of the book with virtually no book tours or publicity to promote it.

Within hours the first pressing had sold out. Today Stupid White Men continues to sell, and remains on the non-fiction bestseller lists.
The real genius behind Michael Moore is his natural ability to communicate clearly, without coming off as didactic to the reader. Moreover, Moore’s research is exhaustive. Whether he is explaining how the Bush administration really got into office, or on how the recent US Democrat opposition are beginning to eerily resemble their Republican counterparts, Moore’s book is a seriously funny social commentary.
Sure, it would be simple to write off the author as just another pissed-off lefty, who is never happy unless he’s never happy. Such reductionism does not apply here. Michael Moore is essentially a social democrat (in the true sense of the word); the political bastard son of civil liberties champion Ralph Nader. This is an important book, and will certainly go on to achieve the same comedy cult status as, How to Talk Dirty and Influence People by Lenny Bruce, or anything by Bill Hicks for that matter. Moore’s message is clear: be mindful, be responsive, and move forward. As Moore writes in his introduction: “There is nothing sadder than seeing leaders of other countries mimic the leaders of our country. America decides to bomb a country -- and your head of state joins right in.”

Brilliant, compelling, hilarious. Read it.