As part of his nationwide tour aimed at encouraging students and
non-voters to go to the polls in the upcoming presidential
election, controversial liberal filmmaker and author Michael Moore
will appear on campus at the Los Angeles Tennis Center today.
Moore’s stop at UCLA is midway through a tour that has
elicited much excitement from students across the country, with
many venues selling out and thousands attending his lectures. But
the tour has also drawn much criticism, with students demonstrating
against Moore’s appearance and some universities being
pressured to cancel the event altogether.
UCLA students, like those across the nation, have mixed opinions
about Moore and his appearance on campus.
Some students disagree with the views Moore presents in his
movies, books and lectures, calling the claims he makes
“lies,” “slander” and
“propaganda.”
“What he’s saying is slander … lies,” said
Jennifer Otter, a third-year English student and secretary of the
Bruin Republicans.
Other members of the group expressed similar opinions of Moore
and what they believe to be inaccuracies in his work.
“I think he’s a propagandist. I think it’s
been shown quite conclusively that “˜Fahrenheit 9/11′ is
quite deceitful,” said Matt Knee, the executive director of
Bruin Republicans.
But there are many other students at UCLA who believe what Moore
presents is accurate and informative.
Aliyah Khan, a first-year psychobiology student, said she
believes the details Moore presents are mostly accurate and only
possibly stretched for the purpose of making a good film, but not
lies.
The biggest problem that many have with Moore’s appearance
is that it is not balanced with a presentation by a conservative
speaker.
“If you’re going to have someone like Michael Moore
come, the school should do something to counter it,” Otter
said.
The use of university fees on such a one-sided event is also a
concern, Knee said, adding that Moore’s appearance is
“not a good use of university money.”
These students, along with others, will be present at
Moore’s lecture to speak to the audience and prevent them
from blindly accepting what Moore says.
“I’m going to be protesting along with the rest of
our club to get people to distinguish between truth and
propaganda,” Otter said. “We are just going to be there
to make sure people know what he’s doing, the lies he’s
spreading,”
Some students may be calling for a conservative speaker to
balance Moore’s liberal views, but this may not be possible,
said Donovan Daughtry of the Campus Events Commission.
“We’ve tried to program with conservative speakers
in the past. It’s not as interesting to the campus
community,” Daughtry said.
He added that thousands would likely show up to see Moore, but a
conservative speaker would not be as appealing to most UCLA
students and therefore not worth the money it would cost.
Students certainly have shown an interest in Moore’s
appearance, and many say they respect his views and are excited to
attend his lecture.
“I think it’s great,” said Juan Ochoa, a
second-year Chicano/a studies student and member of MEChA,
regarding Moore’s appearance.
The reason many students say they support Moore and plan to see
him speak is that he brings to the floor many issues not addressed
by the mainstream media, which is important whether you agree with
his views or not.
“He’s not afraid to say what he thinks is
right,” said Tulika Ghosh, a first-year microbiology student.
“What he does is just get people aware.”
“I think he brings out a lot of points that are
overlooked,” Khan, the first-year psychobiology student,
said.
Khan pointed to gun control, the 2000 election and the war in
Iraq as important issues Moore brings to the public.
Moore is also seen as a counter to the conservative politics and
media that some see as being dominant in the nation.
“Everything that we’ve been getting, all the
media’s one-sided,” Ochoa said. “I’m just
really glad that we have the other perspective.”
Moore’s personal fame also makes him a popular figure to
bring to campus, regardless of his political leaning.
“His level of celebrity is incredibly high and when you
have the No. 1 film for a couple of weeks during the summer,
it’s rare that we get that chance,” Daughtry said.
As a controversial political figure who is trying to increase
student turnout in the 2004 presidential election, Moore is an
important and influential person to have on campus, said Campus
Events Commissioner Jason Gaulton.
“We were approached with a good deal, with a figure that
could have an impact on the student mind, and we went ahead and
booked it,” Gaulton said.
The venue has the capacity to hold 5,600 audience members, and
it is likely that the tennis center will be full for the event,
Gaulton said.
“It doesn’t seem unreasonable to get 5,600 people to
come see Michael Moore,” he added.