Promising his audience they'd get their five dollars' worth, Oscar winner and controversial filmmaker Michael Moore appeared to a sold-out crowd last night.
His presentation received multiple standing ovations from the overwhelmingly liberal crowd gathered in Zellerbach Theatre for the event sponsored by the Social Planning and Events Committee's Connaissance branch.
"They should have real speakers come," Moore told his cheering audience. "Poor Mr. Annenberg is probably spinning in his grave."
Moore probably had quite a few people spinning -- from those in the White House to those in University administration -- as he challenged the Republican Party, the Democratic Party, the media and those who do not favor unions.
"Someone wants a graduate student union, Kumbaya," Moore sang at one point to the Graduate Employees Together-University of Pennsylvania members in attendance. "Someone wants more than two dollars an hour, Kumbaya."
And in exchange for a GET-UP T-shirt, Moore passed his Oscar through the crowd of graduate students in support of their campaign.
"People are here because they believe in his message," GET-UP member and third-year Physics graduate student Christopher Kyba said. "And his message is one with ours."
Other than passing around his Oscar, Moore spent most of the evening spouting his personal politics.
"I'd like to finish tonight what I started on the Oscar stage," he said.
Moore proceeded to speak out against the war in Iraq and to parallel President Bush with the ruler in the novel 1984 by George Orwell.
"The leader promised them he would protect them, and they willingly gave up their liberties," he said.
Throughout the night Moore had several messages for students -- "Don't buy guns because you're afraid" and "Don't listen to the fear-mongers." But he also offered, "Don't despair."
It was Moore's willingness to challenge the status quo that was popular with many in attendance.
"It's entirely possibly that if it weren't for him, that viewpoint wouldn't be out," SPEC Connaissance Co-Director and College senior Mark Kocivar-Norbury said.
"We knew it was going to be controversial, and that's exactly how it turned out," Kocivar-Norbury added.
And controversial he was. Moore at one point waved his arms over his head impersonating Osama bin Laden. He described Republicans as people who "have their ass out of bed three hours before we do... figuring, 'Who are we going to screw today -- blacks, students, gays?'" He informed the audience his $30,000 paycheck for speaking at Penn was going into his "Fuck you fund."
Yet, it is through this type of controversial humor that Moore aims to reach his audience.
"We've always had affirmative action for black people," Moore said as he explained his pro-affirmative action stance. "That's how we've been able to fill up our prisons."
"Humor is a very powerful weapon," he said. "I reach a gazillion more Americans than anyone on the left."
"We're only laughing because otherwise, we'd be crying," he added.
Many in Moore's audience were receptive to this message, including visiting student David Rubio.
"It opened your eyes," Rubio said. "Everyone was participating, cheering and clapping."
"It was an enjoyable evening of politics," fourth-year School of Social Work graduate student Rob Fairbanks said.
Moore intends to keep opening eyes, and his next film -- Fahrenheit 9/11 -- is scheduled for release in September 2004.
