Michael Moore: Not Really From Flint?

From the best-selling Michael Moore Is A Big Fat Stupid White Man:

Throughout his career, Moore has portrayed himself as a Flint native whose consciousness is shaped by the city's industrial experiences. "Ben [Hamper] and I both grew up in Flint, Michigan, the sons of factory workers," he writes in the introduction of Hamper's book Rivethead. Roger & Me constantly hearkens back to Moore's life in Flint. His speaker's bureau describes him as "born in Flint," his web site calls him a "Flint native," and his production company's web site informs us that "Michael Moore was born in Flint, Michigan, where his father and most of his relatives worked in the automobile factories…." Asked to describe the source of his empathy for the worker, Moore told People's Weekly World that "I think it's just the function of growing up in Flint, Michigan." These claims are reflected in almost every biography: Moore is described as "a Flint native," "the man from Flint," or as hailing from his "hometown of Flint."

In fact, Moore was born and raised in Davison, Michigan, and attended Davison High School. While Davison is near Flint, proximity doesn't translate to similarity between the two towns. Davison is the wealthy, white "bedroom town" of the area, largely inhabited by management, not labor. Davison's median household income is one and a half times that of Flint's, and its median house value is just over twice that of Flint's. Davison's 2000 unemployment rate was a minuscule 4.6 percent, a third that of Flint's, and its poverty rate was half the national average. Davison is also lily-white to a staggering degree: African-Americans make up only one-half of one percent of its population.

Comments

[L. Catherine]

I also am from Davison, Michigan and greatly disagree with your assessment of the situation. Davison is a commuter town. Everyone there is leaving the town to go to somewhere else. My own parents were teachers. Many of my classmates parents worked in the GM and AC factories in Flint and were frequently out of work. My best friend's Dad worked in GM and I can remember him being laid off at least three times in the six years prior to graduation, and recall him resorting to Amway-esque, last-resort schemes in between jobs. So why is the unemployment so low? Other friends parents, and mine, left the area for work, going as far as Detroit and the richer suburbs like Birmingham. Yes, there is employment to be had, but it certainly isn't anywhere near Flint. Michael Moore's father was a factory worker, however, and that would imply a very tight money situation. As far as him not 'growing up'in Flint, know that Flint is literally less than five minutes out of Davison. Yes, in Davison you'll see nice small town buildings and restaurants, but the minute you hop on I-69 you begin to see the landscape deteriorate. Flint is the closest thing to a metropolitan area in the vicinity, which means to do any type of shopping or business, you would have to go to there, or what's left of it anyhow. Therefore, it is safe to assume that Michael Moore, like all residents of Davison, came into contact with the poverty of Flint daily. And finally, I have to ask you, why does it matter if he grew up in Flint or five minutes away? It doesn't change what happened in Flint, nor does it change the struggle of the Flint natives. He said he said his father was a factory worker and was laid off, not that he was kicked out of his house like the people in Roger and Me. Stop splitting hairs, it seems to be an act of desperation on your part.

[Tom McMahon]

My sympathies over the sorry state of Flint. I had to move away from the Rockford, Illinois area a number of years ago for the same reasons.

If this were the only point then yes, I'd agree with you that this would be splitting hairs. But Michael Moore has a long track record of playing fast and loose with the truth, so the reason this comes into play is that it's part of a larger pattern.

I appreciate your heartfelt comments. Even though I don't agree, they are refreshing compared to the canned "talking points" one sees all too often these days.

[John Bronson]

Check out paper#1 on Michael Moore at
westfallmike.tripod.com
Then join America and review and pass on the entire web site.
J.B.

[ab]

I also was a resident of Davison MI, graduating high school there in the early '80's. While I am not a strong supporter of Michael Moore, your argument that he is not from the city of Flint is misleading. It is true that the majority of Davison is a white population (which is besides your attempted point at stereotyping), but to insinuate that it is a town of wealthy non laborers is simply incorrect. Our neighborhood consisted of many blue collar workers that worked in the factories (minutes from downtown Flint)and the housing costs there are below the national average. Many families (including ours) had little alternative but to move out and seek employment outside of the automotive industry. The movie 'Roger and Me' displays a humorous and true story of the frustrations of the workers who needed an 'uplifting' viewpoint broadcast to the world. Had you stated that Moore was from outside Michigan (which is of course not true), then you would have made more sense. Thanks for the article anyway. If you ever pass thru the City of Davison, try out 'Whitey's Restaurant'..best fish dinner in the state.

[Tom McMahon]

Thanks for your comments. And if you're ever in Milwaukee, try to make it to the Friday Night Fish Fry at Serb Hall!

Politics ebbs and flows, but good food is eternal . . .

[Drako Blackwell]

I was born and raised the majority of my life right in Flint. Born in St. Joseph's hospital, went to pierce elementary, holmes middle school, and then on to central high school. growing up in poverty is no joke, and although i now reside in sunny southern california, i'll never forget my roots, which is my beloved city. i was one of the "lucky" ones to make it out of flint alive, not just literally, but spiritually also. sometimes i wonder what is it that me, as a young black male with huge ambitions,could come back to flint and do to help my city that hasnt already been done, or at least tried? i just happen to run across this website, so anything about flint, michigan i feel compelled to add my 2 cents. thank you. oh, and one more question: WHY DO ALOT OF SUBURBAN KIDS (DAVISON, CLIO, MT. MORRIS, GRAND BLANC...ETC) WANT TO COME INTO THE POVERTY OF FLINT AND "BE DOWN"? hell, i was trying to get up out of there! that always amazed me...

[D. Carrell]

Drako has a point. I grew up in Flint, and there is nothing there that I would want to go back to. Some sections of the city people are making the best they can. But large portions, they couldn't pay me to live there. When you see the neighborhoods with the vacant homes, the houses for sale for $5,000 that no one will buy, the bars on the windows and doors, you know there are serious problems.

Also, if I'm not mistaken, Moore's dad was white collar--he never had to worry about layoffs like the hourly people did. And while Davison may not be some rich man's mecca, it a'int Flint either.

[Courtney]

Nothing like finding this 3 years after it's publication and then wanting to comment ... but I have to say that most of us from what we call "The Greater Flint Area" refer to ourselves as being "from Flint" even if we live in Burton, or Davison, or even Grand Blanc. Davison is FAR from being a beacon of wealth, so you might want to check that information out ... I also went to Davison High School for awhile, and um ... so sorry ... the Flint gang signs were on our lockers. The town is ridden with low-income housing, much of it subsidized by the state. I know - much of my family lived there at some point. But also, the town is completely dependent on the Flint economy and on Flint social events, shopping, etc. I'm from a small town even farthr away, but since I studied in Flint, worked in Flint and even lived in Flint for the last bit of time I was in Michigan, I consider Flint my city as well. Nice try, there guy.