Mr. Woodcock and SiCKO

Yesterday ~myDakini went home carrying a couple of DVD rentals. I was excited to see what movies she borrowed.

"What did you get?"

"Oh, guess what. I'm sure you'll love them."

"Let me see." I hurriedly opened the case. "Mr. Woodcock?!!! Haha. Nice. What's the other one?"

"Open it." ~myDakini said while smiling.

I opened the DVD case and looked at the disc. "SiCKO?! Good choice! But you know that this not a usual movie, right? It's a documentary about America's Healthcare."

"Yeah, I'd like to see it. I to want learn something about the health care system in the U.S."

"Ok. Fine." Who am I to argue? She's a nurse here in Ireland. "But let's see Mr. Woodcock first, ok?"

"Ok."

So we watched Mr. Woodcock...

Man, that movie was hilarious! Psychology buffs and self-help geeks would love it. Lots of subtle and not-so subtle references to shadows. Billy Bob Thornton is perfect for that role. It was worth the 3 euros.

And then we watched SiCKO...

I've wanted to see this movie since it's opening day but I didn't get the chance to see it until last night. It's still as powerful and emotional as I expected it to be. This is the best Michael Moore documentary I've seen. I think it's the most important too because it addresses a real deep-seated problem of health care in the U.S. Michael Moore's style and methods maybe controversial but I think that the issue he raised in this documentary should be taken seriously. In the movie Moore interviewed a lot of people with horror stories about their health insurance. He then went to countries with universal health care -- Canada, Britain, France, and even Cuba -- to compare them with the state of health care in the U.S. The documentary is very emotional, comical, informative and insightful. It's a must-see.

I could personally relate to this issue, and I also wish for Universal health care in U.S. similar to what other First World countries have. I find it ironic that in the U.S. where citizens work their asses off and have few days of vacation, health coverage is not universal. Here in Ireland and in other European countries, where people work less hours and have tons of vacation (e.g. maternity leave in Ireland is 6 months 100% paid, and another optional 6 months of unpaid leave; standard annual leave is 35 days), all citizens have health coverage and don't have to undergo a dehumanizing screening done by insurance companies. I'm less worried of getting sick here in Ireland than in the U.S.

I wonder why Republicans are against universal health care. I think it was unfortunate that partisan politics and big business lobbying buried Hillary Clinton's proposed universal health care plan. Yes, there are pros and cons and the issue was hotly debated. But from an ethical perspective, universal health care is a no-brainer.

Here's a segment from the movie SiCKO where Michael Moore interviewed Tony Benn, a former member of British Parliament. Tony Benn made a very compelling case for implementing universal health care. "If you can find money to kill people, you can find money to help people." I think he's right.

"Shocks."

"Yes, dear. Shocking, indeed."

I highly recommend SiCKO. Go ahead, watch it and discuss the issue with your friends and family. But if you're a lower or middle-income American with kids and aging dependent parents, this movie will depress you. So make sure you get a copy of Mr. Woodcock so you could laugh off your depression after watching SiCKO.