Quoted:
Based on certain aspects of your logic (or lack there of) in your argument, I'm not sure where to start, but will keep it short. Heaven forbid you are exposed to something you don't agree with. The only way to learn, and be capable of forming coherent logic and not circular logic, is to take in any and ALL information or viewpoints for a given subject. Doing so will allow you, with confidence, to debate at length your position on certain issues. Why would you want to neglect your own intellect by sticking your head in the sand simply because you don't agree with another viewpoint? Fine, don't watch the film and change your opinion, no one is asking you to do so––I sure as hell don't ask that of you. I think Moore is a genius at taking advantage of a downward situation and telling the public what they want to hear in order to make money using a system he doesn't care for... BUT at least you would have seen another view to the discussion, thereby allowing you more of a position IN the discussion.
Being closed minded only closes doors on yourself. The day you feel as though you have nothing to learn from others is the day you truly know nothing.
Thanks and Gig Em.
I have to call bullshit on this line of reasoning, used by you and others in this thread.
It is important to evaluate all
legitimate data on an issue before coming to a conclusion and forming an opinion on an issue. If you are holding a strong opinion on something, then you should have already done this. As new legitimate information is presented, it is important to reevaluate your opinion with that new information in mind. That said, there is no reason to entertain
illegitimate viewpoints, and absolutely no reason to
repeatedly evaluate the same illegitimate viewpoint over and over again (assuming your original line of reasoning was sound).
College professors should not teach as legitimate viewpoints like the theory of geocentricity, the idea that the Earth is flat (or square, or conical, or curled up like a twisty straw), that alien phaetons are making us ill, or the idea that vampires walk among us and sparkle in the sunlight. There are trillions of illegitimate theories floating around in opposition to legitimate theories and laws and seriously entertaining them is not the responsibility, nor is it appropriate, of a college course.
Capitalism is a
law––like the law of gravity, not a viewpoint subject to opinion. The sooner we get this through our heads and cease legitimizing the fictional notion of utopian communism by elevating that viewpoint to the same level
as a law, the sooner we will see this plague of insanity exit the realms of reason.
Now, if someone wants to watch Michael Moore's movies or read Marx's ramblings, by all means, do so to learn about their psychology and thought processes. If you want to learn about economics, however, leave the fiction out of it.
Even within the realm of legitimate theories, there is also a time and a place. The OP has not given any indication how the viewing of
Sicko in an
English class is relevant to the course material. For that alone, he has reason to complain and such a complaint has nothing to do with how open-minded a person is or is not.