1.6. What was Michael Moore's early life like?
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This article is from the Michael Moore FAQ, by Edward Champion edchamp@slip.net with numerous contributions by others.
1.6. What was Michael Moore's early life like?
In 1954, Michael Moore was born in Davison, Michigan, a suburb
of Flint, to an Irish Catholic family of laborers. At 14, Moore,
impressed by the Berrigans, joined a diocesan seminary.
But a year later, he was asked to leave. Moore cited girls as the
main proponent. He was forced to return to Davison High School,
where he became a star of the school debate team, a student-
government organizer and even authored a school play.
"It was a religious theme and it ended when Christ comes down
off the cross and is nailed back up. The people who nailed Christ
back up were modeled on people in my town. They could recognize
themselves."
In 1970, Moore received the Eagle Scout award. His Eagle
Scout project was a slide show exposing the worst polluters in
Flint. After high school, Moore worked several jobs, including one
at Buick, which he quit on his first day. In 1972, spurned on by
Donald Priehs, his former government teacher, Moore decided to run
for the school board and won; at 18, Moore became the youngest
member to sit on the Flint City Council. Shortly after, Moore
lobbied to get Priehs fired. Moore caused so much trouble for the
town that a recall drive was attempted. Moore dropped out of the
University of Michigan, Flint because he was too busy suing his
town in court.
Dissatisfied with urban politics, Moore resigned. But Moore
was determined to get his views out to the public in some way. He
organized antinuclear protests and rock concerts. While Moore got
his economic training reading Alexander Cockburn, he set up a
crisis intervention center. Eventually, Moore got a job as a
public radio correspondent. But, one day, after a broadcast turned
into a shouting match, Moore decided to abandon radio in favor of
founding an alternative newspaper where he could properly get out
his views.
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