Reply #8: Seen it and read it

[muriel_volestrangler]

and I don't think the film is great. The book's good though - it's closer to '1984' or 'Brave New World' than 'The Omega Man' - a society where books are burnt to stop the citizens getting ideas about freedom, they're encouraged in mindless consumerism, and those who step out of line are hunted down by mechanical dogs.

No particular connection to Moore's film, apart from the general theme of the dangers of a media-controlling state. Perhaps there's a slight connection with the fight he had to get "Stupid White Men" published unaltered after 9/11 - see http://www.theconversation.org/moore.html .

"Once back in New York City, the days turned into weeks, and I began to make calls to the publisher to inquire when my book would be coming out. The scheduled release date of October 2 had long since passed.

It was then that I was informed that there were "problems" with Stupid White Men.

I was told that, unless I re-wrote large sections of my book (sections mostly dealing with my harsh but funny criticisms of the W.), plus change the title and the cover – and then, after all that, reimburse the publisher of up to $100,000 out of my pocket (!) so this new version could be reprinted – then the powers-that-be might actually destroy the ENTIRE run of 50,000 copies that had already been printed! My book would be sent to the shredder and "pulped." I would then have to wait for up to a year before I could take it to another publisher. In other words, the book would be toast."

I guess he liked the number similarity of 'four five one' and 'nine one one'. The orginal title is (falsely) said to be the temperature at which paper spontaneously combusts; so he's taken as his tagline "the temperature where freedom burns'.