Where to Invade Next? is a 2015 documentary directed by Michael Moore, and it is about how the United States can learn from other nations how to improve the well-being of its people. Moore talks about how instead of invading other countries, the United States should “take” their policies and bring them back to America. The documentary is not meant to criticize the U.S. and say it is inferior to other nations. Instead, it is meant to highlight nations who have successful policies that are improving the country and its people. The countries that are mentioned in this documentary are Italy, France, Finland, Slovenia, Germany, Portugal, Norway, Tunisia, and Iceland.
Why talk about a documentary that is six years old? Because the documentary covers topics that are important and still being talked about. The documentary conveys a very important message: we have the ability to learn from others and create positive change around us. Although we may be unable to completely replicate certain countries’ policies, we can still get some inspiration on how to improve.
For example, the documentary mentions Slovenia is located in eastern Europe and how the country offers a free college education to EU citizens. Slovenia is one of the dozens of nations where it is mostly free to go to college. Here in the United States, the average loan debt of a college student is $37,693. Money should not be a problem as to why someone is unable to continue their education. Education should be a basic human right, not a luxury. The documentary goes into other topics, such as how Italians get four weeks paid vacation and how Portugal has decriminalized drugs, among other topics.
Where to Invade Next? also allows people to get an inside look at how other countries live and how they are different from those of us who live in the United States. The documentary inspired me to want to travel and explore the world. I want to travel to other countries because I want to learn from them and then be able to bring what I learned back to my home country Mexico or the United States. When I watched this documentary in high school, I was inspired to pursue a degree in global management. I hope to one day be working and living in another country. We can learn a lot from the people around us, even those we once had conflict with.
Michael Moore is known for creating controversial documentaries that bring forth serious topics about politics, healthcare, and social issues in the United States. Although his documentaries cover serious topics, he narrates and outlines his documentaries in story form, which make them fun and easy to watch. Moore’s documentaries can be biased to his own political view, and it can be clearly noticed in his documentaries which side he favors. With that being said, be cautious if you watch his documentaries, and keep an open mind. Inspiration can come from anywhere, as I learned when Where to Invade Next? inspired me to “invade” Thunderbird and study global management.