America is a country of opportunity because of its capitalist system where anyone can make something of themselves if they aim high and work hard. The downside to so much freedom is the fact many may have to suffer in order for others to succeed, a situation shown in the events of "Roger & Me". The film focuses on corporate greed and the lack of corporate responsibility towards the public. While watching the movie, one can see how the CEO, Roger Smith, can change hundreds of lives, and how vulnerable Americans are to corporate capitalism. .
Leftward - leaning filmmaker Michael Moore spends nearly three years documenting the demise of his hometown of Flint, Michigan, in his late 1980's documentary, "Roger & Me". "Roger & Me" surrounds the decision, made by the corporation General Motors, to close down 11 of their auto plants in the Flint area, and Moore's resultant pursuit to meet and talk to the man he deemed responsible for the decision: GM Chairman Roger Smith. In the film, the situation of Flint is easily discernable; Flint's economy is deteriorating as its auto factories and high - paying jobs are relocated to Mexico, an infamously cheaper - labor country.
The main persons shown in Moore's film are GM Chairman Roger Smith, GM Spokesperson Tom Kay, various laid-off GM workers, and Moore himself as the director/narrator. Smith, Kay, and the GM workers can all be included within the consensus paradigm, because all of them believe and support the ideals of democracy, liberalism, and capitalism. Despite losing their jobs, the GM workers still lived within this framework, evident by their maintenance of relative order through the ordeal, and their willingness to get themselves going again through different job opportunities like AMWAY, Taco Bell, or raising rabbits. These actions supported the general, competitive idea of "making it", and striving towards attaining their American Dream.
