Last Thursday, Reed and I went to Portland to see my eye doctor. Since Columbine is only showing in Portland, we took the opportunity to go and see it.
Moore’s latest endeavor is Bowling for Columbine. As the title suggests, perhaps we should blame bowling for the deaths at Columbine High School — after all, the shooters were avid bowlers and they did bowl a few games the morning before they killed their classmates. Bowling? Sounds silly doesn’t it — and if we think about it so do all the other excuses offered above.
Moore points out several facts in the movie:
Murders in the US are down 20%, but media coverage of murder has skyrocketed 600%. On a daily basis we are bombarded with what can only be described as a campaign of fear. You turn on the news and you hear:
Why would the media do this? The answer is simple — ratings. The news channels are owned by large corporations that are out to make money. The more viewers you get the better your ratings and the higher you can charge for commercial air time and bad news makes for great ratings. Make no mistake, the news channels aren’t there trying to perform a “public service”. They are working towards one goal and that is to make as much money, as fast as possible — and fear sells.
People believe what they hear on the television news. They believe and they are frightened by what they hear. They are suspicious of their neighbors being terrorists. They are worried about their children being abducted or shot by a sniper. They are worried about mosquitos giving them the Nile Flu Virus. The likelihood of any of these things coming to pass is EXTREMELY rare. But that’s not what the news channels make it out to be. So people lock their doors tight, buy a gun and stay glued to the news — waiting to hear what they should be afraid of next.
People are afraid and desperate for something to alleviate their overwhelming fear. The media itself offers an answer to these fears, as does buying a gun and locking the doors.
The media is quick to show their support for G.W Bush, after all they are owned by larger, VERY conservative corporations (General Electric, Time/Warner, Viacom, 20th Century Fox) who are eager to promote the Republican agenda. The “Liberal Media” is truly a myth — it simply does not exist. So, many frightened people flock to vote for Bush, who is also a part of this fear mongering. He tells us about the “evil doers” and how Saddam is ready to bomb us at any moment. He tells us that his “War on Terrorism” will make us safe. All we need to do is vote for him and the other Republicans who support him. They will be “tough on terrorism”. They will make sure we are all safe — NO MATTER WHAT THE COST!
There is a great scene in the movie The American President that shows why people would vote for someone like G.W. Bush.
President Shepherd: Lewis, we’ve had Presidents who were beloved, who couldn’t find a coherent sentence with two hands and a flashlight. People don't drink the sand, ‘cause they're thirsty, Lewis. They drink it ‘cause they don't know the difference.
Others choose to buy a gun to help alleviate their fear. Having this weapon makes them feel powerful and invulnerable. In the film one woman said that the reason you would call the police for help is because “they have the guns”. I found this a fascinating viewpoint. I don’t know about her, but I call the police because they are trained to handle situations that I am not. The police know the laws and can enforce them. Saying you call the police “because they have guns”, is like saying you call the fire department because they have hoses and water. I have hoses and water but I am not trained to put out a fire. When a crime is being committed, it seems reasonable to call the most qualified person to help and simply having a gun does not make anyone qualified to prevent crime. All a gun qualifies you to do is take a human life.
Moore asks Heston if he has guns in his home and Heston replies that he does and proudly tells us they are loaded. Moore asks why Heston feels the need to have guns, especially loaded ones. Heston searches for reasons and at first offers that he is looking for protection. When asked if he has ever been the victim of any sort of crime, Heston admits he has not and agreed that protection really wasn’t the reason that he owned guns. Then Heston said it made him feel more “secure”, but recanted when he took into account he lives in a home filled with security cameras and iron gates.
Unable to come up with any valid reason on why he needed a gun, Heston loudly proclaimed that “the law says I have a right to own a gun”. The light left his eyes as he sternly repeated those words. All this greatly reminded me of talks I have had with Christians on why they believe in God and/or biblical events. They are often thoughtful, but when confronted on issues, like the lack of proof for creationism and the vast amounts of evidence for evolution, they loudly proclaim “The Bible says so!” This is no more of an answer than “the law says I can” — it’s a cop out.
Throughout history “the law” has allowed many injustices to take place: slavery, segregation, etc. When asked why he held an NRA rally in Colorado less than two weeks after Columbine, Heston simply refutes that the law allowed him to, after all this is a free country. He offered the same excuse when asked why he held another NRA rally in Flint, Michigan, just 48 hours after a 6 year old shot and killed a classmate in that same town.
The law must be tempered with thought. As human beings we must stop and consider if our actions are overly harmful to others. If you cannot come up with a good reason to do something other than “the law says I can” then maybe your thinking — and the law — needs to be changed.
This movie will make you laugh in the face of insanity and cry at the viciousness that humans inflict upon each other. It will make you angry and sad at the same time. Take some tissues with you — but by all means SEE THIS MOVIE!
Bowling for Columbine is currently playing at:
Regal Fox Tower 10
Who or what is to blame for Columbine and the rampant violence in today’s society? Video games? Violent movies? Shock rockers such as Marilyn Manson? Gun ownership? This is the question Michael Moore seeks to answer in his latest movie Bowling for Columbine.
Michael Moore is a film maker and author. He starred on television in TV Nation and The Awful Truth. He is the author of Downsize This! Random Threats from an Unarmed American and most recently, the best seller Stupid White Men ...and Other Sorry Excuses for the State of the Nation! Moore’s first movie, Roger and Me, came out in 1989. In it, Moore chronicles the efforts of the world’s largest corporation, General Motors, as it turns its hometown of Flint, Michigan, into a ghost town.
and Social Commentator
Despite these facts, people in other countries are not killing each other with guns at the rate Americans are — about 100 to 1. So what creates this culture of violence? The answer Moore presents us with is an interesting one, for it is the reason many are citing for the current political climate in the US as well — the media.
Not only does the media report these stories — they wallow in them. All the cable news networks gave us nearly 24 hour sniper coverage — even when there was nothing to report. The same thing happened this past summer with child abduction — this despite the fact that incidence of child abductions are way down. Anytime something terrible happens the media turns it into a feeding frenzy.
Lewis (Presidential Staff Member): ... in the absence of genuine leadership, (people) will listen to anyone who steps up to the microphone. They want leadership, Mr. President. They're so thirsty for it, they’ll crawl through the desert toward a mirage, and when they discover there's no water, they’ll drink the sand.
People are so desperate for someone to “save them” they will cling to anyone who promises safety and security. They remain blind to the true agenda of their “savior”. They are to busy being afraid to notice.
Charlton Heston, President of the National Rifle Association (NRA), is a good example of how many in the NRA think. Heston is infamous for holding a rifle above his head and proclaiming that you will only get his gun if you take it “from my cold dead hands”. Moore manages to get an interview with Heston.
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