Columbine Misconceptions

Bowling for Columbine is a documentary about how guns are a bad influence and pollute the mind, rather than supplying safety, which is the real reason behind the possession of a gun being legalised. Michael Moore, the film maker, wrote and produced the film to emphasise his point on why guns should never be sold or purchased again. The main story Moore focused on was one that was absolutely shocking and could astonish you from start to finish: The Shooting at Columbine High School. The ordinary and average school was put through an attack by two absent minded children who destructively killed 1 teacher and 12 students, not including the many more they injured. Moore also tried interviewing people whose lives had been affected due to guns.

America’s star detective Michael Moore has done it again! In this edition, he uncovers the truth behind the Columbine shooting, and exposes the “real” menaces of America’s society. Or this is what we are led to believe…

But the larger point Michael Moore tries to explain is, the reason why there are 11,127 deaths by guns in the United States, and in other developed countries, like Canada, are significantly less. He went to the town where the Columbine shooting took place and he found out that near Columbine, in Littleton, there was the Lockheed Martin Corp, the world’s largest weapon maker. He then alludes that maybe the presence of a weapon’s manufactory in the town is somehow connected to the reasons of the shooting in Columbine High School, insinuating the production of weapons in that town probably made the people more susceptible to violence. Continuing on the search for the answer to the high number of deaths by guns in America, Moore presents some of the reasons people taught were the cause of this shooting. At the time, people blamed violent videogames, violent movies, South Park, Punk music, and even, Marylin Manson. Michael Moore discredited all these arguments, claiming all these cultural aspects are present in other countries, like Germany, Canada, or Japan, in the same amount or even more, and they do not have as much violence and deaths by guns like America.

Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave, O’er the land of the free and the home of the terrified!

Many examples of Moore using incorrect information can be seen throughout the film. When he puts emphasis on the arrogance of the gun rally which was held eleven days after the shootings, to the ‘naked’ eye, it may seem that the act, was indeed ignorant and immoral, but this portrayal is not actually factual. The truth is that: The Denver event was not an act related to Columbine, but an yearly gathering, whose date and place had been set years in advance. At Denver, the NRA called off all events (normally several days of committee meetings, sporting events, dinners, and assemblies) save the annual members' voting meeting - that could not be cancelled as the state law governing non-profits made it mandatory that it be held. (There was no way to change the place, since under NY law you must give 10 days' advance notice of that to the members, there were more than 4,000,000 members - and Columbine occurred 11 days prior to the scheduled meeting).

The 2002 film Bowling for Columbine is a documentary written, directed, and narrated by Michael Moore. Moore has won numerous awards including the Academy Award for best documentary feature. The film explores acts of violence with guns and the primary causes for the Columbine School Massacre, where two students shot and killed thirteen people and injured twenty-one others. Bowling for Columbine takes a deep and often disturbing probe into what the motives may have been for the shooters and investigates other gun-related issues along the way. Moore explores different aspects of gun-culture such as receiving free guns from a bank, taking a look at America’s violent history, and interviewing important people like Charlton Heston, former president of the National Rifle Association. The film ultimately comes to the conclusion that the American culture of fear along with the accessibility of guns is the reason why there are so many gun-related deaths. This thesis is supported by many examples Ethos, Logos, and Pathos evidence.

Cullen, Dave. “The Depressive and the Psychopath: The FBI’s Analysis of the Killers Motives” The Columbine Alamac (20 April 2004)

Bowling for Columbine is a documentary directed by American filmmaker and activist, Michael Moore. The political documentary focuses on the 1999 school shootings that occurred in Columbine, Colorado, and Flint, Michigan and the correlation of guns to the high homicide rates in America. Moore argues that the number one problem the United States faces is gun control. Moore effectively uses ethos, pathos, and logos appeals to present an unbiased and informational view of the issue of gun violence in America. He also uses the fallacious argumentative strategy, ad hominem. Moore does not put his own direct bias into the film, he instead shows both sides of the argument to allow the viewer to decide for themselves which side they are on.

In the 2002 documentary Bowling for Columbine, American political activist and filmmaker Michael Moore sets out to explore the primary causes of the 1999 Columbine Highschool massacre, as well as the roots of gun violence in the United States in his trademark provocative yet satirical manner. Bowling for Columbine takes a deep and often disconcerting investigation into the motives of two Colorado student shooters, responsible for the deaths of over 12 people at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999, and examines other gun-related issues as well. From obtaining free guns at a bank, to reviewing America’s violent history, and interviewing a variety of people, Moore demonstrates that the conventional answers of violent national history and entertainment, as well as poverty are inadequate of causing this violence, for other nations share the same factors without the same levels of carnage. In order to arrive at a possible explanation, Moore takes on a deeper inspection of America’s culture of fear, and violence in a nation with widespread gun ownership. Ultimately, the documentary implies that the high incidence of gun deaths in America is caused by the deadly combination of cultural paranoia and easy accessible firearms that is, to some extent, effectively established through rhetorical techniques of ethos, logos, and pathos.

Michael Moore used filmic codes such as symbolic, written, audio and technical to position the viewer to sympathize and understand the gun violence laws in America to accept the arguments and ideas presented in his documentary Bowling for Columbine. The documentary, Bowling for Columbine was made in 2002, after the Columbine High School shooting and what lead the massacre happening in the first place. It also investigate the reason for America’s relaxed gun laws and the rate of homicide due to owning guns in America. Audio codes, have a big impact on how the viewer is positioned to feel in this documentary.

In the documentary Bowling for Columbine by Michael Moore, talks about the root cause of gun violence in the United States of America. The documentary shows how more than 11, 127 people die every year from guns whereas 381 in Germany, 255 in France, 165 in Canada, 68 in the United Kingdom, 65 in Australia, and 39 in Japan. Many say that violent movies, video games, and violent rock artists such as Marilyn Manson contribute to gun violence in America but violent movies are seen in France, violent video games are from Japan, and Marilyn Manson is heard in Germany. Also, guns in America are easy to obtain as in the documentary Moore got a free gun as he signed up for an account and only required to get a background check. However, fear is the root cause of America gun violence as people fear getting killed it leads to others getting killed. For example, in the documentary Moore shows that the media promotes fear in the American news program as they only focus on negative news such as violence and death such as in the news they state, “Tonight in South Central, a drive-by shooting”. It makes people fear certain places such as going to South Central as they portray it to be a dangerous place to go to as the news shows all the negative things that happen there such as crimes which make people fear to go there. Where in Canada news are positive and focus on what is going around town.

The Techniques of Michael Moore in Bowling For Columbine to Present the Message on Gun Control

Throughout the film Michael Moore throws many cold facts on the screen that makes it obvious that the strong nation of America is unruly. One of the facts that stand out the most is the number of deaths caused by guns in America per year. In comparison to the other countries, America has an outstanding of 11,127 gun related deaths a year. This is ten times

The tragic story of Columbine by Dave Cullen analysis’ the bitter events that were caused by Eric Klebold and Dylan Harris. Although tough to read, the description and imagery within the book about the intense news reports, the role both boys played, and the somber realization of a inspirational marter story furthers the reader's understanding of the truth. Cullen wrote with the purpose to develop each character while going in depth to tell the truth and dispel any rumors that were connected to the tragic 1999 massacre.

Columbine High School Shooting: Why did Columbine occur and what can be learned from it?