Bowling for columbine

Moore's' idea of verbal criticism is honestly funny. When bringing true reality to real situations, he is able to get true questions that nobody wants to answer. The idea that even places like Kmart make public decisions that can have a bad impact on peoples lives. The bank is another example of incorrectly not making sense. They gave out guns for loans. When Moore makes comments on how this does not make sense, nobody can give him a correct public response. They know is does not sound correct, but they want you to think of it as being for the good of public, that what their doing is a good idea and it is the public that makes the bad choices. There are many different aspects of the way guns are controlled or not controlled and the vast violence of our own nation. This particular tragedy in Columbine was a very small part of problems that are getting to be more fluent in more areas. We as the United States perceive ourselves as being invincible. We can always account on the media to influence any situation at any given time. The control we have is created by our own direct nature to hear only what we want to hear and a good percentage is anything that creates notice. We tend to ignore the big picture of possible gun problems and look at what can make the news for the next day.

The gun issue can be blamed on many situations, but the bottom line comes down to how the guns are not controlled. When you have an open door policy on something that should have a little more control. The difference of being able to have slingshots compared to multi rapid fire weapons. When there is no limit on how much or what kind, then common sense leaves the door open for more violent acts. Blame can be said on the American view. We value the opinion of war and the effects on our own country. We look at being the strongest nation and are proud of having the rights of our country. When we bring a gun to a knife fight it is supposed to be overlooked because of our belief, but when somebody else does this, it is not right and we have to take action to change the situation. This is the action we have done for years.

Other countries have more strict laws and more control over media. Their media is more focused on things that will help the public and public interest rather then public fault or discouragement. When media is constantly broadcasting bad views, it tends to wear on the mind or warp it in a sense of believing what we do is right. An example in the movie was how it was not ok to shoot another person, but it was ok that we just bombed another country. It is like the old saying from your parents" Do what I say, not as I do."

Response to Bowling for Columbine

There is so much controversy about violence and weapon control. Why do people insist on blaming things like movies and music? Every country has violence in media and more than half of them have less shootings and murders then America. If a child is able to get to any kind of weapon, a gun or a knife, then its an adults problem. Also, if the child knows how to use the gun properly then we wouldn't have so many issues. In the movie I remember the director saying that the Columbine shooting was blamed on Marilyn Manson. Manson did make a good point during his interview, Why wasn't the President blamed? While he sits around and starts a war and thinks he can bomb everyone, children are getting the wrong impression. Then everyone blames television and games. The movie even showed that Japan, the maker of most violent movies and games, has less than three times the murder rate of America. Is it culture? I don't personally think so. In my opinion, I think it is the Adrenaline and power rush. People feel empowered when they can do whatever they want, even though it is illegal. In the movie, Michael Moore (director) compares America with Canada. Canada isn't far away from America and even so, they aren't as violent. The news that they watch in Canada is educational and more focused on health care reforms and benefits rather than ours in America which shows the most brutal attacks. Maybe it is in our culture, maybe it isn't. Honestly, I don't think we will ever know what causes anyone to pick up a gun and shoot someone in the face with it.

DUCK SEASON,RABBIT SEASON ALWAYS HUMAN SEASON

the movie bowling for columbine covered a large area for discussion on the topic of gun abuse in America. the director/producer Michael Moore takes us on a very diverse tour Thur the cognitive and generational beliefs on guns of many different people around the world as well as in our own country. the shootings at columbine are just a small piece of the self destructive nature of the human pie. our species since as far back as documented has always been violent. the difference in our day and time is we have the advanced technology to have created guns to fight battles instead of lets say sticks and stones to break our bones, now its guns and knives to end our lives. the error in the creation of guns is shown Thur out this movie by the immature individuals who some how have obtained these guns. the interesting part of this movie to me is that children having guns was something i personally grew up with in new york city. i find it extremely covenant that children have possessed firearms in lower income neighborhoods for years and have brought these guns to school, and it was never shown or given the attention by the mass media, until a few incidents involving guns and children manifested in the suburbs of America. the problem of kids killing kids with firearms is now not just exclusive to living in a ghetto or being non-white but is apparently happening in the less assumed areas of America. the official wake up call to white suburbia has sounded and the media has been all over it with less than compassion for the victim's and their families. the firearms sold in America are sold with regulations and laws governing how and too who they can be sold to, and yet kids all over America in every state are capable of getting guns and ammunition whenever they want. i think a huge part of that is because the parents aren't regulating their children nor teaching them the necessary life skills needed to deal with situations that may arise Thur out their school experience. the other part of this problem is the lack responsibility show by gun owners. the adults leaving their firearms very attainable to anyone in the house which could possibly be a young child such as the little boy in the movie who brought a gun to school and shot a little girl in the face. their is also the illegal sale of guns to any and every one, and that has the united states government written all over it. the illegal selling of guns in America is outrageously high for a country with so many guns laws which makes me ask the question what are all these laws doing for the guns being sold on the streets illegally to kids?. the answer is nothing in case you are wondering. that in part gives somewhat of a view to the nature of violence in America opposed to Canada, Australia and Norway. the world is a violent place because we are a violent species with the ability to vaporize each other without a second thought as to solving whatever problem with discussion and agreement like mature intelligent beings that we are. we use to hunt for food as an evolving species and now we hunt for sport in order to show are dominate rain over all creatures big and small including ourselves, except we then call it war so its justified use of violence. this country starts wars or gets involved in wars under the disguise of freedom and justice for all when in truth its just a long history of divide and conquer. the show of violence by this country is leading its people by example thus creating an acceptance of violent acts and a justification of them. the sad part is this learned behavior gets passed down to the children who didn't ask to be born nor did they invent violence and more than likely would rather just watch bug's bunny while eating Trix cereal.

Bowling for Columbine-
The question asked throughout the movie was why does America have such a high murder rate with guns? One possible answer was poverty. Things like desperation, violent surrounding influences, and absent parents could contribute to the problem. Other countries have the same number of guns, similar control issues, and population numbers. So why is there so much violence and death here? Maybe we do not have the correct education and controls. Government influence was looked at as a reason but many other countries have had similar historical wars, plus the US has had wars since it was founded. Why the recent increase in deaths over the past few decades? I personally think one reason is the right to bear arms should have greater restrictions. For example I do not think there is any reason someone should need a semi-automatic weapon. Hand guns for protection and rifles/shotguns for hunting. I also think the black market should be cracked down on by authorities. Too many illegal guns are on the market and those are the ones that usually end up being used for illegal purposes. Not to say some children don’t just take their parents. Violent movies, media coverage, fear, music, even bowling class were other reasons examined. These violent crimes occur in all income brackets, geographic locations, different cultures and races, even the age range is large. I do not think there is one clear answer but what I do think is true is that children have become used to hearing about it which I think desensitizes them to violence.

Bowling For Columbine

I am a little confused as to why the bank would even consider giving out a free gun when you open a new account. I would feel like this is an invitation to a more severe problem like, uhh, armed robbery. Come on people. Then you can go get a hair cut and get free ammunition for that free gun. What were they thinking? Leave that to the guns shops and the people who know what there are doing. GUNS DO NOT BELONG IN A BANK NOR DOES AMMUNITION BELONG AT A BARBER SHOP!!
I live in a house of hunters, my father and his father were hunters, and I myself am one, but i don't feel that this was a good choice. This has contributed to the children getting a hold of the guns. The childs mentallity is, "I can be like Dad. I am going to show my friends.", thats when they take the gun to school and show off what they got from home which in turn has killed innocent children. I feel they should make the parents accountable. For the six year old that was shot, they were living with mom's brother. If he knew that children were coming into his home, you would think he would make it as safe as possible. I feel he should be held accountable becuase the child was under his care while mom was working. In the Columbine shooting, I feel that every child involved in shooting the other children should be tried as adults. They knew what they were doing. They knew what could be the results. They knew that taking these guns to school was the wrong thing to do.
My husband and I have protected our children from getting guns and ammunition for years. We have purchased gun locks for the guns and a safe to put them in. There is no possible way that our children can get them. That is what the gun handlers should inplement. They should be required under law to have the guns locked up unless you are using them. Why didn't the bank put a trigger lock on the gun? Maybe back then they did have them. I can under stand that but like I said if they were handing out guns they should have gone one step further to protect the children in some way or form. May be not even given out a gun. They could have easily given out an appliance or something to that effect. Instead of a book of guns, have them pick out an appliance that could have used. It could have been just as effective getting people to open account. And thats all it was about. They just wanted people to open an account with them. What they don't realize is that yeah they opened an account but after they get there gun , they won't close the account?
This Charlston Heston thing really bothered me a bit as well. He said in his interview with Michael that he didn't know about the shooting when he did his NRA speech. I disagree. Why would he be at two towns that both had killings there 1 day later? I feel he knew it was wrong but because he was a celebrity he didn't care. Dick Clark is another clebrity that was thrown in this movie. I feel Michael shouldn't have even brought him in the picture. He didn't care nor did he want to talk about this childs mother who was working for him. He didn't care that they got shot and killed. I mean It really wasn't his fault. She was just a worker but my goodness show a little compassion for your emploees. Her child just got accidentally killed. again like I said what did he have to do with anything?
Guns have been around for hundreds of years. The NRA had to go in there because they had to show that it wasn't the gun that was the problem it was the people behind the guns that kill. The anti gun people were there right beside the NRA and was rallying to get it so guns were wiped out. Look at what they did at Kmart? It was an anti gun movement that Michael did. Taking those 2 Columbine victims to Kmart to have then talk to upper management and get the Ammunition removed from the stores.

Bowlig for Columbine

Bowling For Columbine does not take a vehemently anti-gun position, which surprised me. Michael Moore correctly points out that these are merely a means of violent people's terrible behavior. What also shocked me, given his driven search to discover why America has so many more gun deaths than say, Canada or the United Kingdom, is that he fails to consider that we have 304 million people to their 33 and 60 million, respectively, according to such sites as nationmaster.com and nationsonline.org. If our population is 9 times higher than Canada's, it stands to reason our gun deaths would be many times higher as well. Moore seems merely to be laying the way to suggest that poverty and welfare to work programs are a huge factor in gun violence, which they probably are. However, the surest remedy to poverty is education and good jobs. Endless handouts and forced dependence on the government won’t work any better for our people than they did the USSR's. I agree with the film's sentiments that no one is well served by mothers spending long hours away from home on a welfare to work program, but they most definitely should be receiving valuable job training and actively seeking employment. The purpose of social welfare should be to elevate people above their present circumstances, not to keep them in low level jobs and dependent on taxpayers so that men like Michael Moore can feel they're being compassionate because they want to give them other people's money. Unfortunately, he seems horrified at the idea anybody be forced to work, again failing to consider that if the many Americans struggling to make ends meet, often without assistance, decide to claim their "human right" of public support, our economy would grind to a halt and there would be little means for any programs. Perhaps more consideration should be paid towards them than people only interested in what they can get out of the system. Instead of attacking companies for senseless tragedies, Michael Moore should have appealed to them to open more operations in the United States, and offering employees better education and training, so that not just more, but better jobs would open, and truly break the cycle of poverty for many Americans.

Bowling for Columbine

Hi class,
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