Michael Moore's "Bowling for Columbine"

Paper Summary:

This paper studies Michael Moore's award winning docudrama "Bowling for Columbine" (2002), which provided an eye-opening look at the social problem of violence in the United States, particularly violence with guns. The film focused on events leading up to the Columbine High School shootings. The paper demonstrates how, from a sociological perspective, Moore effectively showed that both social institutions (e.g., the community, the school) and social relationships (e.g., within the community, between students) played a role in the Columbine tragedy. The paper also lauds Moore for effectively presenting the causes and consequences of this recurring social problem (i.e. gun violence) in an effective manner.

From the Paper:

"One portion of the film that I found extremely revealing was when Michael Moore went up to Canada with his film crew for this movie, and interviewed people up there, who seemed less afraid, and said they were less afraid, than Americans he had interviewed for the film earlier. These two sets of interviews illustrated the point, very convincingly, that America has far more general fear bred into its culture, in terms of anxieties people feel just living life, than does Canada. For that reason, Moore implies, many Americans feel they need guns simply to protect themselves against the frightening elements "out there", a feeling that then feeds on itself, with more fear and more gun ownership. In contrast, Canadians who were interviewed for the film do not even lock their front doors, and most do not own guns or feel any need to own guns. Moore convincingly explored, also, how the mythology of the Wild West (e.g., Western movies starring actors like John Wayne and Clint Eastwood) are so much a part of the American identity that Americans actually also identify with guns and gun ownership as if it were needed in order to feel safe."

More papers on Michael Moore's "Bowling for Columbine":

• Film Review # 120511 : "Gun Control and "Bowling for Columbine"
• Film Review # 115174 : "Michael Moore's "Bowling for Columbine"
• Film Review # 49539 : "Bowling for Columbine"
• Film Review # 73188 : "Bowling For Columbine": Pot Meets Kettle"

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