Unit 5 TOW 2 Bowling for Columbine

Bowling for Columbine. Dir. Michael Moore. United Artists, 2002. Film.
Bowling for Columbine, by social critic Michael Moore, explores the underlying issues of the Columbine High School massacre and American gun violence in general. In the film, Moore notes that homicides are so much more prevalent in America than in other developed countries not because of the music we listen to, video games we play, or even the number of guns we own, but because of our culture of fear. He essentially says that throughout their history white Americans have been afraid of one thing after another, which has made us desensitized to gun violence and death. In the case of Columbine, this culture of fear led two high school introverts to shoot at the their fellow students one fateful day, killing 13 other students and injuring another 21. He also infers that Lockheed Martin, the weapon manufacturer that employs the largest number of people in Littleton, Colorado (the location of Columbine High), was an indirect cause of the massacre. The overall message of the film is strongly pro-gun legislation, despite several interviews with gun "fanatics" about their opinions.

Almost every one of the devices/strategies mentioned on the worksheet was used at least once in the film, but one of the most obvious Moore incorporated was the use of juxtaposition. For example, he played a montage of historical foreign policies that portrayed America as the aggressor nation, with pictures of dead civilians and (often democratically elected) leaders with each example. In the background, however, Moore played "What A Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong. The happy emotions of the song make the audience more aware of the discrepancy between what they hear and what they feel from the images rolling past, and furthermore almost betrayed that the two things do not match, as if they've been lied to.

Moore also uses expert testimony in various ways to make his point about the poor gun policy in America. He interviews Marilyn Manson, a rock star who was incorrectly blamed for the Columbine massacre, Littleton resident and South Park creator Matt Stone, author Barry Glassner, and comedian Chris Rock, all of whom seem to share the same opinion of Moore and are thus displayed positively. Alternately, gun fanatics like James Nichols, brother of Terry Nichols, who was convicted for the Oklahoma city shooting, and former NRA president Charles Heston, are subtly criticized by Moore, who portrays them as crazy and inhumane. By talking to his opponents, Moore makes himself seem more credible in his stance, and thus the audience is more likely to help further the gun legislation cause.