Bowling for Columbine (page 3)

jelly

If you dont like the NRA than trash the NRA. Attacking an old man, who is slipping into senility because of an incurable disease is ignorant.

Terry

Simon

I too watched this for the first time a couple of days ago.

Wow ! What a film !

Chorton Heston comes across as a biggoted eggocentrical insensitive moron. Two gun tragedies involving deaths of children and he immediately turns up with the NRA holding a pro-gun rally? INSENSITIVE at the very least.

The parallels and comparison with Canada were very enlightening and most of it came down to attitudes. It really did seem that a lot of Americans are fed a diet of fear and all this "hey, I own a gun ... someone comes into my house is gonna get it" is because they are afaid.

re: the ethnicity 'problem'. That is part of the whole issue that I think he highlighted very well. The news and 'cops' shows was always full of black guys with guns (and no shirts) and not giving a fair representation of crime. They chased after black guys who'd robbed $75 but not white guys who'd stollen $75m (in effect). All designed to keep your average white man afraid and buying things.

The difference in the news reports and attitudes between Canada and America was very noticable - Canada was more thoughtful and informative news and people reflected that ("Why would I be scared of my neighbours?") whereas the American news was more sensationalist and dramatic and only hightened irrational fears ("I don't trust my neighbours ... I'd better get ready for them").

Whatever the reasons for the difference (I think the film suggests some possibles but isn't saying "this is it", it's raising the awareness of the problem), the statistics for comparable cities cannot be ignored.

I would recommend the movie to anyone.

RAYZORBLADE

I enjoyed the movie too, but I think Michael Moore (whom I admire) painted the city of Toronto, a bit too rosey.

Sure, a city with a greater metro population of over 5 million, is pretty safe, but it's not so squeaky clean and everyone leaves their door unlocked.

As I listen to the news this a.m., we have just had our 40th homicide.

Not even here (TORONTO) is immune to crime, violence and poverty.

We may be safer per se, compared to other metropolitan areas around the world, but sometimes the image Michael painted of Toronto, was a bit 'much'.

Not perfect, but not bad either.

More water pistols than guns per capita than anywhere.....for heavens sakes: look at all the water and that damn lake down the street: Lake Ontario (7,340 sq. miles), what did you expect us to do with all that stuff?

Abaddon

I think MM is great; I know perfectly well he presents things the way he wants them to be seen, but as the Corporate sector and right-wing do that, it's just playing them at their own game (and don't they hate it).

However, he's wrong.

He suggests the high murder rates in the USA are due to media-inspired fear.

If this is so, then why in the early 1900's did NYC still have a murder rate 5 times higher than London?

This was at a time without mass media, and at a time where gun control was broadly similar between the two cities.

I do think that the mass media play on peoples' fears, but that doesn't make them kill each other five times more frequently than most Europeans.

Quite what does that, I don't know. It seems to be a cultural difference. But none of the Americans I have met seem five times more likely to kill than the Europeans I meet.

All the same, you've a murder rate five times higher than Europe, which can be shown to be unlinked to differences in gun control laws, ethnicity ratios, or media influence. Do any Americans have ideas about why you guys off each other so often?

jelly

Violent drug trade

Massive drug problem that is not treated properly

Too many Irish

Simon

If you dont like the NRA than trash the NRA. Attacking an old man, who is slipping into senility because of an incurable disease is ignorant.

If this is true about his mental state then what does it say about the NRA having him as president / spokesman (whatever he is)?

I imagine that the murder rates from 100 years ago were for completely different reasons than today.

funkyderek

Chorton Heston comes across as a biggoted eggocentrical insensitive moron. Two gun tragedies involving deaths of children and he immediately turns up with the NRA holding a pro-gun rally? INSENSITIVE at the very least.

Absoultely. Disgustingly insensitive. Except it didn't happen. It was a fabrication by Michael Moore, one of many in the film.

See http://www.hardylaw.net/Truth_About_Bowling.html which may or may not be right-wing but includes hard evidence (which you can check yourself) that Moore has deliberately edited footage to give this impression and that he has made up most of his "facts".

teejay

Thanks, FunkyD. I wondered if anyone would post that.

bittersweet

I enjoyed this movie ( though I will have to rent it again because the DVD kept messing up ). What I want to know is how come my local bank isn't offering guns to those opening accounts!

frenchbabyface

this TOPIC is VERY PRO ... I won't add anything myself about MM (that I like a lot by the way - doesn't mean that I trust everything he said)

But I'm gonna tell you this little story : When I was in Sioux Falls (wonderfull and very quiet city) in all septembre 2001. where there is not even 1% black people. Everybody was very nice with me, they didn't know me but still they were saying "hello" in every kind of ways and sometimes just stop a bit to have a little talk. I was surprised nothing to do with the Texas (GUNS) for example.

When I asked my ex boyfriend* (cause I was there for him) how comes that people was so nice (with everybody - I was not the only one) I didn't talk about the city (very peacefull) but that's what he told me :

"Here in America, since the beginning of our culture 'everybody' had a gun, so everybody knows that everybody have to take care, even when it's about to aknolegde someone presence and to say hello. AmerICAN means 'I' CAN now in every people head even KILL YOU if you don't say hello in the nice way"

This guy is/was working for the USA, and at the same had another job. And what he said talks by itself.

Bowling for Columbine

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