Bowling For Columbine Review

         

 

 

 

The leeching parasite that is fear has spread throughout the great nation of the United States of America. Michael Moore, a realistic though bias journalist ventures the rickety path of controversy in the documentary “Bowling for Columbine.” He delves into the world behind the fear of America and relates it to the country’s gun laws, his slanted tactics shedding light on the situation. Moore keeps the audience interested through humor, short clips and a dynamic emotional appeal that sends the viewers on a thought-provoking, heart breaking and stomach twisting rollercoaster.

 

            A laugh for a laugh is a less common saying than an eye for an eye, but both go hand in hand in Moore’s documentary. He uses mock-seriousness in many interviews, portraying a true interest in the speaker’s side of the story. When talking to gun crazed NRA activists, he makes them look foolish by asking questions that any sane person would give reasonable answers to. However, many of the extremists interviewed delineate the true side of this outrageous gun law battle raging in the United States. Michael Moore’s overall demeanor throughout the presentation is hilarious in itself, a larger man with a scruffy beard and quirky smile snapping witty comments at the unfortunate opposition.

 

            The use of short clips gives the documentary speed, where even the low points (not to say there were many, though all films have them) are kept interesting. He integrates animated stories to keep it from going stale, and jumps from topic to topic in a maniacal yet orderly fashion. Moore ingeniously relates each topic, creating a web of wonder that combined with some deep thought, blow the viewer’s mind. However, short clips could lead the unwary watcher astray, as Moore takes some events out of context in order to get his point across.

 

            Many people can relate to the families of Columbine and the people of Littleton, feeling the pain at the loss of a loved one. In the documentary “Bowling for Columbine”, Michael Moore dances on the heartstrings of a nation and lets the viewer’s feel each step. He shows gruesome clips of shootings around the world and throughout history, the pure rawness of the footage creates a lump in the stomach. He eventually shows recordings of the actual Columbine shootings which can only be described as mayhem. Kids run frantically through the halls and cafeteria as Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold can easily be seen strolling the grounds holding automatic weapons casually in their palms. Moore adds phone call recordings over the footage, the fear in the student’s voices echo in the viewer’s mind.

 

            I believe the documentary is very well done. Moore, who is unafraid to get “down and dirty” uses his way-out methods of journalism to get to the bottom of the issue. Overall the picture is radical to the point of unrealistic, though sometimes the truth is hard to bear. It is high on my recommendation list as I believe the general public needs a clearer understanding of the world around them.

 

Paparazzi

                Without a doubt, the couch is a beautiful retreat for any drunken soul to pass out upon. Until of course the abundance of similarly intoxicated teens surrounding the unconscious youth take out their phones and cameras for the humiliating picture. In “The New Paparazzi,” the writer Emma Teitel explains how individuals cannot control their fates that are intertwined with social media.  She ventures on topics such as the convenience of social media as well as the lack of interest that teens are showing in their privacy.

                With advancing cellular technology, social media is becoming a high speed train that shows no signs of slowing down. Within seconds, any photo can be uploaded and published across the web. This is why partying and embarrassing moments cannot be lived down as “everyone has cellphones with cameras on them” to snag a picture at the right (or wrong) moment. Social media is a convenient way to stay in the loop and feel “deep pleasure in sharing” events with friends. The downside however, is that not only friends can see any explicit material. It is just as easy for “a future college/job/internship/ scholarship/sports team to see it.” Teitel express that no matter how true this may be, it is not in a person power to control whether or not a picture is taken of them. The only way to avoid “the paparazzi” is to “hang out on the party’s periphery to avoid the gaze of cameras.”

                Toronto blogger Sarah Melvin says “generation Y is obsessed with documenting its social life” which leaves personal security fairly vulnerable. Emma Teitel herself expresses that “[she] cared more about invading the privacy of others than [she] did about protecting [her] own.” Danah Boyd, senior Microsoft researcher and assistant media professor at New York University explains that "generation Y is concerned with the next five minutes, not the interview five years down the road." She refers  to this as FOMO or Fear of Missing Out. The culture based on this new generation of technology assists in the downfall of social capabilities, an ironic situation for "social media" sites.

             I tend to agree with the professionals, though I also think that we as a species need to adapt to this new technological age. The increasing use of social media is only dangerous if the users are not educated on the situation. I myself use Twitter and Facebook a fair bit, though am careful of what is uploaded or said by myself or about me. I do not let this affect my "real life," if someone wishes to ignore their family at the dinner table to browse Instagram, it is their choice. If someone is offended by embarrassing or personal pictures being taken of them, it is up to that person not to put themselves in that situation.