Guns in America

Tyler De Jong
Dr. Kevin Schut
Communications 110
March 3, 2009

Cultural Critique

Introduction
Michael Moore’s film Bowling for Columbine is an entertaining and eye-opening documentary with a necessary, albeit exaggerated, message. Moore’s left wing message promoting safe gun control and pointing out flaws in the current system is necessary to contrast the common right wing message about the overzealous protection of traditional rights.
Lit Review
Michael Moore attacks these defenders and brings forth many anecdotes of people whose lives have been damaged by this dangerous freedom. There is very little statistical evidence given to support Moore’s main points. Moore also dodges questions that should be asked out of common sense concerning his few statistics. He gives a list of gun murders per year in a few countries and compares them to America. Canada’s number is provided: 165, America has 11,127. Moore doesn’t mention that Canada has ten per cent of the American population but he does want to prove that Canadians have guns. He presents a statistic that says there are 7 million guns for every 10 million homes in Canada. This may be true but these weapons are not spread out evenly. His three gun-owning Canadian interviewees said that they had somewhere between six or eight guns each. He also doesn’t address how easy it is to get a gun license in America as opposed to Canada (Wilshire).
Michael Moore has an important Message that is well communicated. It should be heard by all Americans so they can have a second opinion on the issues inside their country. Moore’s main point is how the right wing media fills the American public with fear because fear sells. Your afraid of social rejection so you buy acne medicine and teeth whiteners, your afraid of criminals so you buy a gun. It’s how corporations make money and it’s wrong. This message contrasts the popular media message who is selling the fear and bringing in the money as a benefit.
Cultural Critique
When the second amendment was made, many families did not live in the city and policing was inferior to what we have today. With urbanization and improved technology for law enforcers, people don’t need weapons as desperately as a landowner in a young, uncivilized country like early America. In modern day America, home invaders pose a much less serious threat thanks to police cars, police sirens, alarm systems and the telephone. A few hundred years ago the residents of a large house out in the country were in much greater peril in the event of a home invasion because of seclusion caused by distance from others and a lack of immediate communication. The second amendment is outdated and if it wasn’t for the zealous defenders in the National Rifle Association (NRA) it would probably be changed.
Conclusion
The problem with this system is there is no gray anymore. People are labelled left wing or right wing depending on who they believe, and there is no middle ground. The opposing media sides go to the extreme to combat the other side who also went extreme. The public need to find a safe middle ground between the messages being shouted in their ears.

Works Cited:

Wilshire, Peter. "PRESENTATION AND REPRESENTATION IN MICHAEL MOORE'S BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE." Australian Screen Education (Winter2004 2004): 91-95. Communication & Mass Media Complete. EBSCO. Trinity Western University Library, Langley, [B.C. 4 Mar. 2009 .

Bowling for Columbine. Dir. Michael Moore. United Artists, Alliance Atlantis, Dog Eat Dog Films, 2002.