Bowling for Columbine

[heinz57_79]

I'm sitting here watching "Bowling for Columbine", and I have to say a lot of the stats infuriate me! Those of you who have seen it, you have to know what I'm talking about. The number of those killed by guns in this country far outranks any other major country. It's ridiculous when over 11,000 people a year are killed by guns here. I'm sure there are people on here who are totally pro-gun or even members of the NRA, which is fine... to each his own, I say. This film is just a major eye-opener. And what is with Charlton Heston showing up in towns after school shootings holding pro-gun rallies??? That just seems a little callous. For those of you who haven't seen the movie, it's actually a good one. Really kinda makes you take a second look at a country who is quick to blame everything and everyone but ourselves for tragedies like school shootings. Music, movies, games, media, America's violent history, every excuse in the book.

It's just sad when a 6 year old finds a gun, takes it to school, kills another 6 year old we want him tried as an adult.

Sorry for the rambling, but this movie has managed to hit a sore spot, especially for someone who has never been to thrilled about this country in the first place. there are so many days I keep thinking I don't want to raise my kids here. (if I had kids, that is) My gf and myself are seriously thinking about looking into moving back overseas after we have kids. *sigh*

In a lot of ways, I wish I felt more patriotic towards the US. But it's acts like the ones covered in this movie that don't help.

[NoahsMommy]

I know EXACTLY how you feel. I felt the same way for weeks after I watched that movie...hee hee, did you want to move to Canada??

Wasn't that part about the new bank accounts in Montana CRAZY???? I'm amazed some people are allowed to breathe....

That movie left me wondering why people are against gun control. I mean, you can still have your guns to protect your home/land and kill bambi...just register them. Its no big deal!!

[minkyboodle]

I think if everyone had guns, more people would be afraid to use them. I mean come on...who is going to rob a store when everyone in there is carrying a weapon? Also less likely to mug someone with fear they might get shot back at by anyone on the street or the victim themselves.

Also, with kids...I'll have guns in my house when I have children and I'm going to teach them how to respect and use the gun so they don't go all wacky when they find it on their own or possibly find another friends gun or something.

I think learning as much as possible about guns is a good way to prevent accidents since most seem to be involved with unknowlegeble kids...

Just my 2 cents...i'll shut up now...

ps. I really liked that movie...

[2kitties]

I'd just like to say that in my opinion, listening to anything out from Michael Moore is about as rational as listening to Rush Limbaugh. We need the extremists in our culture to make the moderates look moderate. But extremists are just that, extremists. Real decisions that help our country are made in the ranks of the moderates.

This is my opinion and does not represent the views of this station

[DJFyrewolf36]

Originally posted by 2kitties
Real decisions that help our country are made in the ranks of the moderates.

Well said 2kitties, I'm agreeing with you more and more! Extremists do little good for making decisions...especially when making the right choice involves some format of being rational...I agree that SOMETHING needs to be done about irresponsable people having guns in places where kids can get them and use them. I haven't seen this movie all the way through, just bits and parts so I have no commentary there. I DO have an opinion about the Coulumbine shooting itself though...Those kids PLANNED the whole thing right under thier parents noses. It wasn't as if they just found the guns in thier parents house and decided that day to go shoot people. Some moron GAVE/SOLD those guns to KIDS! Thats what needs to be stopped...personally I think people are trying to "correct" the wrong problem. But that's just my opinion

[cali]

I loved that movie, but I have to say they over glorified canada WAY to much. no we dont shoot people much, and we are generally much friendlier, the canadian "getto" they showed was hardley a getto. or maybe its just because I live in the crime and murder capital of canada, but the "getto" they showed looked like the RICH area of my city. I live in one of the worst areas in the city, but I feel perfectly safe to walk alone in the middle of the night. there have been several murders in areas surrounding mine. the thing is unless you actually live here its hard to understand, even people in nicer parts of the city have so many misconceptions about the not so great area of the city, I heard one Richy say that this area does not have AC, or working plumbing, and said our pipes freeze regularly. huh, want a bet he has never even been in a house around here? just because they look pretty run down from the outside does not mean anything. I have l have lived here for 5 years, not once have the pipes froze, we have central AC, perfectly good plumbing etc.. lol while I admit in genral most of the stuff about canada on the movie IS true, around here however houses are NOT left unlocked, our front door is always locked, and our back door is locked when noone is home, and at night. I sure as heck hope noone would walk into my house! I am pretty sure my dogs would not be so happy about that!

[G.P.girl]

oh i saw that movie! i thought it was good. i liked the way the narator guy talked to the red necks and stuff. but it was pretty sad when they actually got to the part about Colombine.

[heinz57_79]

I realise that Michael Moore is a bit of an extremist. (Btw, he's got a new film coming out about Bush and Iraq..) And anything in the media, regardless of whether it is film, news, etc, always needs to be taken with a grain of salt. But most of what he said about this country is true. I've lived all over the world, have been living in the US for less than 10 years, and I'm still adjusting to so many things. You don't see things like school shootings in Thailand. Granted, every country has its problems, but this country infuriates me more than any other country ever has. On a larger scale, yes, other countries have bigger problems... civil war, etc. But on a smaller scale, this country seems to have so little respect for its people. Guns are the way to prevent crime. "Guns yes, Crime no" as a bumper sticker says. Children grow up with little respect for life and for others. And we, as a country, have the nerve to pass the buck whenever something happens. Kids shoot up a school... it must the music. No, it's the movies! No, its the video games! You never hear "I messed up. I failed to teach my children a clear sense of right and wrong, and ignored the signs that they were troubled!"

Radicals and extremists always take things to the Nth degree, whether it be religion, gun control, government, and the such. I just think Michael Moore showed the country all the things we turned a blind eye to. (And canada sure seems like one hell of a Garden of Eden hehehehe )

[leslie flenner]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/15/opinion/15BROO.html

[leslie flenner]

Previous article is short re: parents being completly unaware... below is more about the why's and the thinking behind the kid's actions.. I found it to be enlightening. Sometimes the branch DOES fall far from the tree! I'd LOVE for people to read this and give thoughts...

http://slate.msn.com/id/2099203/

[Karen]

Look around abit on the Internet. Do not believe that everything you see in "Bowling" is the truth. The movie annoyed me, as it kept making points then contradicting them.

[dukedogsmom]

I haven't seen the movie. But, I believe in the right to have a gun if you want one. I have had one in the past. Also, I believe like someone else stated, to let kids know about them and teach them to respect them. I don't believe in gun locks. What good is that if you had to use it in an emergency? I always kept the magazine separate from the gun but in a place that I access it easily.

[smokey the elder]

Michael Moore may be abrasive and a pain in the neck, but he's a needed gadfly who sees fit to kick us in our complacency. We have freedom of the press here, good, bad or indifferent. The press is made of people, each with their own biases on things. Anyone who speaks of "objective" journalism must think there is a computer writing the news, because that's what it would take!

[Lady's Human]

My mother used to get highly upset with journalists putting their own "spin" on a story. She was a reporter, and saw it as a complete and utter failure if someone reading a story could tell where the person's political leanings were. Reporters report. If I want opinion or conjecture, I'll look on the OP ED page. Page one belongs to the facts, not opinions.

[Moose]

We actually had a discussion about this movie in one my classes last semester. Michael Moore set his movie up to have people believe a certain thing -- obviously. As much as I do not approve the use of guns by anyone other than those licensed to have one with a good reason, he made Charleton Heston look ridiculous.

In actuality, Heston really did schedule NRA rallies in those towns long before the shootings -- and Moore put it together in a way that really made Heston look bad. Also, at the end of the movie -- when he stops at Heston's home and interviews him -- he never even told Heston the real reason he was stopping by to see him. Plus, Heston has some sort of disease -- I forget what it was -- that makes it hard for him to think on his feet like that. Moore really made him look like a fool -- it was ridiculous.

Something that really made me laugh was the way Moore tried to subtly slip in that the minority in Canada was nearly the same amount as in the United States, and therefore, that could not be the reason for gun violence in the US. I believe he said there was a 13% minority in Canada -- that's not even close to the minorty in the United States.