In Michael Moore’s Bowling for Columbine, there is a wide range of issues presented for the reasons for the school shooting. One topic that had a profound effect on me after watching the movie was how different the US compared to Canada really is. The biggest difference the film made between the people who live in Canada versus the people in the US is the amount of fear each society lives with. The movie made this point very apparent when Mr. Moore went door to door testing his theory by seeing if Canadians locked their front doors. Every house he tried he was able to open and enter their homes. In America we have a new tragedy on the news every night and Moore points to this as the reason why there is so much fear in the American psyche. Americans believe that crime is a common occurrence but in reality it is highly unlikely to happen to them. People in the US commonly think the worst of their neighbors and the people they interact with every day. In contrast Canadians think the best of people unless they have shown them differently in the past. The differences in both of the countries people have a lot to do with culture and the amount of fear that is produced through the media. One quote that caught me off guard during the film was when more stopped a news van on the street and asked them about the qualifications for coverage. The person said “If it bleeds, It Leads.” We have all seen this quote in practice across all networks, no matter the specific day. This kind of constant bombardment of fear can cause people to do radical things such as spend thousands of dollars they can’t afford on a security system.
12x6, First, I would suggest you read John Lott's 'More Guns-Less Crime'. Mr. Lott explains he has no personal interest in guns, and is an Economist first, as his myriad 'graphs and charts' plainly show. His extensive conclusions are summed up by the title of his book.
ReplyDeleteSecond. Moore's 'Bowling for Columbine' was one of the most disgusting , one-sided, ridiculous, perfect examples of 'Yellow Journalism' I have EVER had the misfortune to see. It should be used as lesson of what NOT to do in Journalism classes. He 'cut off' and was downright rude to the esteemed actor Charlton Heston, he made EVERY gun owner interviewed look like some kind of knuckle dragging Neanderthal , and I frankly can't BELIEVE supposedly 'intelligent' people believed ANYTHING he said in that movie !
Ever since Pierre Trudeau opened the floodgates of Immigration to Canada, in the early '60's, people lock their doors. I lived on both sides of that, in Canada's 3rd largest city, so I KNOW. Moore obviously 'set-up' his demonstration, as he did with everything else, then 'ambushed' his interview subjects, just like that other loser Rosie O'Donnell did to Tom Selleck in her infamous interview with him, which she later apologised for, too little-too late.
Canada has 30 million people, the U.S. 300 million, a bit different situation, and a LOT different 'history' with firearms. American John Thompson invented the Thompson submachine gun, but Canadian John Garand invented the Garand M1 Rifle " "the most deadly rifle in the world" and "the greatest battle implement ever devised" - General George S. Patton.
Canada has the École Poly Technique 'Massacre', U.S. has Columbine, all committed by obviously insane people. As 2 of Canada's Justice/Public Safety Ministers discovered, after years of research, “You can’t legislate against Insanity.”
A major difference is, Columbine has offered 'Concealed Carry' courses to it's Teachers that want to prevent such tragedy's in the future, the École Poly Technique , not so much.
Ever since the 'Magna Carta', which all modern societies base their 'Rights and Freedoms' charters on, people have the inalienable right to defend their homes and loved ones, by any means necessary , it's just 'common sense', and no jury in the world would convict you of defending your loved ones and your self. Unless, apparently, your a Muslim female in an archaic Muslim country.
Keep in mind, police are 'RE-active' and arrive AFTER you've been killed, robbed, raped, what-have-you, quite a while after. In one case in Canada, it was 2 1/2 DAYS after a break in and murder, WHILE the woman was on the 'phone with 911 ! Think, I'D rather be PRO-active, personally.