Bowling for Columbine - Essay Example

Bowling for Columbine Michael Moore’s “Bowling for Columbine” raises a few pertinent issues that connect the American identity to the burgeoning gun crime rates in the country. Though it does not provide clear answers, the documentary makes use of its contrived arguments to reflect on how the American psyche is affected by the fear psychosis generated by the country’s international interferences in the socio-political and economic spheres. Moore attempts to explain the white American paranoia and the flimsy excuses for the private possession of guns through historical and cultural elements.

The possible conclusions of Moore adhere to a few criminological theories, among which the Classical and Rational Choice Theories can be considered the most convincing. The eclectic nature of Moore’s arguments can also lead to the Integrated Theory. The basic argument of Moore is that the American community has a strange affinity towards gun crime, for which the easy accessibility of gun merely serves as an encouragement. In this sense, there are no sufficient deterrents for an average American citizen to be held back from possible crimes.

The movie begins with the sequence of Moore acquiring a free gun for opening a time deposit for a specific sum in a Michigan bank. The argument by the Michigan Militia that guns vouchsafe the safety of the individual and family is shown as a reductive one, discounting the possibilities of increasing numbers of gun crimes in a society where everyone is entitled to possess a gun. Though there exists sufficient punishment as a deterrent in America, there is not enough awareness among the public regarding the use of the guns.

Eventually, it is possible that the guns end up being I the hands of school kids, like Erik Harris and Dylan Klebold, who perpetrated the shocking massacres at Columbine school. Using the metaphor of an irresponsible game like bowling, Moore exposes the lack of proper concern and clear rules reading the possession and use of guns. In a culture where even teenagers can procure guns from supermarkets, one has to assume that the rational choice deterrence would be nonexistent. Even though Moore asserts that the easy availability of guns is not the only reason why the crime rates are shooting up, the lack of proper deterrents combined with this situation could definitely be a major reason.

Integrated Theory can also provide significant explanations for the American gun crime rates. There could be several reasons for the use of violence, which basically stem from the use and misuse of power on various levels. The gender and race differences are definitely a factor that contributes towards the tensions that lead to violence. The political climate of America through the last few centuries has made the relationship among the citizens and its democratic structures an ambivalent one.

The international relations and interferences have led to many disturbing moral questions to the general public. The ideology of war has left an indelible impression in its younger generations who witness their parents making a career out of murderous designs. The fact that Eric’s father was serving in the US Air Force strengthens this argument. Charlton Heston’s observation that America contains a large number of ethnic communities raises another significant issue. The strain common people face with the disparities among the American Dream of economic success and the crumbling family values can be another reason.

In brief, Moore presents the whole case as something that has to be analyzed on various levels, leading to the use of Integrated Theory of criminology to analyze the American collective psyche.