Bowling For Columbine - Movie Review

Gun enthusiast or not Michael Moore’s “Bowling for Columbine” gives the in inside scoop on outcome of easy gun ownership, and the effects of the National Rifle Association after the horrific shooting and Columbine high school. Moore gets down and dirty, some might even say slimy, as he interviews members of the NRA as well as former columbine students and depicts the events rather inaccurately upon close attention as some may point out. The documentary explores the shooting that took place at Columbine high school in 1999, Moore also discovers the easy availability of guns, violent history, and violent entertainment.

The movie goes way back to United states history and shows the start and spread of fear by Americans. A nation with a lack of trust and fear of each other plus availability to get a gun seems to be some of the reasons for such a high rate of violence. Moore shows just how easy it is to obtain a gun by going to a bank account that gives out guns instead of interest upon opening an account.

Moore interviews many individuals throughout the film such as Charlton Heston, who is the president of the NRA (National Rifle Association). The NRA is a group that tries to put an end to almost all gun control laws. Moore misleads Heston to believing he is for the NRA by saying that he has been a member his whole life, and by showing him his member card. Little does Heston know that he is in for quite a treat once the questions get fired, Moore is either a slime ball or a good reporter by this point. He ends his interview on a sad note by leaving a picture of the 6 year old girl who was killed by the shooting on Hestons front porch.

The reporter also interviewed Marilyn Manson, who had been receiving some of the blame for the school shooting due to his Gothic style of music. Many saw his songs as "evil" and said that it sent the wrong message to the youth that listened to it. Gothic music is known to be loud and contain lyrics that deal with death and destruction. During the interview, Manson pointed out that earlier in the day of the shooting was the longest one day bombing in US history, and that if his songs are going to be taken into consideration for the shooting then that should be too.

Other than interviews the movie also contains activist moments, Moore meets with two kids who have permanent injuries from the shooting, since the bullets could be bought from k-mart Moore took the boys down there to see what could be done. Their first visit had no real outcome, upon a second visit Moore recruited many reporters and refused to leave until something was done. Their plan worked, K-Mart agreed to stop selling the bullets to prevent any future incidence.

It is an eye opening movie and contains many mini-clips to keep the watcher captivated, as well as humorous moments even considering its horrific theme. Personally the movie was not for me, but as far as documentaries go it was probably one of the best ones I've seen. The way Moore depicts Canadians is in my opinion inaccurate, just like the way he portrays evidence. I think Moore is a wonderful reporter but the movie was definitely bias to his opinion.  

Social Media: a blessing or a crime?

            “The New Paparazzi” written by Emma Teitel, published November 7^th, 2011 in MacLean’s Magazine depicts how social media is used today.  The article explains how social media's most attractive purpose is a “true tabloid fashion”, as well as how impossible it is to control who takes an individuals photo and where it ends up.
                Social media is used primarily for the purpose of “stalking” or “creeping”, this “invasion is dependant on photo sharing”. The purpose of social media is to socialize not survey, but being able to “track someone’s life without them knowing that you exist” seems to be the number one priority. Many users stated that they almost left facebook when their “right to anonymously browse embarrassing photos of other people was temporarily jeopardized”.  Many people might not understand the seriousness of posts on social media, potential bosses, universities, or sports teams can see these posts as well. Controlling who posts a certain photo and where it ends up is nearly impossible. Basically to avoid a photo being taken at a party and it ending up somewhere that someone wouldn't want it, the individual would have to miss the party all together. In this day and age "if you go to a party and don't appear in the facebook album where you really there?". Generation Y doesn't understand the harmful effects that social media can have, and "doesn't care about its privacy until its been violated". Most young adults have phones with cameras, when attending events its hard not to want to take photos to document the event. Cameras will capture whatever and whoever enters the frame. 

               Personally I believe that people don't understand that things they post on social media will be there forever. I do believe however that if someone does do something (such as passing out at a party) and someone else takes a picture of it and posts it, that the blame is not all on them. You are what you post, and the post will reflect poorly on the person in it and the person who took it. But if you are going to give someone something picture worthy, and they don't understand the consequences that it can have the responsibility is not on the "photographer". Overall I think that if young adults were better educated on social media and what can happen with the pictures, statuses, and posts that they make there would be significantly less invasions of privacy.

The Art Of Spoken Word

 It's not what you say, it's how you say it. The art of slam poetry is the expression of a personal story, very powerful and sincere. Some people might say that slam poetry is "a scramble of words that may or may not make sense to the reader, but always means something to someone." Poetry is passion, and when you're passionate about something you're speaking about it can become a performance. "There’s something about hearing a poem being performed that feels like listening to music: the delivery, pitch, and rhythm are tailored to create just the right reaction and hit you in a very specific way."

Shayne Koyczan was the first Canadian to win the individual championship title at the national poetry slam in the year 2000. He grew up in our lovely city of Penticton, but became very well known for his poem on bullying titled "To This Day".  This poem explores the abstruse and lasting impact that bullying can have on an individual. Koyczan takes the audience through his tale of his school ground battlefield where he would get "bombarded by spit balls" and often "rehearse[d] running away". Goosebumps will arise on ones skin after hearing the vigorous words and they way they are delivered. 

Taylor Mali emerged out of the school shadows from his job as a teacher and amazed many with his impressive slam poetry abilities. Mali has been on seven National Poetry Slam teams, six of which made it to the final round, and four of them won. A vocal advocate of teachers and the nobility of teaching, he spent nine years at Browning school teaching everything from English and history to math and S.A.T preparation. He is well recognized for his slam poem "What Teachers Make", where he depicts his life as a teacher and the difference he makes on his students.Mali "break[s] it down for [us]" so we know what he says is true, "teachers make a goddamn difference" in this world and are not appreciated for what they do. He has the "if you ask for it, then I have to let you have it" attitude, and does not hold back in the slightest way while he expresses his feelings about his teaching career. He presents his passion of teaching through the expression of poetry.

Sarah Kay writes poetry to figure things out, she is the founder and co-director of Project V.O.I.C.E., founded in 2004, a group dedicated to using spoken word as an educational and inspirational tool. Her selective word choice is enough to keep anyone captivated, Kay's poem "If I Should Have A Daughter" provides insightful opinions of the pains that her daughter will go through, but how the strength of an experienced mother will always be there for support. She will have her daughter call her "point B" so that she can always find her way to her. Sarah Kay received a standing ovation for her performance of this poem on TEDTalks, and continues to encourage others to express themselves with poetry through the project V.O.I.C.E..

The Spotlight

Descriptive Paragraph:

Imagine having horrific stage fright. As if the very idea of having peoples eyes on you is enough to kill you alone. That is me.
 Sitting backstage, waiting for my turn to go recite my debut speech in front of my family, friends, judges and dozens of other people. I had the speech memorized and it was written from facts that I already knew anyway, but the closer it got to my turn the more it all seemed to vanish. I was racking my brain trying to remember the proper stance, to smile, and where to stand. My fingers and knees began shaking. My throat felt clogged, and my vision became blurry. The applause that once filled in the silence had become very distant. I felt the blood drain from my face as I became white as a ghost. It was my turn next. I managed to let the words "I'm not ready" to escape from my mouth, but it was too late because I was being shoved out the door and into the view of waiting eyes. Panic filled my heart. Thankfully my legs found a way to control themselves. I made my way to the microphone without tripping and shattering what little confidence I had. My hands soon became clammy, my knees were shaking, and when I began talking my voice surprised me. It was loud, clear, and didn't miss a section of my pre-prepared speech. A smile filled my face as I said my concluding words and the audience began applauding. My final steps off the stage felt easy and effortless, and I was greeted by fellow candidates squishing me with hugs. The worries and stresses of earlier in the day felt like nothing to how I felt now that it was over. I was one step closer to conquering my fear.

Of Mice and Men

“Human nature doesn’t change. The Dark Ages were a thousand years of chaos, war, famine and disease: you think that won’t happen again because we have computers and jet planes and cellular phones? Think again.” This quote was written in 1998 by La Femme Nikita and is directly related to the book Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck. The novel Of Mice and Men is about two characters named George and Lennie and their dream of owning their own ranch and being able to live off the land. The novel was written in 1937 and it is a prime example of how human nature does not change, the book is relevant to today because people still get judged by how they look, and many people with power use it in the wrong way.

 

Many people are judged solely based on their appearance alone. In the novel upon George first meeting Curley’s wife he had already made the assessment that she was “[Quite] a tramp.” George kept saying that Curley’s wife was going to be trouble, yet all she wanted was just someone to talk to. Also Crooks being the only ‘colored’ man on the ranch was not welcome in the bunk house with the other men. He had his own room out in the barn, even though just like the other men he had the same dream of possessing his own ranch and just being able to live off the land. Racism is still relevant today and experienced by many, such as Nina Davuluri who after being crowned Miss America had been targeted on social media for many racist comments for being of Indian descent.

 

When people have a lot of power it often gets used in the wrong way. In the novel George was quite a bit smarter than Lennie and he “Used to play jokes on ‘im ‘cause he was too dumb to take care of ‘imself.” One time the joke included Lennie jumping into a river because George told him to, but Lennie couldn’t swim and it almost killed him. Another way this was displayed in the novel was when Curley’s wife was talking to Crooks and she said “Well, you keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny.” To which Crooks had no response for he was powerless, and Curley’s wife could get away with whatever she wanted because she could hold that over Crooks. This is portrayed in society today with Justin Bieber as he thinks that because he is famous he can get away with anything he desires to do. Examples include when he went into the back of a restaurant and peed in their mop bucket and his friends said that the restaurant should be “Honored that Justin Bieber peed in their bucket.” Even though it was such a disrespectful and unnecessary thing to do and he should not have gotten away with it.

 

Even though times have changed, human nature hasn’t. This is demonstrated through many examples in the book Of Mice and Men. The novel was written in 1937 but is directly related to many events that happen to this date.

 

Ordinary Experiences Bring Joy

Everyday she walks. She has pale frail hands that gently grip a walker that supports over half her weight. She moved slow and had a slight hunch; her glasses had become a key asset to her weathered face. The years had taken there toll on the 94 year old woman. Her hair was short and white, and her mouth was toothless. She had wrinkles deeply imprinted in her face, but none stood out more than the ones around her eyes. She was happy. Though she wasn’t smiling now, you could see it in her eyes, and her aged face told the story of her life.

You could hear the whoosh of her loose fitting pants as she walk by, as well as a slight squeak to her non-slip shoes. And very faintly you could hear the wheels of her walker slowly spinning as she makes her way past on her way into a store. Even though its spring, she still wears her winter coat, which makes a crinkling noise as she moves.

You might think that after being alive for 94 years she might be a little cranky, but if you thought that then you are wrong. She was a peaceful old lady, who smiled often despite her lack of teeth. She stopped frequently to chit chat with familiar faces. She was content. It’s not surprising that her life does not consist of much more than this, for she was old. She had had her fun, but she was still happy. She didn’t need to do anything else, just going to the mall brought her joy.

Death by Calculus

I truly wish I could say I was taken off guard when I arrived at school for the exam, but the harsh, unforgiving truth was that I was just unprepared. I wandered to the front of the gymnasium to take my seat. I was in the front row, thanks to the alphabetical ordering. The desk was hard as stone and restricting and contained a thick book of white paper with an alien language sprawled across each page laying atop its smooth surface. Anxious for the exam to start, I found myself baffled as to why I took calculus and hating myself for slacking off so much during the course. My lack of motivation had landed me among the few students who were forced to write the exam, and I needed 90% to pass the course. As I glance up at the clock I find Mr. Becker smirking away. I bet he thrives off watching students suffer and squirm as they tackle his impassable exam. My pencil seemed distant in my hand, and any recollection of math in my brain had vanished. I was vulnerable. I feel the disgusting little grade 9's eyeing me as they wait to begin their exam. I give them a deathly glare, one that softly whispered into their soul "if that exam doesn't kill you, I will." It was harsh, but the pressure of passing had been getting to me. The exam begins and it takes all my willpower not to rip it up on the spot. I attempt the first question. Erase. Start over. this process repeated itself until I was no longer leaning on my left hand as I wrote, but slowly ripping every stand of hair that I could grasp out of my scalp, I hear a voice in the back of my head, and it smugly whispers " I knew you couldn't do it." and it was at that moment I knew. This exam might be the death of me.