Deviance in Bowling for Columbine

This paper entitled, “Deviance in Bowling for Columbine” intends to find out the validity of the opinion expressed by the film’s author. It also aims to articulate personal opinion with regards to the issue raised in the film. Furthermore, it will also present a solution to the issue raised. Last but not least, it will state an obvious obstacle to the solution. Validity of the Opinion Expressed by the Film’s Author

The validity of the opinion expressed by the film’s author may not at all be questioned basically because his articulations resulted from a true-to-life story. In addition to that, he reiterates violence and deviant behaviors so as to reintroduce to this growing problem of society. To help us understand better the validity of the opinion expressed by the film’s author, let us go through some of the film’s details: The story of “Bowling for Columbine” is about the United States’ obsession of violence and guns (Bowling.. , 2002).

It is a sort of a documentary wherein the story is based on the incident dated April 20, 1999 (Bowling.. , 2002). Here, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, students of the Columbine High School, attended their bowling class before they carried out a killing spree at the aforementioned school in Little, CO (Bowling.. , 2002). While Michael Moore, the star of the movie, thinks about the aforementioned alarming event, he takes into consideration the relation or association of bowling or the game of ten pins and random violence (Bowling.. , 2002).

He, then now calls on the Michigan Militia to: 1) spend time with James Nichols, the brother of Terry Nichols who is one of the people responsible for the bombing of Oklahoma City; 2) visit K-Mart’s offices, where two young individuals were injured as a result of the Columbine massacre; 3) request K-Mart to discontinue selling ammunitions; 4) place under scrutiny the role of the media in the United States in relation to the fear and anger that it brings about; 5) compares United States and Canada’s statistical information on crime rate; as well as 6) question Charles Heston, the president of the National Rifle Association, with regards to his participation to the rally of pro-gun, which was held in Littleton just days after the massacre in Columbine, as well as, another protest in Flint, MI, just after a 6-year-old was killed by a classmate using an Uncle’s gun (Bowling.. , 2002). Personal Opinion on the Issues Raised in the Film Violence is highly related with deviance or deviant behaviors. Deviant behavior is technically defined as “a behavior or an act that is known to violate of defy social norms” (Wikipedia, 2007).

I strongly believe that the issues raised in the film were timely and appropriate since his movie shows the advantages of deviant behavior to the society through the three major sociological theories, namely: a) Structural Functionalism, b) Conflict Theory, and c) Symbolic Interactionism. Through the killing/gun shooting shown in the movie, cultural values and norms were affirmed, moral boundaries were clarified, social unity is upheld, and social change is encouraged (Wikipedia, 2007). Because it is such a terrible occurrence, the movie is utilized to address violence, as well as, the deviant behaviors illustrated in it. More specifically, the issue raised here is with regards to how the society deal or handle guns and how it contributes largely to deviance or deviant behaviors in our society. Alternative and Probably the Most Successful Solution to the Issue Raised

I strongly believe that the most successful solution to the issue raised, at this point, is gun control. Several things may be carried out to control the consequences of gun handling and some of these are the following: 1) weight the advantages and disadvantages of owning a gun before eventually acquiring one; 2) promote “no gun” zones within the school; 3) get the local involved in school safety training; 4) take note of what the children are watching on television, tell them what programs they should watch and let them know the importance of watching only informative ones instead of violent ones that may motivate them to become one tool; 4) etc (Michigan.. , n. d. )

Impediments/Obstacles to the Solution which may be Raised by Persons which have a Stake in the Outcome The only apparent obstacle to the solution which may be raised by persons which have a stake in the outcome are those who have extreme love for guns. They may protest on it since they know they will experience a little “uneasiness” since it will no longer be that easy to acquire a gun. Reference Bowling for Columbine. (2002). Retrieved May 28, 2007 from http://www. imdb. com/title/tt0310793/ Michigan Partnership to Prevent Gun Violence. (n. d. ). Retrieved May 28, 2007 from http://www. mppgv. org/what_you_can_do_content. htm Wikipedia. (2007). Deviant Behavior. Retrieved May 28, 2007 from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Deviant_behavior