Bowling for Columbine: The Influence of Guns and Violence in the United States
Bowling for Columbine (Moore), a documentary about the bad influence of guns outlines why there is a consistent violence in the United States. According to Michael Moore, individuals should not sell or purchase guns since they pollute the mind of the owners leading to more violence than safety in the American society today ((DiLorenzo 227). While exploring the reasons for the Columbine High school mascara, Moore also gives an adequate analysis of the reasons for the high rate of violence in America. Michael Moore`s conclude that fear is the cause of violence and problems of gun crimes in America. I partially agree that Americans' fear of one another is the leading cause of violence in the country as supported by the subsequent paragraphs of this paper.
The Role of Fear in American Violence
Ideally, the fear that Americans foster against one another leads to violence in many different ways depending on the nature of the aspect or variable under consideration. When members of a society fail to live in harmony and under common unifying factors such as the culture, constitution and values, the media and other institutions may put one sect of the society against another sect. For instance, when the media inflicts fear on the people, they, in turn, become afraid of different issues that affect their lives. Such fear makes Americans direct their distrustful nature against their neighbors or people who do not look or think the same as they do. They, in turn, rely on guns for protection leading to increased violence (Kleck 14).
The Influence of Culture
Another factor that explains why there is more violence in the United States compared to other countries is the culture that shapes the behavior of individuals living in the United States. Notably, there exist interrelationships between societal culture, the behavior of individuals as well as external factors such as formal institutions. In this aspect, behavior entails the reactions or actions of an individual in relation to an existing environment. Based on the Michael Moore`s film, the dominant culture propagates the culture of fear. The fear of something wrong happening is what makes many Americans carry guns, which in turn lead to engagement in violent actions against any individuals or a group (Kleck 32). Given that guns have become part of American identity entrenched in the constitution (the second amendment of the Bill of Rights guarantees the rights of citizens to keep and bear arms), it is evident that the country would experience more violence than other states around the world. I believe when fear of the unknown occupies an individual's thoughts, such as a person is likely to use any weapon around him/her against another person who may be the perpetrator of the perceived fear.
Mistrust and Paranoia
Besides, there are high levels of violence in the United States because the citizens tend to be more paranoid than in other countries. In the U.S., most individuals do not trust their neighbors, the police, and the Blacks. Such mistrust, in turn, leads to violence between communities with diverse racial orientations as well as conflicts between the law enforcement agencies and minority communities such as Africa-Americans. For example, the film portrays the U.S. government as an entity that engages in internal conflicts based on a presidential endorsement, a factor that makes Americans more violent than other citizens. While many people may take issues with such observation and claim that the film fosters bias against the government, I believe when citizens see their government participate in internal conflicts, they will fear possible retaliation from affected countries and in turn, tend to be violently ready for any provocation. Besides, when one lives in a state or community where the government or its leadership endorses violence, he/she will believe that conflicts are only solved through violence.
The Role of Schools and Families
Looking into different aspects of American society and families, it is right to say that the fear of one another leads to violence in the country. Besides government and constitutional role in propagating the fear, the American schools and families play a fundamental role in making students and children fear and as such, engage in different forms of violence. When parents and teachers scare students, fail to believe in them, tell them that they are losers and punish them in inappropriate manners, they are likely to engage in violence. Such students will fear their parents and teachers and as such, will not seek assistance when in problems. Consequently, the students will retaliate by perpetrating violence against other people or against themselves and this explains why there has been an increased number of gun violence incidents in American schools.
Conclusion
However, I believe that violence exists in any society or state and the fear of one another is not necessarily the reason there is more violence in the United States compared to other similar countries. It would be unfair to the American society if I would conclude that Americans are homicidal in nature and as such, they are born fearing one another and with time, turn violent. While the above analysis shows that violence in American society is a product of multiple variables such as a culture of nurturing, it is not totally right to say that Americans are more violent than other similar countries around the world because of the fear for each other.
Works Cited
DiLorenzo, Thomas J. "The culture of violence in the American West: Myth versus reality." The Independent Review15.2 (2010): 227-239.
Kleck, Gary. Point blank: Guns and violence in America. Routledge, 2017.
Moore, Michael, director. Bowling for Columbine. (2002).
