Bowling for columbine(unfinished)

           Does possessing a gun make us safer or does it just increase our chances of being shot? It has been said that if we possess a gun, the odds are more likely that our own gun will be used against us and our loved ones in the midst of a potentially harmful situation. Michael Moore explores the ideas of why we are so paranoid to the point where we feel the need to possess firearms and manages to put a humorous spin on the otherwise serious topic. With a handful of courage, Moore scrutinizes Kmart and the fact that they make guns and ammunition so easily accessible. .



         Moore begins his exploration of America's predisposition for gun violence by lining up the usual suspects and interrogating them. Sometimes this involves interviewing actual people, such as James Nichols, who gives what is to be considered as standard extremist arguments for the aimless right to bear arms and explosives, though stopping short at allowing private ownership of nuclear ownership since "there are a lot of nuts out there." The cold realism becomes more unsettling as Nichols shows Moore the loaded 44 Magnum he keeps under his pillow, and jokingly points it to his own forehead. Moore also conducts interviews with the young people in the area of Flint, Michigan to learn their astonishingly casual views on the use of guns and explosives. Naturally, Moore is searching for extremists, not to hold them as representatives of the entire population, but to show how such people can regularly emerge out of a seemingly normal society.


         Moore has a lot to say on his chosen subject of violence in America and he tends to drift from one aspect to the next. Although these topics are all very interesting, especially due to the unexpected twist of humor presented, but the wealth of statistics and various opinions make the film attain a drudgy feeling while it should be energetic. One of the problems is the deceiving interview with NRA president, Charlton Heston. Moore attempts to corner Heston into making a statement as to why America is so in love with guns and to why there is so much violence. Heston, who is portrayed as an obvious unfierce creature, was unable to answer Moores questions due to the documentarian's satisfaction and the interview descended to a badgering session. While having the head of the National Rifle Association as one of his subjects is an asset to Moore's project, the lack of definitive answers makes the "big finale" fall flat, although the picture left behind by Moore, speaks a thousand words.

Skeptical media

“We don’t have a choice on whether we do social media” but as generation Y, known as the “Tech savvy” age, we are able to control how well we portray ourselves to be on the internet to a certain extent. Emma Teitel expresses her views on how teenagers are using and misusing social media websites, such as Facebook, in her article The New Paparazzi. She brings forward the fact that although we can control ourselves on social media, we have no control over our peers and their actions of posting unwanted photos of us that they have taken at various social gatherings.

 

With over 500 million people on Facebook today and as of September 2011, every member having, on average, 130 friends, it is difficult to be sure of exactly who is looking at your profile. It has birthed the idea that "you can keep track of someone's life without them knowing you exist". Facebook has become such a popular network that "In this day and age, you can't really attend a social gathering without risking the chance of ending up on Facebook". We are so caught up on making sure the world and all of our friends are aware of how popular we are and how extravagant we portray our lives to be. Facebook was created originally to be a way to keep in touch with family and friends who are not around you yet it has progressed to being a social network used for anything from running a business to a site to find hook-ups. Although Facebook is one of the more popular networks, it seems to be third in the lineup with Twitter leading the pack and Instagram following closely behind.


The average person will spend a total of 46 hours and 39 minutes on social media sites monthly. The worry presented in this is that we are too caught up in social media to enjoy the life that has been gifted to us. We tend to be too concerned about not being in the picture and don't always think of the circumstances and problems that that same photo will create. "[We] [are] concerned with the next five minutes, not the job interview five years down the road".  In most cases, the ones applying for jobs are more than qualified, especially in this day and age, which is why most of us are surprised when we don't hear back from that company that had our dream job up for grabs. We don't realize that these social media sites have become part of the hiring process and it really gives our future employers a sense of who we are outside the workplace and if we really are the right one to be representing the company. In most cases, these people do not attain their dream jobs due to the photos that they find of us on Facebook and that tweet they found from the other night when we were angry.


Social media is a bitter sweet invention. It is wonderful for things such as keeping in touch with those of whom we miss and letting everyone know that we are alright. It is a great way to share exciting news and a great place to get that business that you've always wanted started. But with the amount of positives, there are double the negatives. It can be positive, it just all depends on the user.