bowling for columbine
bowling for columbine is a documentary featuring Michael Moore focusing on the Columbine high school massacre four year's later and how it effected the community of columbine. The event set history in America as two student going to a bowling class in school massacred the schooling killing a total of 13 student's and teachers. The focus of the film is less on the actual event and more about how it effected the community and the law on guns portraying how it is stupid to have such low restricting's on buying guns in America.
In this essay I will be choosing three clips from the film and applying one segment of the reception theory to each clip, These are oppositional, dominate and negotiated. these are the three main reactions by the audience to the film and how it is portrayed
oppositional response
an example of this would be the scene from bowling for columbine with the gun bank the section makes the gun law in America look stupid as if you set up an account with this select bank you get a gun on the spot as it is not only a bank but a licenced gun shop which they keep on site. This is portrayed as being extremely stupid as it is so easy to get guns in America and how it is idiotic to hand them out in a bank as they could just immediately as they are handed over.
But this is not the realty a oppositional response would talk about how manipulative the clip is. The clip is completely different from the realty. in realty it take six weeks for the guns to be delivered where they check out the person to make sure they are suitable to be give a gun this means that the clip is incorrect in the way it is portrayed and the American system does not just hand out guns willy nilly. This would be a response from a oppositional in this case they would be gun enthusiasts.
But this is not the realty a oppositional response would talk about how manipulative the clip is. The clip is completely different from the realty. in realty it take six weeks for the guns to be delivered where they check out the person to make sure they are suitable to be give a gun this means that the clip is incorrect in the way it is portrayed and the American system does not just hand out guns willy nilly. This would be a response from a oppositional in this case they would be gun enthusiasts.
dominate response
secondly I will be looking at a dominate response. a dominate response is agreeing to what is being said by the media in this case Michael Moore and being passive it is related to the hypodermic needle theory as the viewer will believe every thing being said is true and not question it at all.
This clip features an interview with Michael Moore and a extreme gun enthusiast. The man who he interview's believe that everybody should own a gun as it is their wright to be able to protect them self's. but the point of the clip is to make the man that Michael Moore is interviewing look like a nut job promoting guns this is shown through his reaction to wanting everybody to have guns and how has a criminal record.
This means the dominate response to this would not be agreeing with the man being interview but agreeing with Michael Moore. Michael Moore does not make his opinion apparent through saying it but the way he interview's and edited this clip he makes it very apparent that he does not agree with the man he interview's. meaning that a passive (dominate response) would go along with it and believe that Michael Moore is wright and they will not debate this or see the opposing side of view as they will believe the media is always wright.
This clip features an interview with Michael Moore and a extreme gun enthusiast. The man who he interview's believe that everybody should own a gun as it is their wright to be able to protect them self's. but the point of the clip is to make the man that Michael Moore is interviewing look like a nut job promoting guns this is shown through his reaction to wanting everybody to have guns and how has a criminal record.
This means the dominate response to this would not be agreeing with the man being interview but agreeing with Michael Moore. Michael Moore does not make his opinion apparent through saying it but the way he interview's and edited this clip he makes it very apparent that he does not agree with the man he interview's. meaning that a passive (dominate response) would go along with it and believe that Michael Moore is wright and they will not debate this or see the opposing side of view as they will believe the media is always wright.
negotiated response
finally I will be looking a negotiated response. A negotiated response is having a bit of both dominate and oppositional. This normally that they will agree with some parts of what is being said by the media but disagree with some parts of the clip. Sometimes It means that the viewer will not be sure whether they agree or disagree and understand both parts of the argument.
This clip is about the artist Marylyn Manson and how the community mainly blamed him for the columbine massacre, this is because the music he produces which is very raw and outgoing, Marilyn Manson's lyrics where believed to be very influential to the two boys involved in the shooting. This relates to a negotiated response because some viewers might relate saying It could of had a small influence on two boys as Marylyn mason's lyrics are provocative but it was the two boys fault that they committed the crime not the singers as he only produces music and was not the sole course. This response is seeing both angle's of the dominate and oppositional view point neither agreeing or disagreeing.
