Bowling for Columbine

[Velox]

The "emotive, subjective rubbish" is presumably the parts you disagreed with.
Moore's film is not a "documentary". The fact that the audience is manipulated doesn't invalidate his arguments. There is no objective truth.
To attempt to counter propaganda with anything other than cleverer propaganda is likely to end in failure.

While we have Moore and The Simpsons there is hope for America.

Fair enough in a way then - I watched it thinking it was going to be a factual documentary. Except if he made a movie in a more subjective style instead of "propaganda" it would be easier to believe and would leave room for people to come to their own decisions. But I guess that isn't what sells the film or attracts the viewers. And also I guess that's not what he was aiming for anyway.
PS: The 'emotive' stuff was when it just got a bit over the top, like when he left the photo of the little girl at Heston's house and music started playing as they filmed it sitting there. Maybe it's just a 'culture clash' though - a more American style.

[Lou Girardin]

Quote:"Let's not forget that it was the NRA that campaigned against the banning of teflon coated rounds (so-called 'cop killer' bullets years ago)."

Lou, I think that is one of those myths like "if an M16 bullet hits a fingertip it will shatter the whole arm" and "the 357 magnum will shatter an engine block" (maybe if it's a Honda 50 block!)

I'am prepared to stand corrected re the "teflon coated bullet" thing but I think it was one of those stories started by the media who claimed the bullets were teflon coated to make it easier to penetrate bullet-proof jackets.

No. it's fact. The NRA issued press releases at the time. Were they campaigning against a myth?

[Lou Girardin]

Did a bit more research and as usual the media got it wrong, the teflon coated bullets WERE made to penetrate hard surfaces, armour included, however they were made of such an extremely hard alloy that they could not "imbed" in the rifling in gun barrels so a thin metal jacket with a film of teflon was applied to them to enable the rifling to "grip" them and stabilise them for accuracy, amazing how the media can put a different "spin" on things!!!

No one said that the teflon made them more penetrative.
They were teflon coated and they penetrated standard Police vests. That would be enough for me if I was a US cop.

[scumdog]

Quote from Lou:"They were teflon coated and they penetrated standard Police vests. That would be enough for me if I was a US cop."

The point being Lou that the teflon had very little to do with the armour piercing qualities of the projectiles yet the media drummed up that feature as what made them so deadly, how much time do you think they would have given the issue if the projectiles were just plain hardened steel?

[moko]

There was definitely some good stuff in that movie, but there was also a fair amount of emotive, subjective rubbish that took away from what he was on about.

Brit reviews of Farenheit 9/11 have said pretty much the same thing Velox with most reviewers agreeing with what he`s saying(as does just about everyone in Britain but being a democracy Blair wanted a war so we got one)but criticising some of the stupid stunts and o.t.t. shock tactics.to be fair he`s aiming primarily at a U.S. audience and they dont seem to go for "subtle".
O.K. So Moore`s loud,brash and all the rest of it but at least he`s managed to get a different side to 2 controversial subjects across to American audiences fed a diet of Fox News and other such crap.I`d rather a flawed,biased bloke got this stuff talked about in a country with hog-tied media than nobody at all.

[Hitcher]

I`d rather a flawed,biased bloke got this stuff talked about in a country with hog-tied media than nobody at all.

Agreed. I may not agree with what he says but I fully support his right to say it!

[MikeL]

Tonight's new Simpsons had a few relevant things to say about American patriotism...
Simply brilliant.

[Drunken Monkey]

Tonight's new Simpsons had a few relevant things to say about American patriotism...
Simply brilliant.

Yes, where's the line between patriotism and paranoia in the US today...

This latest series has been quite weird though.

[moko]

This latest series has been quite weird though.

And it`ll get weirder,all our local media have been full of the forthcoming Christmas Special featuring Lisa Simpson waving a Cornish flag and shouting "Independence for Cornwall",in Cornish.That one will baffle most of Britain let alone anyone other than a few ex-pats abroad particularly as apparently it`s not part of any story-line.

[Coldkiwi]

Yes, where's the line between patriotism and paranoia in the US today...

This latest series has been quite weird though.

fully agree. Quite funny and well scripted segments in there but definitely getting strange and bizarre. The whole itchy and scratchy influence seems to be coming through in other parts of the program too which is a little disturbing