Topic > The use of manipulation techniques in the documentary Bowling for Columbine

Violence is the driving force that instills fear in every society. It is therefore not surprising that America, one of the most patriotic, greedy and powerful countries in the world, is experiencing constant inner turmoil due to the monopoly of the culture of fear. Director Michael Moore, in his groundbreaking documentary "Bowling for Columbine," explores this ingrained culture of America's fearful, bigoted and violent nature. Moore's documentary following the 1999 Columbine High School massacre attempts to answer the question "why are firearms so accessible in the United States?" Bowling for Columbine challenges audiences to interpret cultural assumptions about gun violence and discusses the ingrained fear in American society that leads to a nation of guns. The film meritoriously enlightens the audience to perceive issues that are direct representations of Moore's propaganda attitudes and beliefs. Michael Moore's manipulation of propaganda techniques paints a negative portrayal of gun control that reflects his personal values. Moore's manipulation is evident through his use of editing, juxtaposition, and oversimplification. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayMoore highlights and isolates selective scenes using propaganda techniques of editing and interviews to manipulate the audience. He excludes sections of interviews that might contain legitimate counterarguments and edits them favorably to represent his negative beliefs about gun violence. The most obvious example of Moore's editing is his intelligent questions posed to speakers. In interviews, Moore often asks "yes or no" questions for speakers to answer, then cuts to clips that degrade their response and do not show their elaborate response. Evidently, thirteen minutes into the documentary, Michael Moore asks James Nichols, a suspect in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, a pro-gun question. “Why not use Gandhi's method, he had no weapons and defeated the British Empire?” Moore purposely questions Nichols knowing he won't get an answer. “I'm not familiar with it,” Nichols replies hesitantly. Moore then cuts to a resident who responds, "Oscoda has a bad habit of breeding psychopaths." Moore's question placement shapes the audience's perception to further their negative beliefs about gun control. By editing, Moore excludes sections of interviews that may contain legitimate arguments and selectively edits scenes to mock and satirize the speakers' response. Purposely editing another clip after the interview degrades the speaker's argument and causes the audience to view the speaker as not credible and Moore as a reliable source. He effectively conveys his point of view without having to verbally interact with the audience, allowing them to compose their own opinion using the biased nature of interviews and editing. Likewise, the selective manipulation of footage in this interview establishes Nichols as manic and unstable. By editing the interview to have a speaker afterward, Moore ignores Nichols' credibility, so the audience is in a position to agree with Moore. Moore's successful use of editing in "Bowling for Columbine" manipulates the audience to view Michael Moore's arguments as reliable and the speakers as unreliable. Arguably, Moore's effective use of juxtaposition manipulates a negative portrayal of gun control for the audience. Michael Moore contradicts.