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CounterPunch
November
26, 2002
Bowling for Columbine:
a mini review
by JULIAN SAMUEL
"Bowling for Columbine",
USA, 2002, 125 minutes.
Directed by Michael Moore
The United States National Security Entry Exit
Registration System (NSEERS) will photograph and fingerprint
Canadian citizens when they try to enter the United States. This
rule applies if the Canadian in question was born in Iran, Iraq,
Libya, Sudan, Syria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, or Yemen. Is America
re-emerging as an apartheid state in which there is one rule
for whites, another rule non-whites? Given this current political
climate in America, "Bowling for Columbine" is an important,
progressive film. I highly recommend it. Moore, who recently
authored a book called "Stupid White Men," should get
an Oscar. However, a few problems persist.
"Bowling for Columbine" shows
that Americans, even critical ones like Moore, are profoundly
obsessed with their own national problems and only minimally
expose their government's dictator-loving foreign policy. Americans
come first, even in Moore's world. Because of free access to
guns, about 11000 Americans kill each other every year. The subject
of guns in America should really include an extended discussion
of how America exports weapons of death and misery. The film
dwells on the guns-in-America side of this subject without documenting
what America does outside America. Moore ought to broaden his
horizons. It is possible. (I make a few suggestions on how he
might do this).
Diplomatically, and for internationalist
balance, Moore inserts very short sequences of how American elites
have killed people the world over. However, he does not once
mention America's support for the eight-hundred pound free-range
gorilla, Ariel Sharon. Is the Israeli genocide of Palestinians
less important than guns-are-us homicide in America? Oh, but
his film is about guns at home, why should Moore talk about Palestine?
This loosely organized film takes many thematic excursions; racism
in American; interviews with the makers of South Park; welfare;
educational and hilarious cartoon sections on American history
et cetera -- so why not a quick trip to Uzi Heaven to interview
right-of-return Zionist settlers from Brooklyn? Why does Moore
include a ten second historical clip on the American installation
of the Shah of Iran while excluding anything whatsoever
on America's current support of Israel? A sense of balance might
have been charitable.
The dozy sociologist in Moore awakens:
"fear" is media-fed to Americans leading them into
a gun culture nested in unbridled greed for running shoes, soft
drinks and meat between fibreless white buns. With ugly wall-to-wall
muzak behind interviews coupled with very easy-to-get anti-Bush,
anti-military laughs, he shows: that Americans have tons of guns;
that America is violent; that American elites bomb Aspirin factories
in the Third World, whenever they feel like. These are a limited
series of conclusions after 125 minutes don't you think? But
he's addressing the masses. He has to keep it simple, that way
it'll get on TV and everyone will vote for Ralph Nader; then
we'll have wind power. And one by one, the fingernail removing
dictators will fall, as the self-repairing ozone saves us, bringing
green fields and sunshine in every pot. Moore has to sugarcoat
the message. Smug, inactive, intellectuals use such arguments
to defend Moore's lack of depth and courage as a documentary
film-maker.
Moore uses Canada as a model country.
Moore knows Canada like George W. Bush knows the Lake District.
He should cultivate a critical view of us, and not hide behind
his "I'm-the-sincere-film-maker-next-door" image. Our
state run CBC persistently interviews apologists for Israelis:
Janice Stein and Norman Spector froth views that are indistinguishable
from Golda Meir's. Canada has racist parties: The Canadian Alliance
and the Parti Quebecois. Both parties have repeatedly attacked
minorities. He should read French-Canadian Lionel Groulx on Jews.
Moore wants to give the impression that our politicians are social
democrats. Was the 2002 demolition of Tent City in Toronto social
democratic politics at its best?
I couldn't help thinking that Moore,
microphone in hand, should go to Ankara, Islamabad (capitals
of Turkey and Pakistan, Mr Moore), Kabul and Riyadh to ask the
regional lovers of human rights about possible American connections.
Would these societies become more or less democratic with or
without America's help? Moore's elegant and revelatory questioning
methods could be aptly applied to General Prevez Musharraf as
well as the America-friendly desert princes who authorize looping
off hand and heads with a wink and a nod. He could videotape
a Saudi Arabian public beheading and get Condolisa Rice to make
educated comments on it. Ask away, Mr Moore, you're an American.
The world's your oyster.
Julian Samuel is a film-maker and writer,
who has made a four-hour documentary on Orientalism and has published
a novel, Passage to Lahore (De Lahore à Montréal).
You may contact him at jjsamuel@vif.com
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