Bowling For Columbine Review

     April 20^th, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold entered Columbine High School in Jefferson County and murdered twelve students, one teacher, and injured 27 additional people. November 21^st, 2002, Michael Moore releases his movie “Bowling for Columbine,” about the deadliest mass murder committed on an American high school campus as well as American’s obsession with guns, and how a society filled with fear is leading to violence in American society.

     Michael is able to captivate the audience with his witty cartoons that he uses to describe the relationship with the Klu Klux Klan and the National Rifle Association, the terrifyingly dark real footage of the Columbine Massacre, and interesting interviews he conducts with people like musician Marilyn Manson, co-creator of hit T.V. series South Park Matt Stone, and spokesperson for the NRA Charlton Heston.

     In my opinion Moore’s ability to hold the audience’s attention through this documentary like movie is satisfying enough to give a recommendation to others, but not a very strong one. Although Michael brings thought provoking points to the screen, his biased point of view clouds the credibility and sustenance that a video of this subject needs. His respect for those lost, injured, affected, or involved is refreshing compared to similar styled films where the interviewer or speaker lacks the emotion they deserve. 

Green Eggs and Slam

     What is slam poetry? “A type of poetry expressing a person’s personal story and/or struggle usually in an intensely emotional style. Very powerful, sincere, and moving,” according to Urban Dictionary in 2010. The easiest way to view the miracle works of slam poets is by viewing them on YouTube and exploring the captivating flow of creativity.

     Based on a YouTube search of “slam poetry” within a year and highest view count I’ve found Neil Hilborn- “OCD” with an astonishing view count of 7,785,726 to be the top of the results list. This tormenting story is about the effects OCD has had on his relationship as well as how she made him feel like there was nothing abnormal about his quirks, how, “she said she always felt safe like no one would rob us because I defiantly locked the door eighteen times.” Unfortunately, his obsessions soon started to have a negative impact on her schedule, “I want her back so bad I leave the door unlocked,” described how much of a heartbreaking effect she had on him after she left. His story robbed me of breath with the beauty he saw in her even when she saw, and acted, on tendencies of his OCD.

     Starting with the age of twenty-one, when his father died with, “a blood alcohol level 4 times over the legal limit,” and working back to when his mother was pregnant wondering, “if she ever thought her son would be just like his father,” Patrick Roche performing “21” comes in second for most views with 4,105,894. Patrick stops at certain ages and describes an event relating to his father’s alcoholism or thoughts of his at that time. His poem brings awareness of alcoholism as well as how quickly an addiction, relapse, can happen.

     Savannah Brown rocked the 3^rd highest views with 2,096,745 for her video, “What Guys Look For in Girls.” Savannah’s low, driven voice spoke about her experiences with lack of self confidence as society had driven her to hate certain parts of her body as they lacked to bring her attention like she had been taught to yearn for, but she, “made sure [she] kept [herself] beautiful so someone could love [her] someday.” Her response to Nash Grier’s infamous video has opened up a new view to the way young girls are feeling about their body with her raw an blatant words. 

 

Papa-papa-paparazzi

     “Generation Y is obsessed with documenting its social life,” a statement not far from the truth from Toronto blogger Sara Melvin, 22, in, “The new Paparazzi,” by Emma Teitel published in the November 7, 2011 edition of Macleans.  The article discusses social media’s ability to sprout the carelessness generation Y possesses when it comes to the privacy of their photos and information.

     Teitel writes about how most youth now a day’s can’t stand to be out of the loop. They have a, “fear of being absent.” People will know if they weren’t at a party because pictures and videos posted online will have captured almost everyone there. The truth is, if the person in question isn’t in the pictures, videos, snap chats, or tagged in posts there’s no public evidence to show that they were there. This has lead to a new breed of anxiety called “FOMO (fear of Missing Out)”

     Teitel added, “I cared more about invading the privacy of others than I did about protecting my own,” asserting her belief that generation Y doesn’t care about its privacy until it’s been violated. Admitting that she herself had, “over a hundred,” embarrassing photos-none of which she uploaded herself. She’s also a reminder of how easy it is to have jeopardizing photos uploaded without consent. The Macleans author also addressed that what’s important isn’t five years from now but five minutes from now in social media.

     

As an aspiring member of generation Y, who’s seen firsthand how media affects youth, myself included, I agree with all of Emma Teitel’s points about the lack of consciousness towards the image we produce of ourselves when we are captured and posted as well as how they are available to almost anybody in the world. Her article presented intelligible and truthful opinions which opened my mind to my own mistakes in privacy settings and others ability to see my photos and information.

Battling Exams

The principals voice booms over the settling students like a civil defense siren forewarning an air strike of evaluation. The rules are read out to us but whiz by me like bullets as I cling to every fact I had studied off of my course review sheet the night before. I Rush to the first page of questions with a naive battle cry and a fatalist attitude hoping it would be enough to survive the final. Unsolved questions lay scattered across the page like fallen comrades crying for an answer. Unable to believe my eyes I Look up at the giant clock that looms over the silent gymnasium and see the reflection of the unprepared look around at their fellow sleep deprived; unanimously everyone’s thoughts harmonizing in one big realization that we should have paid attention while we still had the chance. I continue to look around as my silent plea for aid to the screaming questions on my paper echoes throughout my mind. My unpreparedness for this crucial moment is seeping out of my pores in a toxic sheen that hugs my body like Kevlar. The stress of not knowing half of the topics so far and the future fear of still not knowing what’s to follow intensify my nerves as I start to tap my foot in time to my racing pulse. Wanting to just wave the white flag and surrender my chances of passing, I lay my head down and think of the grades waiting for me on the other side of this battle. They wave in excitement as cheer me on, reminding me there’s only one more page left to go. Coming out of the mirage, my blood boils as I hurl myself through the unknown. My parched throat begs for more water as I gulp down the liquid as if it were the knowledge that I need. Dodging the teachers exacting stares, I head into battle for the last time. Hardly being able to keep myself upright I continue my trek through the lead covered bubble sheets and fields of foolscap that litter my desk; unsolved questions lay scattered across the page like fallen comrades. Fully loaded clips of rapid fire multiple choice questions are the only obstacles blocking my path to freedom. The exhaustion of studying countless borrowed notes clearly noticeable on my shell shocked face. My last gust of black ink is just enough to make it through the essay questions just as the 3 hour mark is about to ring. Saluting the questions I failed to answer, I limp out of that exam in a dazed state of completion and a war torn mind.

Ready, Set, Go!

 

Graduation is looming, the momentous ceremony that our parents have been dreaming about since we could walk is finally upon us, and there's nothing we can do to slow down these last few moments to savor the excitement in the air under our beloved luminescent lighting. A symphony of shuffling feet files into the main office reluctant to hand in the uneconomical amount of money we are forced to pay just to apply to graduate. With thoughts of university application fees, residency application fees, school fees, graduation fees, and every other expense that cripple our wallets, we smile meekly at the secretaries as we hand over the dough that once promised us a chance at a social life. Unfortunately, with no promise of actually passing our classes to make the steep amount worthwhile, we spend the next 5 months cramming knowledge into our brains so we can take a test that will calculate weather or not we get to spend thousands of dollars on post-secondary education. Yes, the time has come for us to trade a glowing, debtless life for an existence filled with the back breaking promise of repaying thousands of dollars back to student loans for years to come. When we are 35, we may look back on our $200 graduation photo, that depict the girls with their $80 curls and professional "au natural" $50 makeover, in our $75 yearbook that we've looked at twice since our 10th year reunion, and think "yes, the ridiculous amount of money I spent on my high school graduation was totally worth the next 4 months of starvation I endured at university." Congratulations class of 2014, we finally did it. We are finally free.

Celebrities, Artists, and Visionaries OH MY!

With the wind at her back, pushing her forward to greatness, this 5' 1'' spunky, peace keeper, is destined to change the world. But, her strong dislike towards the decline of society's knowledge, and peaceful international relations can be described by her friends as "the grumpy cat feature" in Haley's programming. Known for ranting about politics and current events at the family dinner table, this early graduate is as ravenous for knowledge of other countries, as Daryl, from The Walking Dead, is to kill zombies with his crossbow. With Haley's love for "cult classic" movies, it's no wonder she gets most of her satire humor and rich personality from her favorite director Kevin Smith, and hopes to one day journey to Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash, a comic book store owned by Smith. As her love for The Beatles progressively grows more tenacious every day, her idol, John Lennon has inhabited her starry little eyes for the last 6 years of her brief and expeditious life. She often asks herself, "what would John do?", when she finds herself needing a little help from her friends with life. Recurrently dreaming of one day finding a love like John and Yoko's, Haley finds herself up in the clouds, more often than not, imagining her impact in history. Surely with this vivacious young lady's determination, boldness, and tenacity, she will be able to mediate her way through any situation life hurls towards her.