Bowling for Columbine

Bowling for Columbine is a film directed by and starring Michael Moore. It won an Academy Award in the category of documentary film and has received both praise and criticism, both for the genre which it occupies (creative documentary), as well as what it claims. The film opened on October 11, 2002, and internationalized Moore's previously cultish American status.

Culture of fear

The film explores the idea of a "culture of fear", in which citizens are kept frightened about the world around them and thus turn to guns and other weapons for security. Moore specifically pillories the media for excessive and overly dramatic coverage of violent crime as a leading cause of this culture.

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He argues this is an important difference between U.S. and other cultures. For instance, he shows that many Canadians leave their doors unlocked when they are at home. The film includes footage of him testing some doors and finding them unlocked. The film suggests that the ready availability of weapons, which some Americans think will protect them, actually causes more danger, as well as producing stress and anxiety.

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