Columbine Deviant Behavior

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1. Applying Martin Luther King’s logic to the case of the Columbine massacre, gun control and the growing acceptance of institutionalized violence as a solution to troubles, are key “deeper maladies” within the tragic event. Gun control is a very prevalent issue with Michael Moore’s documentary, Bowling for Columbine. This deep issue becomes the axis in which Moore’s film functions on, as in just the first few minutes, Moore is able to open a bank account and earn a firearm by simply depositing a certain amount into his account. Within the documentary, Moore also analyzes how two students involved in the Columbine massacre, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, were able to retrieve two pieces of firearms, even though they have had arrests and…show more content…
Deviant behavior is defined as actions that differ from society’s norms. Tragic violent events such as the Columbine massacre greatly affect the ways in which society perceives and controls deviant behavior in regards to firearms. For instance, within the documentary, when Moore interviews the man in the beginning of the film, who has a gun under his pillow, his possession of a firearm in such a deliberate place can be seen as deviant behavior to some individuals. Many anti-gun control individuals may view the idea that a person has a gun under their pillow as a normality as individuals who are pro-gun control may find this idea as deviance. Society seems to perceive owning guns as a deviant behavior because of the countless tragic events involving guns, such as the Columbine massacre. Society then attempts to control this deviance by enacting gun-control…show more content…
“Culture of fear” is an idea that Barry Glassner creates in his book, The Culture of Fear. His work is about why America is wrapped in fear. The term, “culture of fear” is the idea that many political figures in society attempt to “incite fear in the general public to achieve political goals.” In regards to social problems that Glassner’s idea generates, he believes that political figures exaggerate and skew statistics so that they can reap their own personal benefits or pursue individual causes. For instance, if a politician is aware that they can receive more votes if they are able to get funding for a program benefitting teen moms, he or she will inflate the problem of teenage pregnancy and instill this “culture of fear” in American society. This fear would be over what may happen if such a program were denied ample funding. It is possible that teenage pregnancy rates would rise or moms would lose income without such a program and be forced to starve their children. Comparatively to gun violence, which is heavily prevalent in Bowling for Columbine, Moore sees a similar “culture of fear” in regards to gun control. For a politician to receive a large sum of voters, he or she could be extremely anti-gun control. To pursue this idea, the politician could go to great lengths explaining why if American’s are not allowed to own firearms, they would not be able to protect themselves. Just this stance alone could generate an entire population of voters, simply based

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