Video-Activity: Bowling for Columbine

* Material: documentary “Bowling for Columbine”, released in Brazil as “Tiros em Columbine”.

(Michael Moore, 2002) – The part that students should watch starts at 52 min and 27 sec., and stops at
1h, 22 min, 15 sec.
* Target: Upper-intermediate / advanced students
* Students will develop: Listening skills (understanding explicit and implicit information); speaking
skills (agreeing / disagreeing)
* Themes: the role of the media; concept of objectivity; comparison between the U.S. and Brazil

I – Before watching the video:

1) Discuss the following questions with your partner:

a) Do you like reading or watching news? Why (not)?

b) If so, which newspaper, magazine or TV program do you usually read/watch? Why did you choose
it/them?
c) How often do you read or watch news?
d) What are the advantages and disadvantages of watching / reading news on a regular basis?
e) Do you think that news tend to be objective or biased? Give examples to support your opinion.

2) You are going to watch a video about the role of the media in the U.S. Which words do you think are
going to appear in it? Make a list with your partner. Then, share it with the other students.

3) In the box below, there are some words taken from the documentary. Which ones do you know? Ask
your classmates and teacher the ones you don’t know.

Y2K TO DROP “EVERYBODY BUYS IT”

EVILDOERS TO SHOOT BULLETS

II - Questions while watching the video:

1) Give two or more examples of alarming news shown by American TV mentioned in the
documentary.
Answer: Y2K, killer bees, Halloween razor blade and poisoned candies, killer escalators,
mental disorders

2) Who, according to the director, are the responsibles for the fear that Americans have?
Answer: The media, the corporations, the government

3) Barry Glassner says that the media chooses what to show. What kind of people are used as
escape goats according to the documentary?
Answer: Black communities. (ask student why he thinks the media does it.)

4) The documentary says that most of the guns being stolen are not taken from poor black people.
Who are they stolen from?
Answer: Suburban communities, especially from adolescents.

5) What is the statistic presented by Barry Glassner in relation to violence and the media?
Answer: The murder rate decreased 20%, while the coverage (how many murders are shown
by the media) increased 600%.

6) What’s implied in the scene in which they mention about the pollution covering the Hollywood
sign?
Answer: That the media does not talk about important issues. Pollution is much more
dangerous than black people, yet it does not receive the same attention from the media.

7) According to the director, what is the problem with the TV program “Cops”?
Answer: It does not focus on what is causing the crime.

8) What’s the suggestion the director gives to the producer of ‘Cops’? Does he accept it?
Answer: To produce a TV show called ‘Corporate Cops’. No, because it’s not exciting TV.
9) What do the people interviewed say when the director asks them why there isn’t as much
violence in Canada as in the U.S?
Answer:
Interviewed #1: they don’t watch as much violent movies as Americans.
Interviewed #2: there are not so many poor people as in the U.S.
Interviewed #3: there are mostly white people in Canada.

10) The director says that maybe Canada isn’t a violent country because they do not have guns. Is
he correct?
Answer: No. Many people have guns in Canada, and it is very easy to buy bullets.

11) What is the conclusion about the difference between Americans and Canadians, according to the
director?
Answer: Canadians are not as afraid of things as Americans. They don’t even lock their
doors. Also, the media and the politicians do not motivate fear. Canada is more concerned
with social issues and the segregation is lighter than in the U.S.

III - Topics for discussion: (Debate)

1) “The media does not invent the news, but they choose what to cover. Do you agree with it? Why
do they choose some things instead of others? Is it only to have a bigger audience, or do you think
there are other reasons beyond it?
2) “If it bleeds, it leads”. Discuss it in relation to Brazilian media.
3) “The stories presented on the news become the perception of an entire people”. Besides black
people, who else suffers from this type of stereotype? (It can be an institution, eg. Family, or
even a country, eg. Brazil = soccer + Carnival)
4) “The American people are conditioned by network TV, by local news, to believe their
communities are much more dangerous than they actually are”. What do you think is the
consequence of that? (eg: gun increase)
5) “Maybe because the television tends to demonize black and Hispanic people then those watching
it at home are going to say: ‘I don’t want to help those people. I hate them because they may hurt
me’”. (Michael Moore) Do you agree with it? Why (not)?
6) “Americans think that the lock is keeping people out of their place. Canadians think that when
they lock the door they are imprisoning themselves inside. What about Brazilians? What about you?
7) Do you believe the U.S. media is reliably reporting what is happening around the world
nowadays? Why?

8) In your opinion, what are the main reasons this type of reality TV is not shown to American
audiences?
9) If a TV producer decided to make a TV program that would criticize the system, what obstacles
would he face?
10) In your opinion, what is the primary reason for American television programs? Educate?
Entertain? Or other?