Columbine Alternative Reading

316 Words2 Pages
in the documentary bowling for columbine, Michael Moore has an intended meaning he wants his target audience to view through encoding, which is the preferred meaning he wishes to portray. However it is how the audience decodes the information viewed that they base their opinions. This reading may not always be what the director was aiming for which is the alternative reading. An example of this can be seen through the audience’s opinion on the second amendment, the right to bear arms. In the beginning scenes of the documentary Moore enters a back and purchases a bank account that allows the customer to receive a free fire arms. Throughout the processes of buying this gun Moore make sarcastic remarks. He assumes his target audience share the same opinion that he does. That gun possession and accessibility is too easy, not everyone should have the right to have gun possession with such ease. The opposed alternative reading is different. The alternative audience would have seen Michaels Moore’s opinion of gun possession to be offensive and a form of mockery as they believed that there should be no limitation for every American to have the right to protect themselves and their families. Nobody could change their minds when such strong proof This alternative reading is due to the timing of the release of the documentary in 2002. People were still recovering from the 9/11 attack and many still remembered the Columbine shooting. So many friends and family had been lost, people were angry and wanted someone to blame, so when the time came and the war of terror was announced many civilians were for it. There was not a doubt in their mind that they needed to be protected. Americans first resort was guns, what better way to kill the enemy. They were angry and acceoted the message given to them by the mass
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