[CLUE-Talk] Political compass

[Jeff Cann]

On Sunday 09 November 2003 10:05 am, Sean LeBlanc wrote:

> True, that point is made abundantly clear (well, to you and I at least) but
> do you think he's drawing a cause-and-effect between the "if it bleeds it
> leads" policy of TV news and our high rate of gun deaths?

I'm not convinced there is a cause and effect.  I do agree that if people are 
scared and they have guns, there is a greater risk to everyone.  Responsible, 
unscared gun owners are not the problem.  Untrained, scared gun owners are -- 
and I include people like gang members in this latter category.

> It seems sort of nonsensical, then, because if we really *do* have a higher
> rate of gun deaths, then wouldn't the perception of danger portrayed on TV
> news be correct?

We'll, we do have a higher rate of gun deaths.  Approximately 10x other 
European countries per capita.  I'll dig up the stats later.  The issue is 
that gun murders are on a decline over the past 10 years, yet there is been 
an increase in the amount of news coverage.

> And isn't this theory close to the one that claims that the glorification
> of violence in movies, music, TV, and video games desensitize us? The very
> one he seems to be arguing against when he's talking to Marilyn Manson?

I'm not sure on the violence on TV issue.  I think in the movie, Moore debunks 
when he shows that Canada has as a lot of guns per capita, they watch the 
same violent movies from Hollywood, play the same first-person shooter games, 
yet their murder rate per capita is much lower.

> Even if he does believe that it's a culture of fear that causes it, he
> still gun-baits later by talking to Heston. If he's not out just to win
> points with the NRA-baiting crowd, then why?

I thought he simply asked Heston why he's so pro-gun and says he owns guns 
'for safety' when he's never been the victim of violence.  Perhaps he 
suggesting that Heston may be a bit irrational in his thinking.

OTH - Maybe Heston should have said, "I own guns because it's my 
Constitutional right and I like to own them."  That would make more sense to 
me than 'for safety'.  Heston lives in a gated house in Beverly Hills - 
probably a pretty safe place to live.

> Speaking of the NRA, does that cartoon he showed in the movie mean that
> Moore supports the KKK? I mean, following his kooky logic (if it's even
> his) KKK was made defunct the same year that NRA was formed, and hence, are
> one and the same. And Moore is a member of the NRA...so, what are we to
> think?

I don't know enough about the history of the NRA and the KKK to make a serious 
judgement on the cartoon in the movie.

Good questions!
Jeff

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