What_Have_I_Learnt_About_the_Connection_Between_Institutions_and_Individual_Experience_

WHAT HAVE I LEARNT ABOUT THE CONNECTION BETWEEN INSTITUTIONS AND INDIVIDUAL EXPERIENCE' The negative connections that institutions and individuals possess are illustrated in the Michael Moore documentary ‘Bowling for Columbine’ and the related text ‘The Truth or The Fight’ by Wordpress. Michael Moore’s documentary style film ‘Bowling for Columbine’ exemplifies the negative connections involving institutions and individuals, and the different implications, for example, fear and manipulation. The film consists of a vast range of techniques, for example, satire, statistics and montages, in order to reveal the nature of the relationship between individuals and institutions. ‘The Truth or the Fight’ on the other hand, uses symbolism and puns to show the relationship. The use of these techniques from each composer allows the audience to see the different experiences from institutions and individuals. The film ‘Bowling for Columbine’ explores the notion that institutions refuse to take responsibility for their influence towards individuals. In the film, Moore conducts an interview with the Head of a plant near Columbine, where he questions, ‘So you don’t think our kids say to themselves, ‘Dad goes off to the factory every day, he builds missiles of mass destruction. What’s the difference between that mass destruction and the mass destruction over at Columbine High School'’’’ McCollum responded ‘I guess I don’t see that specific connection because the missiles that you’re talking about were built and designed to defend us from somebody else who would be aggressors against us. This clearly implies that McCollum doesn’t take responsibility for individuals. He does not understand that the parents, the dads who leave home every day and attend a plant, which builds missiles nearby, influences young people and cause them to believe that there is no difference between missiles which are built to defend us and the missiles which are used for mass destruction. He doesn’t see himself as an institution that sets bad examples to individuals around him. This issue is also supported by the image ‘The Truth or The Fight’ by Wordpress . In the image, the viewer is able to conclude that Obama, as an institution, neglects people, through the use a language device and visual techniques. In the image, the pun ‘change'’ written on a cup, not only asks for money, but it also asks for a change in behaviour, attitudes and surroundings, thus connects to the idea that ‘institutions refuse to take responsibilities for their influence towards individuals’, because Obama, prime minister of the US, has taken no action to change the man’s (man besides him in the picture) poverty, which therefore creates an empathetic react action from the viewer. Another example of how the viewer of ‘The Truth or the Fight’ is able to recognise this issue, is by observing the direction of how the old man’s face is captured compared to Obama’s face and what surrounds Obama. This inferior view of the man’s face to Obama allows the viewer to compare the level of wealth between the man and Obama, and along with the broad smile, stance (arms crossed) and halo around his head; Obama is seen as the controller of everything, somewhat like a king. From this, the viewer is able to recognise that Obama has not taken any responsibility to change the poor living conditions. Hence, this comes to show that institutions do negatively harm individuals, do not take any responsibility for their influence and change and therefore the audience are able to distinguish a negative connection between individuals and institutions. Michael Moore establishes a culture of fear and paranoia in individuals due to a variety of institutions negatively impacting individuals. The media, in general, can be seen to negatively impact an individual’s experience and create a culture of fear around them, paranoia and a need to protect them. This is evident through the dramatic montage of quick secessions of many news’ voices, mashed together to form one voice created by Moore, where it demonstrates the creation of fear in individuals instigated by violence and crimes, said to be caused through ‘black males’. From what has been shown, this allows the viewer to notice the media’s desire to scare and control individuals. This not only creates fear, but it starts a new fear with black males too and causes the individual to feel vulnerable outside of their house, and the need to invest in guns and ammunition to protect themselves. Likewise, the government, as an institution too, impacts an individual’s experience. This issue is seen through the image ‘The Truth or the Fight’, in the juxtaposition, where Obama is mentally larger than the man besides him, allows the viewer to see Obama as the controller of basically, everything. This creates fear and paranoia in individuals, seeing as governments are responsible for the decision making of, for example, whether prices of goods are to be raised or not and how much tax and other finances should be taken into account. This disrupts the individual’s experience, and consequently results in the individual alarmed and insecure. For these reasons listed above, it is true to say that various institutions, such as the media and governments, do negatively affect individuals, creating and climate of fear and paranoia in individuals, and thus resulting in a lost of trust between individuals and institution and a creation of negative relationships. Throughout ‘Bowling for Columbine’, we are made aware of how institutions avoid ‘real’ issues, by manipulating individuals, in order for institutions to control individual experiences and attitudes. Marilyn Manson, the ‘Goth rock’ musician, was convicted for the reason to why the two teenage boys committed the Columbine Massacre. This was believed by many in Bowling for Columbine, due to the Governors, press and media blaming the Columbine Massacre on him. This is seen through the montage of high-classed people answering the question ‘who was it to blame'’ in the documentary. Majority of the answers was Marilyn Manson; therefore this manipulates individuals, creating them into believe Marilyn Manson is the poster boy for fear, when in fact, Marilyn Manson was not the main cause for the Columbine Massacre. This than, not only changes the individuals perspective of Marilyn Manson, but results in the individual not thinking for themself, since the media as an institution ‘controls’ and ‘tell’ individuals what to think and what to believe. Furthermore, it is easy for the media to post Marilyn Manson’s face in the media, because his face is what people are scared of. He is what the media persuaded individuals to believe he is ‘devil of fear’. The media is able to achieve this control in individuals, as supported in ‘The Truth or The Fight’, where individuals are seen to ‘live’ inside media, as the media accounts on many stories but exaggerates the truth through the use of tone and visual techniques. The revealing of the legs emerging out of the box with the antenna on top is seen in ‘The Truth or The Fight’ where it represents the fact that individuals do live inside the world of media. The exaggeration of reports made by the media, is seen through the assorted quick clips of various news reporters in ‘Bowling for Columbine’, exaggerating about, for example, the’Y2K’ problem, that would shut down all of the world’s computers, or ‘Africanized Killer Bees’ are a type of very aggressive bees that would soon overpopulate America and kill you if they were to bite you. The tone in each reporter’s voice could be seen as serious and also demanding. Along with many visual techniques, such as the use of bold capital letters and photoshopped images that go with the story, it creates tension and fear in individuals, allowing the media to be able to manipulate individuals into thinking, for example, the Africanised killer bees are seriously coming and dangerous. Similarly, in the image ‘The Truth or The Fight’, also illustrates the issue, institutions avoid real issues. The viewer of this related text is able to recognise that most of Obama’s money is going to and coming from the numerous institutions written on his suit. Along with his extensive smile, it is clear to the viewer that Barack Obama has no interest in using his funds to help people in poverty, but too increase his own funds. This therefore appeals to the audience, establishing negative individual connections between institutions, and hence shows that institutions avoid ‘real’ issues, but manipulate individuals into thinking false issues. From all that has been presented, it is equitable to say that the connections between institution and individual experiences are negative. This is shown throughout the film ‘Bowling for Columbine’ by Michael Moore and in the related text ‘The Truth or The Fact’ by Wordpress, through the creation of fear and paranoia in individuals, manipulation and the refusal to take responsibility for their influence by controlling the behaviours and thoughts of individuals. A diverse range of language and visual techniques are also used in both the film and the related text, for instance, juxtaposition and symbolism, to assist in revealing the negative relationship between individuals and institutions. By: Helen Nguyen