[HPFGU-OTChatter] Re: Amanda --->Cold dead hands (or a lawyer), was Bowling for Columbine

[Kathryn Cawte]

Shaun -
 
Basic factual errors - the most glaring to me was the fact the Mr
Moore claimed that there had been 65 gun homicides in Australia in a
given year. That claim is false - there is no single year (and no
single one year period) in Australian history when the number of gun
homicides was 65. That was glaring to me because I have to know those
figures. There was a year where it was 64 - and that was the lowest
number on record. Furthermore we checked every single published source
we could to try and find out where Mr Moore might have got a figure of
65 from - and we couldn't find one. Mr Moore also failed to respond to
requests from us - and others - to cite his sources. This was not the
only basic piece of factual information he got wrong by any means -
it's just the one I know off the top of my head, without needing to
check records.
 
Me -

Well I certainly wouldn't argue with you about the accuracy of the numbers
re Australia but I think (I don't have a copy of the film so I'm doing this
from memory) he was talking about gun deaths not just homicides. I note that
the second article you linked claimed that his figures for America covered
*all* gun deaths and complained that he wasn't comparing like with like, but
then he complained that his European figures were too high and didn't match
just homicide deaths so I do wonder if that was because he was including all
deaths there too. It wouldn't change the UK figure much since adding in
self-defense and police shootings would be unlikely to move the number up by
more than one or two in any given year, but in Germany the number he gave
was too high (apparently) and that could well explain it. Since he was going
by death certificates in the US I haven't checked this because I wouldn't
have the first idea how to get those statistics even for my own country let
alone the rest of Europe.


 Shaun -
 
You might want to check out the other films Cannes has awarded prizes
to over the years. Cannes is an incredibly politically motivated film
festival with very clear agendas. That doesn't mean films that win
there do not have real artistic merit - they do - but your chances of
winning are much, much higher if you present certain political viewpoints.
 
Me -

Like I say I was guessing, but it didn't win a prize. We're not talking
about a simple voting issue, the judges made the unusual decision to ask it
to be shown when they don't usually show documentaries
.
Shaun -
 
First of all, I object to being referred to as part of a 'You
Americans'. I am not an American, I have never been to the United
States. I am an Australian.
 
Me -

This wasn't directed at you specifically, I realised you were Australian.
The majority of the people responding to this thread seemed to be American,
I was talking to them, specifically the ones who might not know his work. I
m sorry if it upset you but it wasn't directed at you.

 K