shooting-in-universities

One year after the success of Bowling for Columbine, Gus Van Sant adapts the massacre at Columbine University (USA) in his film Elephant. Contrary to Michael Moore (Bowling for Columbine is a documentary), Gus Van Sant immerses us in the heart of this tragedy. Indeed, this film presents the shooting from the perspective of different actors. Spectators are in the story what are appalling. It only shows the act, its protagonists, and its victims, strikingly without any morals. This film is a critic of a lost youth.

In this film, the director tries to make the phenomenon universal putting the viewer opposite a subjective and emotional point of view. Gus Van Sant doesn’t want to show violence, but try to understand the reasons: how and why can we kill? He finds some reasons: the absence of parents, aggressive video games, adolescence, and the free circulation of firearms. However, the film retains realism and a detachment that gives the appearance of nightmare. The viewer feels the horror of the killings.

This extract shows the two killers: Eric and Dylan. They organize their attack and their plan. This extract ends with the massacre. It places us in front of the brutal facts with detachment and introspection, and mystery. This scene demonstrates the determination and organization of murderers. They don’t let students to run away and shoot them without remorse. They are equipped with military arms (assault gun, rifle, and pistol, explosive…) and are in "mission". Eric and Dylan are real soldiers and have a real arsenal.

  The film by Gus Van Sant received the award for Best Director and Palme d'Or 2003 in Cannes. Reproducing the massacre, this film suggests a perfect storm theory for Eric and Dylan’s assault on Columbine. Even though it isn't a complete reconstruction of the attack, it portrays the life of the killers as well as the lives of the students at Columbine (changed to the fictional, "Watt High School") and goes to show how normal the day was before the attacks, and how the students live throughout this day. The lack of socialization in this film makes it clear that there is a problem in today's youth...

Nicolas Gehin

Article:

http://www.crf-usa.org/network/network13_1/talking_points.htm

            Columbine high school massacre was a shock for Americans. This tragedy unprecedented in the history of the USA has made 15 deads. Shootings have been produced in different high schools, for example in Virginia Tech, the deadliest (35 deads). These massacres, very violent and bloody, raised many questions. He unveiled a current problem in United States: the free circulation of firearms. After the killings, parents have shown the finger at the American authorities, and especially the government, which is unable to stop this proliferation of weapons. Studies show that it is easy for a student to obtain a weapon.

This article untitled causes of school violence, tells us about reasons of youth violence. In this article, we obtain different causes about this subject. It is based on studies and statistics to explain the phenomenon.


Besides proliferation and free circulation of weapons, gun shootings posed another problem on causes of school violence. How and why students choose to kill his comrades? Why do violence as the only solution?
For years, school violence in the USA is growing. However, the studies are contradictory. But there is no doubt that violence is increasing:
            =>violent incidents increased from 71 to 81 percent over a five-year period (1999-2004)
            =>gang presence at school increased from 21 percent in 2003 to 24 percent in 2005

Even teachers are concerned:
            =>Two percent report being physically attacked each year.
            =>Eight percent of teachers say they are threatened with violence on school grounds at least once a month.

            A cause of school violence is American society. The current American society is harmful for children. The behaviour of society is a cause of this violence. Nowadays, in United States, drug trafficking, weapons, gangs… represent a danger to children who are in the middle. American students know these dangers, even their parents are bad.
Instability in American families and execrable living conditions contribute to school violence.

Gun violence increases because of the free traffic of arms during the late 1980's and early 1990's. Seventy-five percent of violent death involved firearms. It is therefore urgent to reduce access to firearms for children. A student can easily find a weapon in the USA. This article tells about the facility to obtain a firearm. American families have a gun at home (35% of US homes with children under age 18 have at least one firearm).
Teens can also acquire handguns in illegal sales. Even a mental patient can obtain an arm.

            Another reason of school violence is violence on media. There is so much violence on television which makes American society more violent. Video games are violent too. Television and video games have an influence on the behaviour of teens who are becoming more violent.

Finally, this article is based on studies to show that the school environment, family, community environments play an important role on the behaviour of students. Depending on the environment but also of education that they receive, teens can be dangerous. It must feel out, feel threatened, rejected by others. The “evil being” of a child may explain his aggressiveness, his brutality.

In conclusion, we can say that a child should be assisted by his parents, his teachers, his friends… if he feels alone or not listen, it can be dangerous and revenge.
The authorities and the American government must organize to help teens and protect them.