School violence has been a very controversial and serious issue in America over the past decade. Perhaps the most shocking, however, was the shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Co, where two students, Eric Harris and Dylan Clebold killed 12 classmates. Michael Moore, an activist filmmaker, bases his documentary around this horrific incident focusing on the reasons for children and even adults commit violence and offering his own solutions to this dilemma. Moore analyzes the social structure of the United States, media influence, and the government's role in the development of the fear that is instilled in the people of the United States. .
Moore reveals his sociological imagination "an awareness of the relationship between an individual and the wider society "throughout the film. He emphasizes the effect that the social structure in impoverished areas had on the shooting of a six-year old girl by her fellow classmate. The young boy who committed the crime was at the time staying at his uncle's house because his mother was forced to work miles from home cleaning homes and waiting tables. Thus the social structure pushes those with little money even further into poverty, not allowing them the opportunity to overcome master statuses forced upon them by stratification. Because this young boy was not allowed the care of his mother, he was left in an unsafe home with little supervision. .
Also revealed in the film, was the fear instilled in us by the media and the government. Moore takes our society and views it as an outsider would, taking in everything and being shocked and even ashamed. His segment "What a Wonderful World- takes a look at the violent history of the United States. From overthrowing and installing corrupt dictators "causing the deaths of billions of people across the world "to war, bombings, and assassinations, he effectively shows the result of our fears.