Corrected entry: The "Wonderful World" segment of the documentary has several inaccuracies. 1) The Emir of Kuwait is not a dictator, but the legal ruler of his country. In fact, Kuwait is considered one of the freer Middle Eastern countries. 2) The U.S. government never gave aid to Taliban-ruled Afganistan. It actually gave that money to U.S. and international agencies that distributed humanitarian aid to the people of Afganistan. 3) Panama dictator Manuel Noriega was never a CIA agent. He was a CIA informant who used to provide intelligence to the United States. 4) Chile President Salvador Allende was not assassinated; he committed suicide with a gun.
megamii
24th Jun 2004
Bowling for Columbine (2002)
24th Jun 2004
Bowling for Columbine (2002)
Corrected entry: Contrary to the cartoon segment ("A Brief History of the United States") of the documentary, no one was ever burned to death for being a witch in America. In Colonial America, the punishment for witchcraft was death by hanging. Only in Europe is where witchcraft was punished by burning at the stake.
Correction: The cartoon segment is essentially a satrical look at American history and its facts seems to be exaggerated more for a comedic look at America. As for burning witches in Colonial America, the facts of how some were the executed of witches is very much a disputed subject. While its believed many were hanged as opposed to being burnt as it was more humane, there are historians who believe some were burnt. A quick search on Google will show this but this is one site that talks about the execution of witches. Burning Times.
21st Jun 2004
Bowling for Columbine (2002)
Corrected entry: The Iraqi forces that invaded Kuwait in 1990 never used American tanks and equipment as claimed in the documentary. The tanks and equipment they used were mostly made in the Soviet Union.
Correction: The fact that Iraqis used American weapons is well known and has been widely confirmed by many government officials. Richard Clarke in particular wrote that the Iraqis procured American weapons from nearby countries, especially Saudi Arabia, that had bought the weapons from America. Reference: "Against All Enemies" by Richard Clarke, pg 42.
21st Jun 2004
Bowling for Columbine (2002)
Corrected entry: Columbine High School (scene of a notorious school shooting in 1999) was never located within the city of Littleton, Colorado. Littleton is actually the mailing address only. Columbine High School is actually located four miles west of the Littleton city limits in unincorporated Jefferson County (still the suburbs), and is part of Jefferson County Public Schools, not Littleton Public Schools.
Correction: It is referred to as being in Littleton since when the shootings occurred it was known as the shooting in Littleton. Moore, like any filmmaker, would want the audience to recognise the place and the incident.
21st Jun 2004
Bowling for Columbine (2002)
Corrected entry: Panama dictator Manuel Norriega was never "president of Panama" as depicted in the documentary. He was a military/political leader who acted as the "power behind the throne" who installs loyal men as presidents of Panama.
Correction: Moore is expressing his opinion. Almost everyone refers to Noriega as 'the President of Panama' - it's a term of convenience. Moore is saying that to all intents and purposes he was the President, and he's right.
21st Jun 2004
Bowling for Columbine (2002)
Corrected entry: Contrary to the claim found in the documentary, the United States government never endorsed the murder of the President of South Vietnam. It only endorsed his overthrow, not his death.
Correction: The US endorsed his overthrow with full knowledge that it would almost certainly lead to the death of most high government officials, as most coups do. Saying the US didn't endorse his death is like saying you support crashing into other cars but don't endorse the death of the occupants.
21st Jun 2004
Bowling for Columbine (2002)
Corrected entry: The Shah of Iran was never "installed" by the United States, contrary to the claim in the documentary. He was a legal ruler, starting his rule in 1941.
Correction: In 1953, the Prime Minister of Iran forced the Shah to flee the country. American and British intelligence agencies then caused the overthrow of the "legal government" and placed the Shah back in charge. The Shah then fixed it so that there was basically only one party, making him effectively a dictator.
Join the mailing list
Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.
Correction: 1) Kuwait's Emir isn't a dictator. He is a beloved figurehead, much like the Queen of England and has no political or legal power. In fact, Kuwait's National Assembly can approve his appointment or not as well as remove him and move to a different successor if need be. The Kuwait government has a full democratic system, based off the UK template since they were a protectorate of the crown. 2) CIA gave money outside what the humanitarian organizations gave. They continued to do so until four months after 9/11. 3) CIA officially denies Noriega was an agent, but some former CIA members have given statements that he was/is. 4) To which most independent investigations except the US's claims the "suicide" was false and that he was indeed murdered.