5th Anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre

[Rationality]

(I didn't see any thread on this yet, so I'll start one)

Today marks the 5th anniversary of one of the most deadly high school massacres in our nation, if not on Earth. Two kids came into the school with shotguns, hand guns, a rifle, and an assortment of explosives and shot up the cafeteria and library, killing 12 students, a teacher, and themselves.

Comments?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbine_High_School_massacre

[boobooday]

1. Force = Power

Somebody taught those boys that. I wonder where they got it?

Somehow I don't think it was Marilyn Manson.

http://www.wgoeshome.com

[Gasolinedream]

3. Absolutely...

I hate when they blame music and movies. Music and Movies do NOT make you unstable. Unstable minds can, however, be drawn to certain types of music or movies. ALthough I would not want my son exposed to violent movies when he is real young, he's 2-1/2 now, he can already usually distinguish between reality and pretend. It's amazing! Those kids knew what they were doing to other people but did not care.

And it's scary how force did equal power for a short time.

[Loonman]

2. Sorry Holy Joe Lieberman......not Manson

Who knows?

I don't think we ever will find out.


Maybe HS in Columbine was really, really, bad. Maybe they were really pathological in their anger.


HS is a joke, anyway. When I realized that, it was like I was set free.

I said fuck it! Moved to the city 5 years later.

[FunBobbyMucha]

4. I think Matt Stone's take on this in Bowling for Columbine was right on.

HS remains important only to the people who define themselves by their HS personae, the rest of us motor on and get a life. Too bad no one clued these guys in on that.

Still...

What these two creeps did wasn't the result of being victimized in HS alone. There was a component to their make-up--genetic, psychological, take your pick--that bred violence in them. If not here, they would've snapped somewhere, later, as postal workers or militia men. Not stable puppies.

Give me a second to don my flame-retardant suit.

[dsc]

5. This is intended as a general answer to the posts so far

Their high school experience was horrible by many accounts. God help me, but my first thought when I heard of the motive, was that I actually understood to some extent. For my junior high years and one high school year, I had no name. I was just fag or freak or dweeb. It breaks you down. It was only as classes got more and more structered by intellect and choice that I was able to escape the nearly constant teasing of my peers. Thank God I was bright or I might have been just as bad as those kids. In short, unless you have been tortured that way, you really don't get it. It doesn't excuse what they did by any means. But I sure had some pretty sick fantasies as a kid and I know what fed them. It was some particulary humiliating moment or painful beating. Sadly those boys will be judged by their worst act forever. I am glad I am not judged by my worst fantasies.