Discussion Eric And Dylan

[Avril]

I'm not glorifying their actions but do you think bullying was the main reason why they did it? Do you think they "served justice"? Would they fit in this modern society, how would they react to teens of today?

 

[mediocre]

I seen a documentary and apparently they killed the majority of the students in the library where a lot were hiding under the tables.. they picked out the popular kids to kill and spared others.. don't know if that is true or not it's just what I remember from reading/watching documentaries on it.

 

[Avril]

I seen a documentary and apparently they killed the majority of the students in the library where a lot were hiding under the tables.. they picked out the popular kids to kill and spared others.. don't know if that is true or not it's just what I remember from reading/watching documentaries on it.

Yeah that's probably Zero Hour.

 

[mediocre]

Yeah that's probably Zero Hour.

I seem to remember there was some doubt over whether they were really bullied or not? or just outcast/loners.. they seemed to be friends with each other and nobody else..

 

[Avril]

I seem to remember there was some doubt over whether they were really bullied or not? or just outcast/loners.. they seemed to be friends with each other and nobody else..

That's one theory, though they had some diary entries that suggested they were going through a lot.

 

[Mistake of Nature]

Bullying was part of it, but it goes deeper than that. I've researched Columbine on-and-off for 15 years, and my best guess is that they did it because they felt alienated from others, wanted revenge against society for not having what they thought they deserved (girlfriends, popularity, good looks, etc.), and individual predisposing factors (e.g., depression, suicidal thoughts, low self-esteem). They felt powerless and used violence as a means to assert themselves. There are also cultural issues involved as school shootings are, for the most part, a uniquely American phenomenon. For example, gun availability and rigid notions of masculinity should be implicated as well.

I don't think they "served justice" at all because they killed randomly and indiscriminately. Even if they had killed only their bullies, I still wouldn't view it as "justice". I don't think they would've fit in modern society either because some of the underlying issues are still in place and are even worse today.

 

[Garbage Person]

Sorry, but seriously, misplaced rage. They saw something worth killing and dying for, that's a passion I have to somewhat admire even if I don't exactly condone their methods. The situation is a symptom of modern day life for teens and even some adults, not getting any better as another already pointed out. While I don't think their actions were justified, I at least try to understand the mindset and what leads one down that path. I don't take much too seriously, so I don't really lose sleep over these happenings. Par the course for America as far as I'm concerned. Sadly, the best way to usher lasting change is by breaking eggs. Prior to Columbine, security measures in schools were much more lax and bringing a gun to your high school wouldn't have been seen the same way it is now. No idea if they they saw the lasting waves they would make with gun control, but it's definitely not an action that has gone forgotten. I'm sure plenty of people can name the shooters, but how many people can name the victims? American media machine, ladies and gentlemen.

 

[mahakaliSS_MahaDurga]

Bullying was part of it, but it goes deeper than that. I've researched Columbine on-and-off for 15 years, and my best guess is that they did it because they felt alienated from others, wanted revenge against society for not having what they thought they deserved (girlfriends, popularity, good looks, etc.), and individual predisposing factors (e.g., depression, suicidal thoughts, low self-esteem). They felt powerless and used violence as a means to assert themselves. There are also cultural issues involved as school shootings are, for the most part, a uniquely American phenomenon. For example, gun availability and rigid notions of masculinity should be implicated as well.

I don't think they "served justice" at all because they killed randomly and indiscriminately. Even if they had killed only their bullies, I still wouldn't view it as "justice". I don't think they would've fit in modern society either because some of the underlying issues are still in place and are even worse today.

Eric felt alienated because his family moved a lot when he was a kid, and he lost his friends every time they moved. He was frustrated because of his physical appearance and being treated like a child due to his short stature. Eric and Dylan had other friends - Brooks Brown, Erik Veik and guys they made videos with. They were not a part of the "popular" clique, but they weren't completely socially isolated. They saw how the popular kids, jocks etc. could get away with things at school, while they were punished for every misdemeanor, and that partly triggered them into planning this, imo. I do not see Eric as a sociopath, just a victim of his circumstances. Dylan was more messed up, in my opinion, but he is often portrayed as being under Eric's influence, mostly because of Cullen's book and Sue Klebold's efforts to present him in a good light.

 

[ocd is bad]

From what I've heard (I may be wrong) some of the kids they went to school with threw shit (literally shit) at them among other things and called them slurs while teachers and other adults did nothing to stop them. It's frustrating that no one stepped in, they could've stopped the whole thing. I don't want to get political but I think it's narrowminded when people blame it on firearms but fail to address the issues of bullying and mental health.

 

[mahakaliSS_MahaDurga]

From what I've heard (I may be wrong) some of the kids they went to school with threw shit (literally shit) at them among other things and called them slurs while teachers and other adults did nothing to stop them. It's frustrating that no one stepped in, they could've stopped the whole thing. I don't want to get political but I think it's narrowminded when people blame it on firearms but fail to address the issues of bullying and mental health.

They were throwing used tampons at them.

 

[falloutcarter13]

I find it impossible to understand or empathize with people like them. I've suffered a lot of abuse, and its never crossed my mind to kill anyone else, let alone go on a rampage to kill people, most of which never did anything to them. Imo there's never a good enough reason for that sort of violent outburst, so I don't waste my time trying to understand what was wrong with them...

 

[Wayfaerer]

From what I remember, they weren't even bullied and did it just to be edgy but I may be mistaken. Also, they were on SSRI's and that can fuck a young mind up (speaking from personal experience)

Eric felt alienated because his family moved a lot when he was a kid, and he lost his friends every time they moved.

God, I can relate to this so much.