What do you guys/girls think?

About the fans over on Tumblr? Do you think they are normal, crazy, insane? Do the hardcore fans hang out on Tumblr or another site? And what exactly is the difference between a "hardcore fan" and a "regular fan"?

K.F.C. wrote:

About the fans over on Tumblr? Do you think they are normal, crazy, insane? Do the hardcore fans hang out on Tumblr or another site? And what exactly is the difference between a "hardcore fan" and a "regular fan"?

I've been researching Columbine since years before Tumblr came into existence. I remember wishing there was someone to discuss my interest with, but it's kind of strange to talk to friends about your interest in "Mass-Murder". So when Tumblr came about I was very surprised that suddenly there was this wave of "Columbiners" as they are called now. Then I got to thinking that; Tumblr provides the perfect environment for this kind of fandom to thrive. You can chat away about your interest in these two boys without any moral or social repercussions.

There will always be disaffected teenagers, and something like Columbine is easy for them to grab onto and justify their own hatred towards society; traditional school systems or what not. Then something like Tumblr brings the perfect platform to troubled teens to shout their anger at the world without any responsibility or consequence. Then it just became a trend at some point, and romanticized. It was a perfect storm in a way. So I don't think that's a good thing. I don't think murder should be "trendy" but I don't get to decide what is and what isn't.

The sad part is that this kind of thing happens because of one person just copying another...one of the things Eric & Dylan were at war with.

I don't understand, why this subject receives so much attention. These people do not harm anyone, nor will future perpetrator go on rampages, just because they want to be loved by the folk on tumblr. Making murderers into heroes, is also anything but a new or unusual phenomenon.

K.F.C. wrote:

About the fans over on Tumblr? Do you think they are normal, crazy, insane? Do the hardcore fans hang out on Tumblr or another site? And what exactly is the difference between a "hardcore fan" and a "regular fan"?

Admittedly, haven't seen much of Tumblr but, I don't see the fans on Tumblr as very different from people here. I would think some hardcore fans must be reading or posting on this forum. Even those who are not fans can be pretty involved in their interest or passion for Columbine. Maybe some of the people on Tumblr appear more immature because they are teens or because they are in love with Eric and Dylan? Other than that, I don't think they are crazy or insane for their interest because I / we have the same interest as them.

JayJay wrote:

K.F.C. wrote:

About the fans over on Tumblr? Do you think they are normal, crazy, insane? Do the hardcore fans hang out on Tumblr or another site? And what exactly is the difference between a "hardcore fan" and a "regular fan"?

Admittedly, haven't seen much of Tumblr but, I don't see the fans on Tumblr as very different from people here. I would think some hardcore fans must be reading or posting on this forum. Even those who are not fans can be pretty involved in their interest or passion for Columbine. Maybe some of the people on Tumblr appear more immature because they are teens or because they are in love with Eric and Dylan? Other than that, I don't think they are crazy or insane for their interest because I / we have the same interest as them.

Do you consider yourself a hardcore fan and are you in love with Dylan/Eric? Also, how can someone be "in love" with someone who is dead and who they've never met?

K.F.C. wrote:

JayJay wrote:

K.F.C. wrote:

About the fans over on Tumblr? Do you think they are normal, crazy, insane? Do the hardcore fans hang out on Tumblr or another site? And what exactly is the difference between a "hardcore fan" and a "regular fan"?

Admittedly, haven't seen much of Tumblr but, I don't see the fans on Tumblr as very different from people here. I would think some hardcore fans must be reading or posting on this forum. Even those who are not fans can be pretty involved in their interest or passion for Columbine. Maybe some of the people on Tumblr appear more immature because they are teens or because they are in love with Eric and Dylan? Other than that, I don't think they are crazy or insane for their interest because I / we have the same interest as them.

Do you consider yourself a hardcore fan and are you in love with Dylan/Eric? Also, how can someone be "in love" with someone who is dead and who they've never met?

No, I'm just very interested in the subject. I guess posting as I have posted on this forum and all the documents I have read makes me kind of intense in my interest (and it's still nothing compared to others). You, what makes you interested?

But I see that some people online are in love or you could say ''in lust'' with E & D or they support their actions because it resonates with their own feelings about school and people in general. It's not true love, it's their idea of who these guys were and they reflect their feelings onto that image they create, maybe? Just a theory.

I do not consider myself a "fan". I, like many others here, consider myself a researcher, perhaps 'Independent Archeologist/Sociologist.

K.F.C. wrote:

About the fans over on Tumblr? Do you think they are normal, crazy, insane? Do the hardcore fans hang out on Tumblr or another site? And what exactly is the difference between a "hardcore fan" and a "regular fan"?

Insane. But you have to take into account they are ignorant 15 year-old's. They can't fully comprehend why condoning the actions of Eric and Dylan is wrong. And of course, they like the bad boy image Eric and Dylan created of themselves in their journals. There are a few good Columbine blogs on Tumblr though.

JDM87 wrote:

K.F.C. wrote:

About the fans over on Tumblr? Do you think they are normal, crazy, insane? Do the hardcore fans hang out on Tumblr or another site? And what exactly is the difference between a "hardcore fan" and a "regular fan"?

Insane. But you have to take into account they are ignorant 15 year-old's. They can't fully comprehend why condoning the actions of Eric and Dylan is wrong. And of course, they like the bad boy image Eric and Dylan created of themselves in their journals. There are a few good Columbine blogs on Tumblr though.

Yes, but not all of them are teenagers. In fact, some of the most outlandish and clueless ones are way beyond being teenagers, and they give the teenagers a run for their money with the way the behave (not only on tumblr, either).

I personally find it very annoying to read most of what they write about. The teenagers are teenagers, simply put. They are attaching their over idealized, utterly misinformed and over exaggerated "versions" of Dylan and Eric to their own confusion and upheaval during this confusing part of their lives. It grates me, I won't deny it, but I am well aware of what is going on; that they're just kids. There are some instances, however, that honestly cannot just be written off as simply stemming from them being teens. For the most part, they are harmless, albeit greatly misinformed (and very complacent about remaining as such).

The same thing cannot really be said for those who are a decade or more older who behave the same way. This opinion and view of mine isn't going to change them, and I wouldn't try to, but it is a bit off-putting when they are actually grown adults and they dwell within such a warped mindset about something such as this. No, it doesn't affect our actual lives as a whole if we read what they say, but it really is ridiculous. And if many of these people were so secure with their views and behaviors concerning this (i.e. constantly proclaiming that they "don't give a fuck about what anyone thinks!!"), their astronomically long diatribes defending their behavior wouldn't exist. Again, such contradictions are understandable from teens, but those who have close to or more than a decade on them? Don't think so.

There IS a gigantic difference between empathizing and sympathizing with what happened to those two to lead them to become so hopeless and self loathing that they went through with a planned bombing turned shooting, and blatant fangirling.

There are a few decent blogs there about the subject, I agree. The thing is, while some of those decent blogs might be active right now, they always end up dormant. Good for archival purposes, I suppose, seeing that most of them don't delete the blogs when they lose interest.

tfsa47090 wrote:

JDM87 wrote:

K.F.C. wrote:

About the fans over on Tumblr? Do you think they are normal, crazy, insane? Do the hardcore fans hang out on Tumblr or another site? And what exactly is the difference between a "hardcore fan" and a "regular fan"?

Insane. But you have to take into account they are ignorant 15 year-old's. They can't fully comprehend why condoning the actions of Eric and Dylan is wrong. And of course, they like the bad boy image Eric and Dylan created of themselves in their journals. There are a few good Columbine blogs on Tumblr though.

Yes, but not all of them are teenagers. In fact, some of the most outlandish and clueless ones are way beyond being teenagers, and they give the teenagers a run for their money with the way the behave (not only on tumblr, either).

I personally find it very annoying to read most of what they write about. The teenagers are teenagers, simply put. They are attaching their over idealized, utterly misinformed and over exaggerated "versions" of Dylan and Eric to their own confusion and upheaval during this confusing part of their lives. It grates me, I won't deny it, but I am well aware of what is going on; that they're just kids. There are some instances, however, that honestly cannot just be written off as simply stemming from them being teens. For the most part, they are harmless, albeit greatly misinformed (and very complacent about remaining as such).

The same thing cannot really be said for those who are a decade or more older who behave the same way. This opinion and view of mine isn't going to change them, and I wouldn't try to, but it is a bit off-putting when they are actually grown adults and they dwell within such a warped mindset about something such as this. No, it doesn't affect our actual lives as a whole if we read what they say, but it really is ridiculous. And if many of these people were so secure with their views and behaviors concerning this (i.e. constantly proclaiming that they "don't give a fuck about what anyone thinks!!"), their astronomically long diatribes defending their behavior wouldn't exist. Again, such contradictions are understandable from teens, but those who have close to or more than a decade on them? Don't think so.

There IS a gigantic difference between empathizing and sympathizing with what happened to those two to lead them to become so hopeless and self loathing that they went through with a planned bombing turned shooting, and blatant fangirling.

There are a few decent blogs there about the subject, I agree. The thing is, while some of those decent blogs might be active right now, they always end up dormant. Good for archival purposes, I suppose, seeing that most of them don't delete the blogs when they lose interest.

I actually came across some E&D worshiper tumblrs where the owners had children.   Otherwise, there are good research blogs and they offer some information that's harder to come across normally.

Lananas wrote:

I actually came across some E&D worshiper tumblrs where the owners had children.   Otherwise, there are good research blogs and they offer some information that's harder to come across normally.

Yes, I know of some myself. Probably the same ones that you've seen.

While people shouldn't be cruel to others despite the fact that many choose to be, tumblr is a public platform. ENTIRELY public.

If someone is going to constantly yammer on about sexual fantasies about Eric and/or Dylan, and all other sorts of ill informed idiocy, while simultaneously talking about their kids and posting photos of them, expect the worst. Seriously. Get back to reality and deal with it, or don't post things like that publicly.

It's really sad for the children. I know there are worse atrocities in the world, and worse displays of parenting, but if you don't want people questioning your skills as a parent, separate the two. Make your blog about your fantasies and "feelings" regarding unrealistic caricatures of mass murderers who committed suicide, and leave it at that. Sharing your damn name, age, birth date, location, profession/job and photos, names, and information about your CHILDREN on the same blog is insanity. I don't agree with harassing people in any capacity, but when the people who do things like this are lambasted through anon messages about being scumbags, I have no sympathy for them. I feel sorry for the babies themselves.

Mr_Chagrin wrote:

K.F.C. wrote:

About the fans over on Tumblr? Do you think they are normal, crazy, insane? Do the hardcore fans hang out on Tumblr or another site? And what exactly is the difference between a "hardcore fan" and a "regular fan"?

I've been researching Columbine since years before Tumblr came into existence. I remember wishing there was someone to discuss my interest with, but it's kind of strange to talk to friends about your interest in "Mass-Murder". So when Tumblr came about I was very surprised that suddenly there was this wave of "Columbiners" as they are called now. Then I got to thinking that; Tumblr provides the perfect environment for this kind of fandom to thrive. You can chat away about your interest in these two boys without any moral or social repercussions.

There will always be disaffected teenagers, and something like Columbine is easy for them to grab onto and justify their own hatred towards society; traditional school systems or what not. Then something like Tumblr brings the perfect platform to troubled teens to shout their anger at the world without any responsibility or consequence. Then it just became a trend at some point, and romanticized. It was a perfect storm in a way. So I don't think that's a good thing. I don't think murder should be "trendy" but I don't get to decide what is and what isn't.

The sad part is that this kind of thing happens because of one person just copying another...one of the things Eric & Dylan were at war with.

Very good post, particularly the last line! That's one thing they don't get at all. Those two were SO inherently sickened by unoriginality (although they displayed some unoriginality themselves, they were overall individualists. I don't think that would've changed if this had never happened and they were still alive. I think they'd still be proudly eccentric).

Many still think they'd have been spared on the day of the massacre....and these are not only teens. I understand it when it comes from the teens, as I've said above and elsewhere. I've seen some 20 somethings and OLDER arguing that they KNOW they'd have been spared. They don't get it. They really, really, really do not grasp this at all. Dylan and Eric did not care who they killed that day. As delusional as it was, they thought they were going to blow the school up. They expected to kill hundreds of people in that building and damage the structure itself overall. In their last video recording they willed their possessions to certain friends/acquaintances, distinctly saying "If you guys live....". I am one of the first to say I think shooting people at close range bothered them, and that every time someone actually interacted with them through brief conversation they ended up staying alive. However, they were NOT specifically targeting anyone, nor were they specifically sparing anyone.

They do not seem to be able to make this register in their overblown fantasies.

I've spoken with quite a few people from there and was struck by how much many of them have in common with one another. I think that the tag itself is a mix of serious researchers, blatant fangirls, people with a loose interest in the case, and people throwing hissy fits about the whole thing. Conversations get a little interesting and quite heated from time to time due to the hugely different approaches people have to the case. I think perhaps 90% of the entire tag recognises things from themselves in the boys, which is probably what usually causes the initial interest in the first place. I remember sitting here thinking "that could've been me" and having that realisation hit home fully.. It's something I haven't been able to shake since, and that personal aspect the case has for me is what keeps me so interested/invested in it.

It's my personal philosophy that many of the fangirls actually cling to the boys because Eric and Dylan are the only stability they have in their lives. Many I have spoken with have talked about personal problems and about the everyday struggle to get things on track in their lives. For them, Eric and Dylan are the ones who'll never abandon them and who'll always just be there for them to hold onto. It's a powerful position that, yes, does get a little out of hand from time to time. Yet, it also gives me hope to know that some I spoke with have abandoned the tag since and now speak of the boys with the fondness you'd use for old friends who helped you through a tough patch once. I think for many they're just that, you know, temporary support systems. Reading the journals, seeing the videos, seeing and hearing their pop culture/music loves.. It does kinda makes you feel like you 'know' them, or at least an important part of them, and that they may have been exactly the sort of guys you would've said 'hi' to in the hallways or spoken with on occasion or maybe even been friends with. (I've often thought that everybody knows an Eric and/or a Dylan, really, because so many recognise themselves in the boys.) I think that the fangirling starts off like this and then just evolves into general mayhem where the boys get objectified to the point where it terrifies even me. Most of 'em are just kids, though, and they really do grow out of it most of the time.. thankfully. And I do think that most of them possess enough common sense to know that what the boys did is not something to emulate. (Really, I think I speak for everyone when I say I'd rather have the entire tag walk around in their clothing style than have somebody mimic the actions of the boys.)

As with everything on Tumblr, you've got some gems and you've got some strange stuff. Most of it amuses, some of it worries, and all of it is just.. well.. chaos. It's not a bad place.