The Columbine Effect

No, I'm not talking about the book. I'm talking about the effect of Columbine that it has on school shooters. There seem to be a lot of school shooters that reference Columbine and idolize E/D. Kimveer Gill, Pekka Eric Auvinen, Cho, Alvaro Castillo, Al DeGuzman who said 'Eric Harris is God' [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Adam Lanza, the Minnesota kid John Ladue, the recent Seattle shooter Aaron Ybharra visit Columbine. And now the Las Vegas shooters talk about making a 'new Columbine' [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Why do these shooters (who are almost always male) look up to E/D so much? Is it because they see so much of themselves in them? Why not look up to Cho? He had the highest body count. But it always go back to E/D and Columbine. Is it because Cho is Asian? It seems E/D are consider the gods of school shootings. Maybe that sounds a little far fetched.

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It seems E/D are consider the gods of school shootings. Maybe that sounds a little far fetched.

No, I think you're right.

Part of it is that we know far more about Eric and Dylan than we do about any of their disciples. There are literally tens of thousands of pages of information documenting the most trivial aspects of their lives. (Ironically, there are still so many things we don't know, and probably never will know.)

We'll never know what impact the suppression of the basement tapes has had. How many disaffected boys would have been inspired to kill by seeing Eric and Dylan talking about their "revolution of the dispossessed" on national TV?

E/D were right about having followers. Were they godlike as they say they were? Only to the eyes of other school shooters. Funny how Vtech and Sandy Hook have higher body counts but it's behind the shadow of Columbine. Wonder if Columbine will stay as the world's iconic shooting or it will eventually be beaten one day? I doubt it though.

The fact that Eric and Dylan look like two normal teenagers and the media mentioned so much of how they were supposedly bullied, make that many people like them, feel related and able to do the same. Columbine is the best example of teenage rage and limit and was the worse school shooting at that time, so many young men like them, feel identify and with the power to do the same.

Eric and Dylan are not godlike, they are just the couple of young men that represent many other people living and feeling the same that them. And not only the ones that carry on shootings in their school. They were definitely right when they said that they will have fans and they not only have fans, they have songs inspire on them and their actions too and there are so much information about them and places like this one on internet. And all that, show that they started with all this situation in the last years, that they were the first ones and it takes them to another level too.

People say the E/D fangirls are crazy but it seems the E/D fanboys are the ones that need to be look out for. Not all but some.

I've seen fangirls claiming they have plans for a massacre as well. It's unpleasant to listen to.

Lananas wrote:

I've seen fangirls claiming they have plans for a massacre as well. It's disconcerting.

It would be something new. I remember heard about a girl that was planning the same and get caught before do it.

perpetual state wrote:

People say the E/D fangirls are crazy but it seems the E/D fanboys are the ones that need to be look out for. Not all but some.

I dont see them like fanboys. I dont know so much about their interested on the topic but they seem more people like us, that like to read about it and discuss it sometimes and are not necessarily fanboys or fangirls.

The Fanboys and Fangirls are just as bad as each other. The Fanboys want to be Eric and Dylan and the Fangirls want to fuck Eric and Dylan; seriously, what's the difference?

Yes the fanboys and fangirls are the same but these guys are not fanboys, they are copycats. They dont want to be Eric and Dylan, they admire Eric and Dylan and want to repeat what they did.

I just read the list of unsuccesful school shooting/bombing attacks and half of the preparators were obsessed with columbine. kinda sad....

perpetual state wrote:

Funny how Vtech and Sandy Hook have higher body counts but it's behind the shadow of Columbine. Wonder if Columbine will stay as the world's iconic shooting or it will eventually be beaten one day? I doubt it though.

It won't be beat. It has become a glamourised brand. Just like how singers become an icon and will forever hold an A+ Lister name e.g Michael Jackson, Prince. It will never be beat regardless of body count because 4/20/99 is literally a tragic day that has been permanently etched as it is and in our minds. The context and handling of its crime is also unique in a way. Hence I always thought that somehow the boys did get what they want.

Plus it's also inevitable to profit off of the tragedy. Eric and Dylan have made certain people more popular than they should be. And every year on 4/20 I can never go past an instance where Columbine will be brought up.