What do you think of Tumblr fangirls?

I wanna hear you guys out, what do you think about Columbine fandom on Tumblr? Girls who glorify, write disturbing fanfictions, buy all the merchandise, visit columbine and take photos of themselves posturing with an imaginary gun? Most importantly, why do Eric and Dylan have the biggest fandom in the so called "true crime" community?

From my point of view, I relate to E&D in pretty much everything, but worshiping them and ignoring the victims, justifying and condoning their actions is a bit too far. My guess is, these girls mainly idolize them because of all the popularity from the media and E&D being in the same age group as most of the said fangirls.

There are other guys who are exactly like Eric and Dylan, myself included, but these girls don't even notice them at all at their own schools.

I honestly think the majority of the so called "Fan Girls" are mainly wanting to get attention. Many are teens tying to be different/edgy and Columbine is what they have chosen to obsess over. I cannot fathom how they can write sexual stories or say they are in love with someone who committed murders, that they truly know next to nothing about.

I don't consider myself a fan girl or a Columbiner. My interest in Columbine has always been wanting to know why it all happened. Wanting to know how it might have been prevented. Wanting to know E&D's thoughts and reasoning behind what they did.

To glorify a killer is sick. Sorry but it just is. It's like another slap in the face of the victims. Unfortunately if you research Columbine you run into these type of people all the time. For every person who is genuinely interested in Columbine for the sole purpose of trying to figure out how this tragedy unfolded, there are likely 10 fan girls/guys who do it for the shock value.

ShadowedGoddess wrote:

I cannot fathom how they can write sexual stories or say they are in love with someone who committed murders, that they truly know next to nothing about.

There are fan fictions where they "ship" Eric and Dylan and describe them in a very sexual nature. I am never going on that site, a hangout for sick minds.

I've talked to one and she said "I don't give a fuck about Columbine but Dylan is my bae, and I found him through American Horror Story blogs about Tate" .....

I have gotten a good laugh out of them, as long as they fester elsewhere than where I am.

It makes you wonder what type of relationships they find themselves in, if their top qualities for a potential boyfriend is..

1. Must be angry and aggressive and/or depressed and suicidal.
2. Must listen to KMFDM & Rammstein.

Poor girls fantasize about and idolize murderers who have been dead longer then most of them have been alive. It is really very sad.

ShadowedGoddess wrote:

It makes you wonder what type of relationships they find themselves in, if their top qualities for a potential boyfriend is..

1. Must be angry and aggressive and/or depressed and suicidal.
2. Must listen to KMFDM & Rammstein.

Poor girls fantasize about and idolize murderers who have been dead longer then most of them have been alive. It is really very sad.

And later on they'll cry when their abusive boyfriends harm them. Funny how those girls are the exact ones Eric and Dylan would detest.

I can understand the wishful thinking of some who feel that a steady loving girlfriend might have saved Eric and Dylan or others like them. I mean what girl wouldn't want to find a bad boy and turn his life around. To be the one that tamed his aggression, and silenced his rage.  Or in Dylan's case rescue some lonely, depressed soul dying for true love and be his purpose for living? Please note the heavy sarcasm...

I speak from first hand knowledge, having been in a similar situation with a Ex.  I consider myself a fairly intelligent person, yet it took me an embarrassing length of time to realized and admit that he was never going to change. One of the hardest things I have done in my life was to walk away from a person I had spent three years trying to save. It didn't matter how much I loved him, or how much I tried to take care of him. My love was not enough to overcome his issues and destructive behaviors.

People need to understand that you cannot love away mental illness. You cannot love away drug or alcohol addictions. You can love an abuser with every fiber of your being, and he will still hit you. Love is not a cure all.

ShadowedGoddess wrote:

People need to understand that you cannot love away mental illness. You cannot love away drug or alcohol addictions. You can love an abuser with every fiber of your being, and he will still hit you. Love is not a cure all.

I concur. Personally, I think getting a girlfriend would make them worse, especially Eric because that would definitely boost his idealized picture of himself as a "macho tough guy" and distance him even further from the society, with the chance of his potential girlfriend isolating him from Dylan, one of his only friends and a few acquaintances he barely had. His relationship wouldn't last long, judging by his saddening experience in trying to get a girlfriend, and breakup would certainly damage him critically.

Needless to say a relationship with either would have been filled with major problems.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] I think you have a lot of it figured out and your personal experience makes it so you can relate somewhat. I think that's part of it, wishing they could be saved and that they were the ones to do the saving. It's something guys do as well, but it's wanting to help women in bad situations, thinking you can help them get through it and have a wonderful relationship.... To realize that they created their problems and will usually continue to and they are just broken that way.

Also the bad boy image taken to the extreme is attractive to some and if that's their thing I'm ok with it. They don't bother me at all, everyone has different things they find attractive. I don't see them hurting anyone by what they are doing really.

silentprocess wrote:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] I think you have a lot of it figured out and your personal experience makes it so you can relate somewhat.  I think that's part of it, wishing they could be saved and that they were the ones to do the saving.  It's something guys do as well, but it's wanting to help women in bad situations, thinking you can help them get through it and have a wonderful relationship....  To realize that they created their problems and will usually continue to and they are just broken that way.

Also the bad boy image taken to the extreme is attractive to some and if that's their thing I'm ok with it.  They don't bother me at all, everyone has different things they find attractive.  I don't see them hurting anyone by what they are doing really.

I agree. There are a lot of men who want to be the knight riding in on a white horse to sweep a damsel in distress off her feet. There are also a lot of women who like to play the damsel.

Don't get me wrong, I have no issues with fan-girls whatsoever. To each their own.  I just personally feel some of these girls set themselves up for heartache and bitter disappointment if they are truly searching for relationships with people based on certain characteristics that E&D had. Or naively think that one or two redeeming qualities make up for the bad.

I agree, they are setting themselves up for failure if they truly are seeking relationships with men/boys that have qualities of either Dylan or Eric.

In my opinion, most of them clearly have some kind of mental disorder just by reading some of the things they say on their blogs. That being said, it makes me feel somewhat happy for the suicidal killers whose motivations to kill/die had something to do with feeling unloved or being a social outcast like Elliot, for example. A majority of the world thinks that he's a piece of shit, and his legacy is pretty much a joke. However, in this one small little space in some random corner of the internet there are women who would've actually liked to date him. It's like a bittersweet type of feeling to me. Although to be completely honest most of them are likely just doing it for attention and will grow out of it eventually. I don't think that it's a coincidence that most of Dylan/Eric's fangirls are teenagers.

pessimist wrote:

In my opinion, most of them clearly have some kind of mental disorder just by reading some of the things they say on their blogs. That being said, it makes me feel somewhat happy for the suicidal killers whose motivations to kill/die had something to do with feeling unloved or being a social outcast like Elliot, for example. A majority of the world thinks that he's a piece of shit, and his legacy is pretty much a joke. However, in this one small little space in some random corner of the internet there are women who would've actually liked to date him. It's like a bittersweet type of feeling to me. Although to be completely honest most of them are likely just doing it for attention and will grow out of it eventually. I don't think that it's a coincidence that most of Dylan/Eric's fangirls are teenagers.

You mean there are girls/women who 'say' they would have dated Elliot.  As with Eric and Dylan there are a vast multitude of females who 'say' they would have dated them, been there for them, loved them, etc. It is easy to say what you would have done for someone after the fact. Yet when faced with the actual person and situation, I feel they would have ran for the hills like most females that E&D encountered.

The witness reports from girls who briefly dated Eric almost all said the same thing. He was odd, he was scary, too quiet, not friendly, strange, etc.  I highly doubt it just coincidence that they all got the same weird vibe from Eric. It's called your basic intuition. That uneasy feeling you get in you stomach or in the back of your mind about a person or a situation.

Eric was a decent looking guy. He was smart. He had a nice smile, an adorable laugh. He was described as having good manners and would give his female friends hugs, but apparently there was something about him that others picked up on and wanted no part of.

Dylan was also smart, decent looking. He had a cute smile, but was quiet, painfully shy, and socially awkward. There is really no hard evidence of Dylan seriously dating anyone.  

I find it funny that people delude themselves into thinking they would have been Elliot's or E&D's saving grace. When in reality they most likely wouldn't have given either the time of day. I agree that most will outgrow this obsession as they get older.

I have found myself on tumblr more and more recently strictly for true crime and actually excluding anything Columbine. In any case there are huge groups of people out there (mostly women) who are interested in dating, marrying, or just being in a relationship with someone in prison. Especially murderers. Look at the women that flocked to Richard Ramirez. The guy had no luck with women on the outside, he was not attractive, and people said he literally stunk because he didn't shower. Yet when he went to court and eventually prison, women were all over him. Sending him love letters, nude photos and more. One woman married him. This happens over and over again.

I think the thing that sticks out to me most is that the people doing this with Columbine are all mostly under 20 years of age. Which is sad to me. There is an entire world out there and like 1Mare1 said, if you want to date someone like Eric or Dylan you can find them at just about any high school in America. Glorifying someone like that is just gross.

Going to a place of remembrance and defacing it or wearing the clothing the murderers wore is also gross. I know most of these people are immature and will grow out of it but it sure gives Tumblr crime community a bad name. I follow a ton of crime blogs and a lot of them have "no Columbine" rules.

Lizpuff wrote:

 I think the thing that sticks out to me most is that the people doing this with Columbine are all mostly under 20 years of age.  Which is sad to me.  There is an entire world out there and like 1Mare1 said, if you want to date someone like Eric or Dylan you can find them at just about any high school in America.  Glorifying someone like that is just gross.

I agree, most do seem immature, and probably wouldn't know what to do in a relationship with someone who had the serious issues E&D suffered from. As I said before its easy to claim they would have dated them, or would have accepted them. A very different thing to actually attempt it.

Also while we are on the subject, if these people did in fact seek out someone similar to E&D, how would that play out? Would they soon abandon them after realizing they didn't have the capacity to deal with the problems someone like that would have? Which would only have a negative effect on that person. Or would they stay in the vain hopes of trying to help? Which could be worse for both.

Also how would the person picked based on their similarities to Eric and Dylan feel about being compared to killers? I am sure for most it wouldn't be an ego boost.

ShadowedGoddess wrote:

Lizpuff wrote:

 I think the thing that sticks out to me most is that the people doing this with Columbine are all mostly under 20 years of age.  Which is sad to me.  There is an entire world out there and like 1Mare1 said, if you want to date someone like Eric or Dylan you can find them at just about any high school in America.  Glorifying someone like that is just gross.

I agree, most do seem immature, and probably wouldn't know what to do in a relationship with someone who had the serious issues E&D suffered from. As I said before its easy to claim they would have dated them, or would have accepted them. A very different thing to actually attempt it.

Also while we are on the subject, if these people did in fact seek out someone similar to E&D, how would that play out? Would they soon abandon them after realizing they didn't have the capacity to deal with the problems someone like that would have? Which would only have a negative effect on that person. Or would they stay in the vain hopes of trying to help? Which could be worse for both.

Also how would the person picked based on their similarities to Eric and Dylan feel about being compared to killers? I am sure for most it wouldn't be an ego boost.

I for one would hope that the person wouldn't tell their BF "hey I only dated you because you resemble Dylan Klebold!" LMAO but you never know with these kinds of people.

A relationship built on trying to "save" someone or change someone is doomed to fail. That person has to want to change and I think they would soon tire of that relationship/become resentful. It wouldn't last very long imo

Lizpuff wrote:

 A relationship built on trying to "save" someone or change someone is doomed to fail.  That person has to want to change and I think they would soon tire of that relationship/become resentful.   It wouldn't last very long imo

EXACTLY!

I like the thoughts I get to read in this thread! Just reading and nodding.

This is a quite old phenomenon, girls who are attracted to "teh bad boyz". Bad boys seem to be exciting for many girls.
And, since Eric and Dylan died so tragically, I think no wonder that there are so many fangirls.

These two things - the bad guys who, in addition, suffered tragical death - might trigger the romantic self of many young girls.
To a certain level - and, under a certain age -, I think it can be considered as normal, but... very immature.

Immature and ignorant in a nutshell (which is not surprising, considering most of those fangirls are teenagers). There’s a great deal of idealization going on. These girls tend to either overlook, glorify or reject the existence of the negative traits that the killers possess, in order to keep their idealized view of the killers intact.
The infatuation stems partially from an innate and primitive attraction to biologically masculine traits that the killers appeared to possess – intelligence, aggression, fearlessness and a rebellious nature/not socially adaptable. A male who possessed those traits had a higher chance of effectively protecting and ensuring the survival of his partner and her offspring during the hunter-and gatherer society. Sure, we don’t live in the Stone Age anymore, but evolution is a long process and we’re programmed to be attracted to traits that ensure our survival and the survival of our offspring(s).

Partially because the fangirls are able to relate to the mistreatment that the killers were subjected to, the depression that they experienced and/or belonging to a subculture. Humans are drawn to familiarity aka people they have something in common with. I bet most of the fangirls/fanboys and even people who are interested in the case from a psychological point of view, were bullied or ostracized by society at some point in their lives.
Furthermore, the killers’ physical appearances most likely has something to do with the all of attention and admiration they’re receiving. They might not have been Brad Pitt look-alikes or whatever, but they were both decent-looking and Eric was quite photogenic. It’s a well-known fact that good-looking people are let off the hook more easily and receive preferential treatment by society. What I’m trying to say is that if Eric and Dylan looked like Crabbe and Goyle from Harry Potter, they probably wouldn’t receive even half of the sympathy that they’re getting.

I also can’t help but think that some of the most extreme fangirls have, “daddy issues”.
If Eric’s or Dylan’s fangirls had crossed paths with the object of their infatuation prior to the massacre, they probably wouldn’t have given them a second glance.

I think the cafeteria video came the closest to capturing Eric’s true personality. He had a rather monotone way of carrying himself and gave off an arrogant vibe. I can see what the girls that he dated meant when they said that he was impersonal and odd.

Glamazon wrote:

I think the cafeteria video came the closest to capturing Eric’s true personality. He had a rather monotone way of carrying himself and gave off an arrogant vibe. I can see what the girls that he dated meant when they said that he was impersonal and odd.

The cafeteria video is by far the most accurate representation of what Eric was like. Compare that video with his school projects and you'll see a huge difference. The video presents him as a quiet and pensive person, and it's visible on the cafeteria table, while other guys are talking, he is fidgeting his phone and nervously looking around, not saying a thing.  In addition, his journals are also a wrong representation of what he was like, as Eric had an audience in mind. Including other details such as that conversation he had in a chatroom, it really gives him off. In my opinion, I think he suffered more than Dylan, contrary to the popular belief.

1Mare1 wrote:

In addition, his journals are also a wrong representation of what he was like, as Eric had an audience in mind.

I think that’s highly unlikely. If Eric’s diary was entirely fabricated in order to present a certain image of him to the rest of the world, then why is it filled with contradictions? The way he keeps contradicting himself (among other things), is a sign that he was obviously writing what he felt at the time.

1Mare1 wrote:

Including other details such as that conversation he had in a chatroom, it really gives him off

Which one of those conversations are you talking about? There were three.
Also, do you honestly think it's wise to get hung up on details instead of looking at the bigger picture?

Glamazon wrote:

I think that’s highly unlikely. If Eric’s diary was entirely fabricated in order to present a certain image of him to the rest of the world, then why is it filled with contradictions? The way he keeps contradicting himself (among other things), is a sign that he was obviously writing what he felt at the time.

It's filled with contradictions because of an obvious reason - He was trying to build an image of himself as a cold blooded psycho by hiding his true emotions from the world, but the facade he was desperately acting can be seen in the questionnaire he was filling out. His answer for favorite numbers include 666, but just underneath that, he replied to another question about favorite ice cream flavor which said "Cookie dough!!!!!!!" with all the exclamation marks. Would you expect to hear that from an alleged tough guy?

All his writings make no sense. In the "You know what I hate?" writing he said how he hates young smokers, but he still smoked under peer pressure anyway, mostly with others. He rambled how he hates racists, and then goes on how he hates whites, blacks, jews, etc...None of the mentioned things are his genuine beliefs, at least in my opinion. Sure, some of the things in his diary might be legitimate, like his rantings about the school system and the January incident, but they are abundantly exaggerated for the intended audience he had in mind once his journals get discovered.

In his AOL chats we get a little different picture. He doesn't seem so aggressive and livid, instead he is passive, doesn't say much, and majority of his answers are 'mm" "mhm" (Bear in mind, in his journals he noted how he detests people who use the same word over and over again). At one point, he mentions how he would eradicate the world and only spare those he would choose. This is probably one of the only honest thoughts extracted from his diary, but again, it could be an exaggeration.

1Mare1 wrote:

It's filled with contradictions because of an obvious reason - He was trying to build an image of himself as a cold blooded psycho by hiding his true emotions from the world.

So if everything that he wrote down was just for show, why did he commit the massacre then? Let’s hear it.
Also, you’d think that someone who genuinely wants to present a certain image of themselves to the world, would try to do a more convincing job of it.

1Mare1 wrote:

But the facade he was desperately acting can be seen in the questionnaire he was filling out.His answer for favorite numbers include 666, but just underneath that, he replied to another question about favorite ice cream flavor which said "Cookie dough!!!!!!!" with all the exclamation marks. Would you expect to hear that from an alleged tough guy

So he can’t ever act silly if he’s a cruel person with a sadistic streak? You seem to have a black-and white, glamorized and one-dimensional view of what a psychopath is like (no offense). Unless Eric was like Hollywood’s one-dimensional depiction of a psychopath, he can’t possibly have been one in your opinion, right?

1Mare1 wrote:

In the "You know what I hate?" writing he said how he hates young smokers, but he still smoked under peer pressure anyway, mostly with others.

We don’t know for sure if he smoked because of peer pressure. He could’ve smoked in order to relieve pent-up anger otherwise. Some people use smoking as a way to deal with negative emotions. I think the fact that he judged people for something that he was also guilty of doing multiple times, is an indication that he considered himself to be above being judged.

1Mare1 wrote:

In his AOL chats we get a little different picture. He doesn't seem so aggressive and livid, instead he is passive, doesn't say much, and majority of his answers are 'mm" "mhm" (Bear in mind, in his journals he noted how he detests people who use the same word over and over again).

Well, of course he had a different demeanor in the AOL chats. He was talking to girls, and it’s been confirmed that he was romantically interested in at least one of them (Jennifer Laufenberg, the girl in the last convo). So of course he’d go out of his way to be polite and nice. Jen seemed like a pretty ordinary all-American girl. She would’ve ditched him if he was aggressive and talked about violence.

Glamazon wrote:

So if everything that he wrote down was just for show, why did he commit the massacre then? Let’s hear it.
Also, you’d think that someone who genuinely wants to present a certain image of themselves to the world, would try to do a more convincing job of it.

The entire NBK was meant to be Eric's (and Dylan's) assertion of power, he wanted to live out the REB character from his journals. They wanted revenge on jocks for bullying them, girls for rejecting them, and the entire society and administration for overall mistreat. Bombing their school and destroying the entire place was the only way they could have shown power, because both were physically and mentally weak to actually present themselves as superior to others. In other words, both were cowards. Eric only felt power with a gun in his hand, as he wasn't able to stand up to those who tormented him, and that made him feel inferior. People think he felt superior to others based on his diary, but in reality the entire "I am so godlike!" mentality was a coping mechanism, his last words from his last journal entry show this, and that is the only time Eric expressed his true feelings in it, and how he was left out. In a few basement tape transcripts, he clearly states how people made fun of him because of his weakness, and how he wishes he was a sociopath.

Glamazon wrote:

We don’t know for sure if he smoked because of peer pressure. He could’ve smoked in order to relieve pent-up anger otherwise. Some people use smoking as a way to deal with negative emotions. I think the fact that he judged people for something that he was also guilty of doing multiple times, is an indication that he considered himself to be above being judged.

There were reports from people seeing Dylan in the smokers pit often, but they never mentioned Eric being with him or going there at all. Eric smoked just for show, he had other ways of dealing with his anger, you can see in the Radioactive Clothing video how Eric cannot figure out how to light a cigarette, and Dylan points it out. He also doesn't even inhale, obviously because he couldn't stand smoke. From his hypocrisy in the "You know what I hate?" writing shows how the person he hated the most was no one other than himself.

I think you're trying to get me banned again.

I think all fans deserve nothing but condemnation. Much like fans of a specific tennis player -- they are a cancer.

No matter who it is, if they are glorified by the media, there will be fans.

Makes me wish that Eric and Dylan killed me in the library so I don't have to deal with their stupidity

I bet most of these girls date jocks and would never date people like Eric and Dylan.

Probably and I find the whole photoshopping crowns and making jokes about being gay REALLY distasteful. They do that in all "fandoms" though. You should see some of the old Heroes stuff.

It's weird too to do it with two guys that were real but also they did something horrific. I'm also tired of gay jokes as though they are funny.. people are gay, bi, fluid etc. that's the least interesting thing about them. Grow up.

I wonder what they actually even know about the case itself.

There's one tumblr site mainly for Dylan that is actually pretty good. She does a ton of research. It falls more into a site for Columbine info than a fan site.

Screamingophelia wrote:

There's one tumblr site mainly for Dylan that is actually pretty good. She does a ton of research. It falls more into a site for Columbine info than a fan site.

Are you talking about [tumblr user name removed by forum staff] on Tumblr? If so you are right, A lot of good info on there.

Yes!! She's great. It indulges my desire for information and also once in a while wanting to admit "yes Dylan did have a nice smile"

There are a few informative Columbine Tumblr blogs, but you must dig through the FanGirls to find them.

You are right, they are the kind of people who would barely give Eric and Dylan any time of day and the only reason they like them now is because they killed some people. From my experience with fangirls they seem to only pretend to have an interest in Columbine so they can appear quirky and weird.

InsaneIntruder wrote:

I bet most of these girls date jocks and would never date people like Eric and Dylan.

I agree wholeheartedly with this. These kids are so fast to say that they would have dated Eric or Dylan, would have accepted them, tried to help them, etc. Its SO easy to say what you would do in a situation you will never be faced with as E&D are dead.

Put these same girls in a room with guys who look and act similar to Eric or Dylan, who have the same sort of mental issues, and they would likely run for the door. Not all of them, but probably 95% would fight to be the first one out.