Great blog article on Columbine and school shootings: something irretrievably broken 4/20/99

I found this article interesting, from the blog Sophieology: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

She writes that Columbine was ''the greatest shift in both the physical and mental world of American teens.'', more so than 9/11. I'll agree with that. Something was broken at that moment. The start of the ''chain reaction'' Eric wanted to happen?

The author goes on to talk about gun control and how it's not exactly central to the massacre happening (stats included). Her main point is that there is something in the american school experience and maybe in the overall american psyche that provokes these shootings. There's been a 270% increase in mass shootings within the last 22 years.

My brother was in high school when 4/20/99 happened and there was constant talk about it afterward (as many of you may have experienced as well): talk of video games, trench coats being banned/looked down on, school security, guns, violence, etc. My friend had a trench exactly the same as E&D from 1995 onward. He retired it in 1999... And our high school was outside the US. So you can imagine the enormous impact it had on people's consciousness, even outside the american cultural arena.