Columbine

[feradais]

During a school project i recently had, i was assigned to a group that i wasnt terribly excited in having. Four goths and me. Great movie title, but serously. Our project was to chose one influental moment in the past 100 years, and show the effects it had on mainstream media and international, national, and rural opinion. Me, i woudlve been happy with the microwave. ( if that was indeed made during the 1900's) But the even that my group chose, both greatly suprised me, and didnt suprise me at all. Columbine. The recent that it suprised me so, was because they didnt have a typical goth opinion. They didnt focus on the two killers. They didnt focus on the victoms. They focused on videogames. I must say i was impressed by thier research and in the end, even i was a little suprised at what they had done. They showed how in our society the blame is cast upon the easiest outlet, the source of which we all know here. They brought evidence, statements by the two teenagers who explicitely said they were not killing kids because of the games they played. They played recordings where they became angry at the thought of thier parents or videogames being blamed. Why they did it, no one knows. Yet, My conjecture, though very contreversial, which was denied by my teacher and fellow students, seemed to be well accepted among my group members. Maybe they just wanted to be heard. Maybe they wanted to change things. Maybe, They knew what they were doing. Im not condoning thier actions, i never will. it was a horrible tragedy that happend at columbine. But if you look at our history, horrible tragedys stem new found defenses and cause waves that come crashing upon the public and the government. They changed america. For a short time, they made us aware of the abuse in schools. The hypocrasy of the media. They made us afraid as parents afraid to let our children go to school, in the fear that our children could be at the recieving end of a gun. Now, like ive said before, im not good at explaing things very well. I ramble on. And i will probally always be known for not knowing where to post. But i said all that to say this.

Are you the kind of person who believes that the achievement of a utopian society is possible and will someday be a reality. Or do you believe in the apocalypse. Which has loosely, if nothing, to do with my top story. Or do you just not care.

Ps. i also had a little message in thier about judging people just by the way they look . cough cough goth.

[Dingy]

Big jump from topics, btw

Right, I'm going to go in order anyway. I remember being absolutely shaken, disturbeded and some-other-pompous-sounding-words-which-basically-mean-I-cried-my-fucking-eyes-out-for-a-while, when I heard about the incident. I remember reading all about Klebold and Harris and their journal entries, the victims and basically following the whole incident close enough to be termed a stalker of many a dead people.
I don't care if I'll get mocked at or flamed for saying this, but I saw Bowling for Columbine thrice and cried like a baby everytime. And if for nothing else, one should watch it for Manson's interview in it.
Not really wanting to get stuck on the movie alone, I think another thing that really enhanced my interest in the issue of school killings was Bang Bang, You're Dead. Again, if anyone cares, it's a freaking good movie, the play's way better though.

feradais, I don't know what to say about the latent message about judging people, but stereotypes are just horrid. They're the worst creation of mankind, well, since, pineapple cake or the Hydrogen bomb, but anyway. Passing a crazy judgement like stating the cause for murder as gaming, is just absolutely crazy, as mentioned earlier. It's clearly also the lack of responsibility, in my opinion, and equals to say something like "I killed you because God sent me to and because God told me you deserve it." (I am aware that theoretically, it's no use talking to a dead person). It's absconding accountability for one's actions and being callous and doing what the hell you feel like. So, even when parents or teachers or the bleeding govt. wants to blame a massacre on videogames, well, I would ask them to go hump a tree.

Are you the kind of person who believes that the achievement of a utopian society is possible and will someday be a reality. Or do you believe in the apocalypse. Which has loosely, if nothing, to do with my top story. Or do you just not care.

I'm afraid I don't understand how you're drawing the connection b/w Utopia and the end of the world. You can have an apocalypse even after Utopia has been achieved, in my opinion.
I personally, don't think Utopia is something that will ever be achieved, b/c I've always perceived it to be the ideal. And thus, it is meant to be strived towards and once it is seemingly achieved, humans conveniently create another ideal, so Utopia, I believe, cannot be achieved, for it is the ideal and remains in that realm solely.

[malice2501]

Hmm, i remember hearing about this when i was in the 7th or 8th grade. Though a sad event i didnt have to much sympathy for anyone (i rarely do) because it was something that had been brewing for a long time. All the signs were there, everyone turned a blind eye. In my school we had a kid named Lester, and he was a twisted fuck and we all knew it. he made a list of kids he wanted to kill (i was on it with a check and skull ) which i promptly stole out of his desk and told every teached i could about it (this was before columbine). I didnt want to die, and we all knew he was nuts. We solved our problem before it reached that level. Its sad that no one decided to act on before those kids got out of hand. (btw, im not discussing my pov guys)

To answer your question about Utopia, i dont think that it can ever exist on Earth. There are too many definitions of what perfection is to ever reach the level of a Pax Romana. The neo cons that run our country think that America is perfect the way it is right now with Bush in office, i disagree. Even if we ever able to get a perfect govt going, there would still be things like jealousy to throw the whole thing off. Also, as humans, we define joy through misery. So sad, but true.

oh yeah, i also agree that it wasnt video games that did it to them.

[Kosmo Yagkoto]

Something will always be wrong with the world. Not everyone is going to act how they are supposed to act or how you want them to act. Utopia is a nice thought, but never possible.

[Paladin_Hammer]

The whole Columbine thing did only one thing for me. It made me realize what I have to do to all the bullies in my school (never give me ideas. )

[goosethemighty]

Columbine sheds a great light on America and indeed dhte world as wesee it today. We live in the future, yet with all our technological advances its only technology and such that seperates us from our barbaric past. Its our barabaric that that is creeping back up on us. We are a peoplebent on out own destruction since the day we were born and till they day we kill our world or our species. i hate to say it but the human race is the cancer of the human race. We live to fulfill our happiest dreams yet indulge in our worst nightmares. We shut out the glorys of human kindness and replace in with death and decay as the prime meat of imgredience.

Worst part is is our violence is based on difference, anything different must be destroyed. Whats worse is that we are taught is school to be different to stand out. yet when we do so we are mocked and hated and destroyed. How can a school that preaches individuality force a iniform to protect an individual from his individuality? because it is the differecne from one human being to another that kills.

there will never be a utopia. Although I am one to believe such can be achieved there will never be one because the human race thrives on our own destruction.

[feradais]

Something will always be wrong with the world. Not everyone is going to act how they are supposed to act or how you want them to act. Utopia is a nice thought, but never possible.

Agreed.

Am i the only one seems to think something is horribly wrong with our society, since in my view, we live in a world where everything is convient and easily accessable, and yet we have the worst stress problems ever? Wrote a story on it once. yes. i write. if you feel like reading http://www.myspace.com/seespotdie is where its at. i know. myspace. cringe. Its amonst other writers, but the title of the blog is " yes, this is about you." im pretty sure. On that note, anyone else here aspiring novalists? or just writers in general?

and dingy, once agian i will blame the confusion on my horrible wording. I meant it along the lines of, Are you one who has hope for the human race, that we will someday overcome our jeoulusy, anger, rage, hatred, and bigotry, and come together as a utopian society. Or do you think that we will end up giving into mass hysteria, hate, and anger, Giving birth to the " apocalpyse" where all humans destroy eachother?

[feradais]

Columbine sheds a great light on America and indeed dhte world as wesee it today. We live in the future, yet with all our technological advances its only technology and such that seperates us from our barbaric past. Its our barabaric that that is creeping back up on us. We are a peoplebent on out own destruction since the day we were born and till they day we kill our world or our species. i hate to say it but the human race is the cancer of the human race. We live to fulfill our happiest dreams yet indulge in our worst nightmares. We shut out the glorys of human kindness and replace in with death and decay as the prime meat of imgredience.

Worst part is is our violence is based on difference, anything different must be destroyed. Whats worse is that we are taught is school to be different to stand out. yet when we do so we are mocked and hated and destroyed. How can a school that preaches individuality force a iniform to protect an individual from his individuality? because it is the differecne from one human being to another that kills.

there will never be a utopia. Although I am one to believe such can be achieved there will never be one because the human race thrives on our own destruction.

Thank god for the internet. You meet such good people. I dont think theres one thing you said in that statement that i dont agree with. Ive always found humans to be the funniest of gods creations. ( yes, i believe in god, and no, i have no religion, my belief's make no sense, and i usually contradict everything i believe with everything i say.) The word inhuman always struck me as odd. Here we have a species capable of mass slaughter, not just of other species, but themselves. We have murderers, rapists, Thiefs, and pedophiles. And yet we have the nerve to call someone or something inhuman? I agree with ambroce piece ( though, im not quite sure if hes the one that said it) when he said " Man is so Narcasistic, he made god in his own image" ( along the lines of that) and ive gone off on a tanget again. Basically my whole point was humans are evil. inherently i believe. and the word inhuman is both ironic and irrelavant in the grand scheme of things. Or maybe i just dont know what im talking about.

[Soeru]

During a school project i recently had, i was assigned to a group that i wasnt terribly excited in having. Four goths and me. Great movie title, but serously. Our project was to chose one influental moment in the past 100 years, and show the effects it had on mainstream media and international, national, and rural opinion. Me, i woudlve been happy with the microwave. ( if that was indeed made during the 1900's) But the even that my group chose, both greatly suprised me, and didnt suprise me at all. Columbine. The recent that it suprised me so, was because they didnt have a typical goth opinion. They didnt focus on the two killers. They didnt focus on the victoms. They focused on videogames. I must say i was impressed by thier research and in the end, even i was a little suprised at what they had done. They showed how in our society the blame is cast upon the easiest outlet, the source of which we all know here. They brought evidence, statements by the two teenagers who explicitely said they were not killing kids because of the games they played. They played recordings where they became angry at the thought of thier parents or videogames being blamed. Why they did it, no one knows. Yet, My conjecture, though very contreversial, which was denied by my teacher and fellow students, seemed to be well accepted among my group members. Maybe they just wanted to be heard. Maybe they wanted to change things. Maybe, They knew what they were doing. Im not condoning thier actions, i never will. it was a horrible tragedy that happend at columbine. But if you look at our history, horrible tragedys stem new found defenses and cause waves that come crashing upon the public and the government. They changed america. For a short time, they made us aware of the abuse in schools. The hypocrasy of the media. They made us afraid as parents afraid to let our children go to school, in the fear that our children could be at the recieving end of a gun. Now, like ive said before, im not good at explaing things very well. I ramble on. And i will probally always be known for not knowing where to post. But i said all that to say this.

Are you the kind of person who believes that the achievement of a utopian society is possible and will someday be a reality. Or do you believe in the apocalypse. Which has loosely, if nothing, to do with my top story. Or do you just not care.

Ps. i also had a little message in thier about judging people just by the way they look . cough cough goth.

I suggest you get a more qualified and open-minded teacher for your English class.

[goosethemighty]

edit: wasting space!

[feradais]

I suggest you get a more qualified and open-minded teacher for your English class.

if it was only that easy....

[goosethemighty]

Thank god for the internet. You meet such good people. I dont think theres one thing you said in that statement that i dont agree with. Ive always found humans to be the funniest of gods creations. ( yes, i believe in god, and no, i have no religion, my belief's make no sense, and i usually contradict everything i believe with everything i say.) The word inhuman always struck me as odd. Here we have a species capable of mass slaughter, not just of other species, but themselves. We have murderers, rapists, Thiefs, and pedophiles. And yet we have the nerve to call someone or something inhuman? I agree with ambroce piece ( though, im not quite sure if hes the one that said it) when he said " Man is so Narcasistic, he made god in his own image" ( along the lines of that) and ive gone off on a tanget again. Basically my whole point was humans are evil. inherently i believe. and the word inhuman is both ironic and irrelavant in the grand scheme of things. Or maybe i just dont know what im talking about.

Funny thing is, even thou we have mudrerous rapers, genocide and such we are quick to find outlets topoint the fingers at! people say its the violence in video games, movies comics and music and such. but the turht is those medias are just outlets that vomit our human existance back into our face. people say look at at prisons to see society, I say look at media to see our society. Entertainment thrives because it showcases what our existance has been since the day adam took the apple from Eve. Violence chaos and genocide. media isnt the scape goat its a visual portrait of the human race. Take away movies, video games, music, TV and art and what are you left with? The exact same thing we started with and race bent on its own destruction.

[austinsanity]

yea ur teacher is a weiner....

on topic id like to add that the columbine incident was not at all an isolated incident, merely a highly publicized incident that spawned many copy cats....tho they are fewer in number now, the idea is still there that something like this can happen...however, i think most people have different things on their mind nowadays in terms of social violence

the fact is that violence amongst teens has always been an issue in america since the 50s and i don't think the number of incidents has necessarily increased or decreased, i just think that the acts have gotten more and more atrocious and more publicized.

the columbine situation, to me, indicates that the two boys wanted to call attention to what they felt was a much larger problem, namely their own emotions. in no way does this absolve them from responsibility, rather it puts them in direct responsibility for dealing with their own feelings in this manner. if you really think about it, it was an incredibly selfish act. incredibly self absorbed to think that they had any right to make any judgements about the importance of life and death, including their own.

on stress level in america: i think that this is a phenomena that requires individual attention to each case. theres no reason why we all feel stressed out all the time because i think that most certainly the large majority of people are not. and i do not think that the circumstances that create stress for the other part of the population are exclusive to our country. with regards to violent incidents like columbine shootings, i think when people feel they have little or no outlet to get their feelings out of their own head and to see actual results of them, people resort to other forms of expression. if they cannot get their point across and have it taken seriously, many times people (of all ages, races, and ethnicities) feel that it is necessary to result to other more attention gathering forms of expression

with that said, i do not feel taht utopia is possible with the human race ever. i more or less agree with the aforementioned opinions in this thread but will also add that in light of my reaction to the previous topics, that PEOPLE ARE NOT PERFECT and therefor nothing they make is ever going to b perfect. this is the hardest thing to accept about life but the fact is its not meant to b all happiness and laughter. we see in science, in psychology, in spirituality, in food preparation, in acts of physical skill, and countless other subjects that all things that exist in our perception require an internal balance or sooner or later, will cease to exist...our lives and our society are no different

[youthquake]

there's always a question like this.

lying is the best policy in here, right? tell what you think needs to be said but know be aware of what wants to be heard. it's only a school paper.

[Roux!]

...since the day adam took the apple from Eve.

I have a serious problem with that statement...

Hey! Let's turn this into a religious debate! Yay! Where's Xena when you need her...?