Essay on The Columbine Massacre - 1977 Words

During the past decade, America has witnessed a rise in mass murders carried out by youth leaving parents, teachers and school officials scrambling to figure out the motive behind such attacks. The 1999 massacre at Columbine High School was a watershed moment in American history that offered, besides grief and sorrow for lost loved ones, clues as to how to prevent copycat massacres at school campuses in the future. Theories abound in the hopes of explaining why Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 and injured 21 others, yet very few hold true as time progresses and other massacres unfold. Modern-day schools have atmospheres that foster bullying and a divided social class system. The attacks perpetrated by Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold†¦show more content†¦The line specifically, â€Å"who have chosen not to accept me, who have treated me like I am not worth their time are dead† suggests a sense of detachment from the larger body of students that led to being ridicu led and the subsequent decision to murder those who chose to not accept him. Not being accepted is a common element in any case of bullying; something about Harris and Klebold set them apart from their peers so much that it enabled the jeers and ridicule they were subjected to during their time at Columbine High School which, in turn, led Eric Harris to ultimately seek out revenge. According to Cindy Beltz’s research on the Columbine High School massacre, Harris and Klebold were taunted daily at school: Here one can see that the boys lived a nightmare as they were humiliated and forced to live through degrading treatment by students who felt they were superior to them. Yet the notion that bullying may have caused the massacre at Columbine High School is a chilling one, as it lessens the blame of the attack on the perpetrators themselves and further increases it on the students who actually bullied them as well as on the school officials who did nothing to discourage it. Elysa R. Safran writes in the Journal of Emotional Abuse: Here we can use Safran’s words and apply them to the Columbine massacre and we can see thatShow MoreRelatedThe Massacre Of The Columbine1418 Words   |  6 Pageswith the infamous Columbine. Columbine is a name that will forever resonate in the minds of those who have lived through and survived the bloody incident that will forever change the world. It only took Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold one day and a few weeks of careful planning to strike fear into the eyes of a whole nation and for some families bringing their happy lives tumbling down to sadness of losing a loved one. Twelve students and one teacher were killed in the deadliest massacre before Sandy HookRead MoreThe Columbine High School Massacre2062 Words   |  9 Pages On April 20, 1999 every American life was changed forever as the news broke of what would come to be known as the Columbine High School Massacre. Immediately reporters and psychologists alike began to ask the question; why? What could cause Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, eighteen and seventeen respectively, to go off the deep end and commit one of the worst mass shootings in history? Both seniors had less than two months left in their high school career, why would they choose to commit thisRead MoreThe Columbine High School Massacre1333 Words   |  6 PagesOver the past 30 years there have been a lot of events that have had an impact on the development of crisis intervention. One that really sticks out is the Columbine High School massacre. 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I choose this incident for my research based on the amount of school place violence that is being seen more and more rampant in today’s society. This paper will cover the background and events of that horrible day, the individual break down of both Harris and Klebolds demographics, define the crime committedRead MorePsychology Perspectives: Columbine Massacre1537 Words   |  7 PagesPerspectives of Psychology: Understanding the Columbine Massacre In Psychology, there are perspectives and approaches that are looked into when trying to understand how the intricate human mind works. These perspectives are respectfully derived from different ideas and time periods, exemplifying different ways of thinking. These perspectives include: sociocultural, biopsychological, psychodynamic, behaviorism, cognitive, and humanism. These approaches are critically essential in solving somethingRead MoreColumbine High School Massacre Essay1952 Words   |  8 PagesColumbine High School Massacre On Tuesday, April 20 1999, Columbine High School located in Columbine Colorado an unfortunate massacre happened and many teens lost their lives. The two students responsible for this incident were Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. These two senior students were responsible for killing twelve students and one teacher; they were also responsible for injuring an additional twenty one students on their rampage. A few other students were injured while trying to escapeRead MoreEssay on The Columbine Massacre and Increase Regulations Since Then2442 Words   |  10 Pages The day of the Columbine Massacre is a day that will forever burn a hole in America’s heart. The nation was shocked at the news that on April 20, 1999, high school seniors Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris went on a precisely planned shooting rampage at their school, Columbine High School. This event killed a total of thirteen individuals, including twelve students and one highly heroic teacher, and wounded many. The reportedly troubled boys had often accused others of having bullied them, which raisedRead MoreColumbine High School Massacre : Self Control Theory Essay1709 Words   |  7 PagesColumbine High School Massacre: Self-Control Theory Briselda Villalaz San Diego State University Introduction The Columbine High School Massacre was a school shooting that took place on April 20th, 1999 in Columbine, Colorado. It was a highly planned attacked that included a bomb to confused firefighters, propane tanks that were made into bombs to blow up the cafeteria, 99 explosive device, and some car bombs. The masterminds were Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, they were both seniors. 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