Culture & Lifestyle

Rant

Columbine... a different view.

Posted 37 months ago|9 comments|517 views
VIDEOS
Written by
This will be, perhaps, my most Controversial rant on here. That is ok. I have some strong opinions on the matter. That Said, let's get into this.

10 years ago, lives changed. People Died. As I sit and watch the interviews of the survivors of Columbine, I cannot help but think. There is one kid. The one who lost his Sister/Cousin/Girlfriend (I forget exactly). He stated that the last things he said to her that day were in anger as he slammed the car door in her face. He said the events had changed him. Made him treat everyone in his life better, Because you never know when they will be gone.

I, Personally have no sympathy for him. Nor any of the others affected. Mostly because I was in the same position as Dylan and Eric. I do NOT condone their actions, nor do I try to Glorify what they did, but, I understand it. You see, MOST likely, the way this guy treated that girl, was the way he had treated others. He most likely treated Dylan and Eric like they were worthless. As opposed to just Ignoring them and letting them live their life in the way they wanted, he probably saw fit, like many others did and do, to impose HIS ideals on others by Ridicule.

This begs the question. "If the events at Columbine had never happened, would he have come to this realization on his own?" Some people do, most, however, do not. They continue to abuse people all their lives. The Kids there that day can be seen as lucky IF it changed them at all.

As I Stated before, I understand the killers. My mind is strong enough to think of other ways to cope than just shoot everyone though. I Ignored it because I realized that it was not the fault of the Bully, but, years of Bull**** ingrained in them by their parents, and them by THEIR parents.

It is unfortunate that we need something as extreme as a mass shooting to act as a wake up call. It is almost a shame that we cannot treat people good all the time (Except online, making fun of people online is fun because, face it, we're just words on a screen You don't like it, don't read it) If you don't like what someone wears or how they look, that's not their problem, it is obviously yours. Usually related to some insecurity of yours. Don't attempt to make it their issue or Insecurity. The more they hate themselves, the less they care about you, your feelings and what pain they cause you. Believe me, the more pain they cause you the better. You deserve it. I can honestly state that, If I had decided to kill people back in the day, I would have not felt remorse for anyone I was going after. The Innocent Bystanders, yes. The ****s that made my life hell on a day to day basis when I really just wanted to be left alone, not one bit. The biggest reason I never did anything that stupid was that I realized it was, most likely, not them that caused them to be that way.

Look at society. We Condemn Murderers, yet we Glorify Troops in the Military. What are they doing? Murdering people in another country. Sure, the people they are Murdering are also murdering people. Either way, it is all murder and there is no line that I can see. The only difference, is that if you murder someone here, you are a Madman. Do it overseas in a "war" and you are a hero. A great example, The "Enemy" kills one of our troops, he's a vile human being to us, in his country, he is a hero. There are two sides to everything.

Some will see Dylan and Eric as Madmen. Some of the ones who have been in their shoes will view them as heroes. THAT has been proven with subsequent shootings that have mimicked Columbine. Me, though, I have observed humanity from my own bubble most of my life. Almost like an alien observing life here. Interacting with some, and ignored by most... and, Me? I think you are ALL crazy.
EMAIL|FLAG THIS POST
COMMENTS
Rudi Stettner
Rudi Stettner
 Moderator
37 months ago: When you ridicule or hurt someone, you don't know how it will damage them.One can always make the choice to react to one's own suffering at the hands of others by being kind rather than cruel and to not torment others. I believe you that you are not condoning what the Columbine shooters did. It would be a good idea to examine the quiet cruelties we inflict on others. Although I disagree with your comments about soldiers, your other points are well taken
TheLegendTomWing
TheLegendTomWing
 Administrator
Philadelphia, PA
37 months ago: I second Rudi, although i must say, i was not tormented in school, so i'm not sure how i would react. But i am pretty sure no amount of bullying is worth a shooting rampage.

Good post!
37 months ago: The Soldier thing... yeah... it is really a perspective thing. I have noticed that most people take the patriotic approach. "We need to support our Troops" and all that. I understand that. But, in my point of view, I don't think ANY Nation should be Killing anyone. It really solves nothing and causes pain and suffering on both sides. I am just disheartened that anyone has to kill to prove a point. Justified or not. Usually it is for Conquest, or forcing our ideals on someone else. Not unlike Bullying. Wars are like Columbine on a larger scale. So, why would anyone killing anyone be viewed differently than Eric and Dylan? Again, these are my feelings. I'm not attempting to make them yours, just offering a new view on the situation.

Sometimes I wish EVERYONE could step back and look at us as a species. Human Beings. without Bias or pre-conceived feelings. Like an alien visiting this planet would. Though, perhaps we would just seem as wild as the other animals around.
Rudi Stettner
Rudi Stettner
 Moderator
37 months ago: If someone is trying to kill me, I have a right to use deadly force to defend myself. This is different from killing someone because I dislike their accent or skin colour . In such a case, I agree with you. Unfortunately, sometimes the peaceful lives of gentle people must be safeguarded with deadly force. My attitude towards patriotism is the same as my love for my family. My love for my family deepens my appreciation for how other people feel about their families. Likewise, my patriotism deepens my appreciation for such feelings in others
37 months ago: Well Rudi got pretty close to my point on the soldier thing. To me if someone was breaking into my house to do my family harm I would go out and meet them and fight them to prevent them from that, I would kill or be killed defending my home. If I killed them I would have no regrets. Our military is suppose to be in this respect but on a larger scale. This is one reason the WW2 generation is regarded as the greatest generation because there was little doubt that Hitler and his allies would come to the U.S and implement the Nazi regime on us if left to do so. Yet many sacrificed they're lives outside the house to keep us from that and we still owe them our gratitude today.
As for the bullying thing I feel you made a valuable point and I commend you for looking farther in your heart at the time than the immediate pain you felt. I feel Dylan and Eric however took this pain into they're hearts and cultivated it. It is difficult to imagine doing such a horrendous thing but I do think you are correct in that we should try to find any good from a situation that we can and this would include to treat people better. This would not in my opinion however in anyway justify nor rationalize the terrible crimes they committed that day. Though they were young they were still old enough to realize what they were planning to do was wrong and to seek some help. A good thought provoking post here DS.
37 months ago: The military does everything it can to keep us safe. Soldiers are not a hero for murdering people, but using deadly force for stopping madmen that kill innocent people that behave like Eric and Dylan. The brave men that snipe terrorists are doing the best they can to make sure the lives of non terrorists are safer, and should not be condemned.
37 months ago: yES, Jakarta99, because the "Madman Terrorist" isn't possibly someone just defending their home and family. That makes sense. Terrorists can be defined many ways. We are viewed as such when we invade a country because our leader has a Vendetta against their Leader. The Terrorists attacked us originally because we were trying to enforce our beliefs on the whole world. The same reason we decided to attack Hitler. Soldiers killing people in a place that they really have no business makes them no better than the terrorists in the eyes of many.
37 months ago: sorry, this set up here is confusing... I meant SecretAgentMan, not Jakarta99.... :p

Post a Comment
Sign in or sign up to post a comment.