Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Columbine Killers: Preventable?
In my opinion, the tragedy of the Columbine Killers was very preventable. Eric Harris was very close to a full blown psychopath which is very rare in teens. His dad even made comments about how worried he was about Eric's actions and his lack of remorse. We did learn earlier that these traits could be suppressed by a healthy childhood, which he obviously did not receive. Because his father was always away, he didn't have adequate support or someone to help him cope with his problems. On the other hand, Dylan was simply suffering from depression and his fatal relationship with Eric resulted in him showing sociopathic traits himself. Klebold's parents once again didn't do anything to help him get past his issues, and his friendship with Eric lead him to more violent and destructive thoughts. There were numerous signs that this was going to happen including the website that Eric ran, in which he threatened to shoot certain people and that the pipe bombs were being made. Also, Dylan began to wear the strange coat that made people afraid of him, and he clearly enjoyed the power he felt with it. I think that all of these should have been treated much more seriously instead of being allowed to continue.
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I agree, I think the massacre was certainly preventable. Primarily, if Eric and Dylan had never crossed paths, the massacre probably couldn't have been executed by Eric alone. But given their friendship, Dylan's parents could have tried harder to help their son, hopefully before he became depressed and violent. Even before this, Dylan could have stood up for himself against the bullies, likely preventing him from becoming depressed. As you said, when Brooks Brown found the website where Eric said he wanted to kill him, he could have made more of an effort to discuss it with Eric or his family.
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ReplyDeleteI agree that the tragedy of the Columbine Killers was preventable. Eric's dad played a big role in his life. Even thought he was almost always away, for the times he is at home he should have disciplined him like a father should do. For example when Dylan and Eric hacked into the school's computer to look for locker code to send a threatening note to a student and the stole computer equipment. Eric's father always took his son side always blaming other people and denying that his son is at fault.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this massacre was preventable. The parents of Eric and Dylan should have realized something was not right, and stepped in, instead of letting their unacceptable behavior continue. Also, Eric would post things to his website talking about killing people and bombs he was making. Also, they made movies about killing people. If people had taken these signs more seriously, this tragedy definitely could have been prevented.
ReplyDeleteThe massacre was definitely preventable. During this event, Eric and Dylan were in a state of loneliness. Both had their own desire to feel a sense of self worth, and each of them provided that support for each other. Yes, they could have gotten help, but on a larger aspect, situational bias was a contributor. Due to the fact that no one pitched in to question the boys' actions, it caused a chain reaction where they were left alone.
ReplyDeleteI can see what you're trying to say, but I think that it is harder than what you make it seem it is. If we saw a kid in a trench coat and made weird videos, would we really be worried or just ignore it and tell ourselves it is nothing? Also for the very reason that the parents were not involved it made it easier for Dylan and Eric to go and get firearms. We cannot control what happens in someones life outside of school.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the shootings could have been prevented, but we cannot ignore the fact that their parents did show a concern towards the two boys. When the documentary had shown Dylan and his mom out at lunch, she had mentioned the coat, but he refused to take it off, thus ending their conversation on that topic. Even though it seems as if the parents tried to sweep the issues under the rug, it must be difficult being a parent and having a child struggle that much. Most people would not know what to do, and keeping their distance had seemed like the best option at the time.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the massacre could have been prevented had the families of Eric and Dylan stepped in after realizing there was something wrong, or even Brooks Brown after finding a death threat directed towards him on Eric's website. Dylan's parents could have worked harder to help their depressed son recover, and Eric's father even kept his son's actions documented so he could have stepped in. But at the same time, this seems a lot easier to do in theory. It is difficult to control what someone will do outside of school or whatever they are thinking without anyone else's knowledge.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with all the points you made, and I as well think that the Columbine incident was very preventable. I think it would have been difficult to solve Eric and Dylan's problems, especially since Eric was almost a full-blown psychopath, but I do think that if they had gotten some help the incident most likely would not have happened. But even still, we don't know if Eric would have done something like this later in life, even his psychopathic traits.
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