Differences And Similarities Between Harris And Dylan Klebold

The Columbine High School shooting—one of the many horrific mass shootings in
U.S. history—affected the lives of many. The two shooters responsible were Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, internally known as the “Trenchcoat Mafia.” From the discovery of Dylan’s journal to Eric’s hate towards society, and the disturbing videos they had made prior to their attack. Their easy access to weapons allowed them to execute their plan.
Harris’s psychopathy and Klebold’s depression were one of the reasons why they plotted their attack. While Klebold was lonely, hot-headed and depressed, Harris was cold, calculating and sought revenge. One of the many things Harris wrote in his journal that expressed his calculating behavior was “I lie a lot, almost constantly and to everybody.” In the same manner, Klebold also wrote in his journal “I have lost my emotions. . .” to illustrate how depressed he was in his teenage years. Although both had mental instabilities and opposite personalities, they shared a common goal: to kill as many people as possible.

At school, Harris and Klebold were involved with many school activities, such as the following: acted in school plays; operated video productions; maintained the school’s computer servers. Furthermore, in December of 1998, they had produced a video titled “Hitmen for Hire” for a school project, where they displayed themes of violence, by shooting and killing students in their school hallway. The video was inspired by a film called The Natural Born Killers, which is about two men who went on a 52-person killing spree. Hitman for Hire was a preview of their future