Stuart Henry School Violence Beyond Columbine Analysis

“Do you believe in God?” This was the last thing Rachel Scott, a recently born-again Christian, had heard before telling Eric Harris yes and then being shot to death at point blank range. This quote is from the infamous Columbine High School mass shooting in Littleton, Colorado. This incident caused much outrage and questioning from many parents and students about the safety of their well-being while in school. The concerns quickly leaked into the minds of US citizens, as nobody felt safe anywhere in public after the tragedy. The shootings caused mass hysteria and caused the nation to become more concerned about security. Even though it was a terrible tragedy and there is

Resolutions are vehemently being sought to protect schools from possible attacks and to objectively eradicate deadly school shootings altogether. Commonly, security officers are placed in schools in hopes that increased surveillance will inhibit violent outbreaks (Crawford and Burns 2016). Mixed evaluations have been found in association with security officers, while some benefits reportedly transpire, experiences of disparaging consequences remain a regrettable reality as well (Crawford and Burns 2016). Additionally, active shooter drills routinely occur at schools across the nation, however, as Jillian Peterson and James Densley report in their CNN article titled, “The Usual Approach to School Security Isn’t Working,” studies indicate that

On April 20, 1999, two disturbed teenage boys Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris began a killing rampage at Columbine High School in the suburban town of Littleton, Colorado. This was considered one of the worst school shootings to occur at that time. In the morning of April 20, before noon, the two juveniles had killed 13 people to include 12 students and 1 teacher; they also wounded another 23 people before turning the guns on themselves. This event would change the theories as to why school shootings would occur. (History)

I believe the biggest misconception I had about school shooters is their feelings, or what I assumed is a lack of. What I have learned about the feelings of school shooters is that there is typically a guiding factor or initial issue that festers in someone. Said issue causes this person or group of people to act out. From what I have observed, these students typically have the brightest futures yet remain the most misunderstood of all students.

There are many controversies and theories for explanations regarding school shootings. School shootings have been introduced into American society as almost a common trait. No other country in the world has dealt with this conflict as consistently. They are a trait that was brought about in the mid 1990’s and have escalated to become a common event among society. Statistically speaking there is a school shooting in the United States of America on average once a week. They were initiated in 1996, but the shooting at Columbine High School in 1999 was the one to spread the future wave. Although sociologists struggle to find out why school shooters decide to accomplice themselves in mass murder; they do realize one thing. Most of the future school

This article by Wondemaghen analyzes the theory of claims-making in school shootings and how this leads to the creation of ‘social’ problems. He asserts that these social problems often become the main focus of public attention, omitting objective subjects found in mass shootings. I will try to renovate this theory to show that this distortion of societal problems occurs as a result of social media’s platform of ‘death drive’, which frames only the violent details of school shootings, inevitably leading to arbitrary

Both the containment theory and the social bonding theory relate to the Columbine case, and can help us to understand why it may have happened. Both boys had their own significant issues whether they be internal or external. Looking at the containment theory first we can see that Harris had multiple problems in his external containment, he moved around a lot as a child meaning he never settles in one place. His relationships with friends were destroyed many times due to needing to pack up a move on, he one said “I have moved to different houses or locations about six times…I left behind some of the greatest friends I ever had…Loosing a friend is almost the worst thing to happen to a person” (Hong, 2011). Harris’ moved caused him to have a disconnect with stable relationships both with his family, and with peers. It pushed him towards deviant behaviour because he did not have the social experiences other teenagers would have, he was not able to make important relationships. Parent blame was another external containment factor, most victims families filed lawsuits against both boys parents. They had claimed that the parents neglected to prevent the tragedy, however neither boys

The aftermath of a school shooting is tragic, depressing, and causes hatred for the lives lost and the person who took them. Everyone, especially the media, tries to interpret why the shooter killed their victims, or why they felt the need to end others’ lives and their own. How We All Miss the Point on School Shootings, by Mark Manson, explains what and why these mass shootings happen. He starts by using examples of shootings and the murderer’s past. This article has great viewpoints, use of argumentative reasoning, and shows what truly happens in the hallways of a school shooting.

(Sub-subpoint 2) For example, a 12-year-old from Nevada opened fire at school because he was bullied. He was called “an idiot, a retard and gay”. (NY Daily News)

The documentary ‘Bowling for Columbine’ was put into production shortly after the shooting at Columbine High school and in it Michael Moore explores the reasoning behind America’s violent nature. Moore’s belief as too why there are more shootings in America is due to the relaxed gun laws in place in America. To show his point of view he uses a variety of persuasive techniques such as: visuals, audio/music, use of archival footage, political agenda/bias and scenes from various other documentaries. All of which he expertly strings together to influence the facts and opinions of other people.

Through reading “Columbine: Whose Fault is It?” by Marilyn Manson we can identify that the media had a great influence in the aftermath of the shooting, and who was the scapegoat for it, in other words who is to blame for what happened to those poor 13 innocent teenage kids. The Columbine High School massacre was an infamous event that went down as one of the worst shootings to happen to a high school in America. In 1999, a pair of two students named Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold decided to assault a school in Colorado named Columbine High School. Their intent was unknown, and because of that, many people started speculating as to why the duo decided to shoot up the school. Possible causes people came up with included them being bullied,

As the video moves on, they use Columbine as an example of childhood violence. Being from Colorado, I remember what an impact this had on my school security. I didn’t notice it much in elementary school, but more so in middle school and especially high school. Getting into my high school was a task, there were many check points and security guards. My school was in a very privileged area so any time they thought there was any sort of threat the cops were there in a second, but rarely anyone was

Envision waking up every morning to put on the same outfit and walk out the door, stress free. People would not have to worry about what fits, or what is fashionable at the time. Schools would not have to worry about inappropriate clothing but at the same time, that clothing may be a way for a student to express himself. Many schools view uniforms as a solution to several problems, but many schools view uniforms as a lack of self expression. School uniforms should continue, even though children may not get to express themselves, because they prohibit violence, provide cheaper lifestyles, and promote better education.

Youth violence in school continues to be a significant issue in the United States and research has repeatedly acknowledged being in a gang as one of the main causes of the violence in youths (Egley, Howell, & Harris, 2014; Huizinga & Lovegrove, 2009; Miller, 2001; Snyder & Sickmund, 2006). Youth violence can range from bullying, pushing/shoving, or emotional harm to gang violence or assault, with or without a weapon (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). Research shows that in recent years, gang activity has been steadily growing—outward from larger cities (Egley, Howell, & Harris, 2014)—and about 8 percent of the youths, who surveyed for the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, had belonged to a gang at some point between the

The movie, Freedom Writers did a very good job displaying the poor education system that was changing the lives of students already barely surviving in the violence and gangs. The use of the comparison of visuals what something the producers seemed to commonly use. The comparison of good to poor school materials was agonizing to see, especially with a up-close shot to Mrs. Gruwell trying to keep a smile on her face. Children are the future of our world, but many still will disown kids that aren 't the same ethnic background. Realizing this was essential, and luckily Erin Gruwell was able to do it and ultimately save her kids lives.