Remembering Columbine

Bushman notes:

There is a profound difference between the two versions. In the fairy tale version, crazies are running amok and shooting students who proclaim their belief in god. Of course this adds to delusions among the faithful that the evil forces of the world are lined up against them. The other version shows that the crazies didn't give a shit if someone believed in god or not and even spared the girl (already wounded) who actually did make the statement.

Claire replied:

If you go back and read what was written on April 21 and 22, neither of these versions is presented. What *is* shown, in both the Post and the Rocky, is that there was chaos and terror in the library. Neither paper makes the case that the killers were targeting Christians. The story circulating among the students didn't make that argument either; the kids were telling the "yes" story because

(a) it *was* originally credited to Cassie, as Kevin notes, and

(b) it was some kind of comfort to them.

It was the adults who went ballistic, as usual, with the everyone-hates-Christians business, and that was later.

Call me picky but that seems like a hell of a difference to me. And the daughter's profound turnaround has absolutely nothing to do with the shooting.

No, it didn't, but it was ironic; her uncle, when I talked to him, characterized her old friends as being a lot like her killers. That was the only reason it was originally in the stories.

And, Lord, enough. It's appalling enough to think how far overboard both the papers are going to go on the anniversary. Let these kids rest, and let's focus on the real problem, which is NOT who said "Yes" but that there are angry, sick people who have easy access to weapons. Instead of going balls-out recreating a horrific tragedy a year later, we should be looking at why that happened, and how to identify and help the kids & others who aim to make Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold look like pikers.

-- Claire