The events that occurred at the suburban high school in Littleton Colorado, on April 20, 1999 were extremely tragic. Thirteen students were killed, many others were injured and the rest of the country was left in shock and sorrow, and everyone was left asking the same questions, who could have done this and why? Anytime a tragedy occurs, society tries to analyze it, but will knowing whose fault it was and why they did it really matter? Even today, when killers are invading movie theaters and bombing marathons, we want to know who, how, and why…. but will knowing any of that change the outcome that has already occurred? Many people think that by knowing the answers to these questions then we will somehow be able to predict or prevent similar …show more content…
We are never going to be able to predict what, who, or how every individual human being is going to react to any given situation; yet, we still ask these questions. After the Columbine Massacre in 1999, many people blamed the actions of the two young killers on the violence that is portrayed in entertainment, specifically in the music of Marilyn Manson, whom the two boys idolized. Of course, it was later proven that Manson had nothing to do with the tragic events of that day, and in response to the blame that was placed on him, Manson wrote an article that was published in Rolling Stone Magazine. The article talks about why Manson thinks that society is entirely backwards, which is because we put killers on the covers magazines and on the front pages of newspapers. Manson believes that is part of the reason others …show more content…
Yet, on June 24, 2015 Billboard Magazine published an interview with Manson, in which he stated, "They put these two killers (Harris and Klebold) on the cover of Time magazine," Manson said. "I've never been on the cover of Time magazine. That's the whole point" (Billboard). So does Manson really believe that society is in the wrong or is he just bitter because Time magazine thought that the events that took place on that day were more important or more relevant than anything Marilyn Manson had done to
Marilyn Manson. Eminem. Limp Bizkit. Rammstein. All of these musical artists have been under fire in the past few years by government officials, the media, and activist groups. Supposedly, their music conveys too violent of a message. The sounds and words these artists have so carefully crafted have been targeted as the cause for violent acts, especially by young people. For example, Columbine shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold idolized German industrial bands such as Rammstein and KMFDM, as well as American shock rocker, Marilyn Manson. The public has been quick to blame these musicians for violence in the United States. People are calling for government regulations in the form of ratings, warnings, edited material, and even bans on such allegedly offensive music. But how far is too far? Should the government regulate what should rightfully be the responsibility - and the right - of parents or guardians?
The Oklahoma City Bombing was a domestic terrorist bomb attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in April 19, 1995. It was lead by Timothy McVeigh, an Army veteran of the Persian Gulf War. The explosive was a homemade bomb which was built by McVeigh and the help of Terry Nichols; the bomb consisted of a deadly cocktail and was put inside a rented Ryder truck in front of the Murrah Federal Building . McVeigh then proceeded out of the truck and headed towards his getaway car a few blocks away. He then started the detonation of the timed bomb at exactly 9:02 A.M. then the bomb exploded. To the people of Oklahoma it was a traumatizing moment for all, many lost families, dozens of cars were incinerated and more than 300 buildings were destroyed and caused about $652 million worth of damages. The “OKBOMB” affected hundreds of people; it killed “168 people -- 19 of them children -- and injured more than 500.” (CNN.com) Within 90 minutes of the explosion, McVeigh was pulled over 80 miles north of Oklahoma City by a state trooper who noticed McVeigh's missing license plate. He was later arrested for having a concealed weapon. From there, a investigation was held and agents found traces of chemicals on McVeigh’s clothing similar to the ones from the bomb. They learned that McVeigh’s plan was due to the anger over the events at Waco Siege two years earlier. The bombing investigation was one of the most exhaustive in FBI history; “the Bureau had conducted more than 28,000 interviews, followed some 43,000 investigative leads, amassed three-and-a-half tons of evidence, and reviewed nearly a billion pieces of information.” (FBI.com) Oklahoma City bombing was “considered the worst and the largest terrorist act eve...
The satanic cult panic in part contributed to the conviction of Misskelley, Echols and Baldwin. Baldwin himself describes this assumption; “I can see where they might think I was in a cult,” he said, in that 1993 interview, “because I wear Metallica T-shirts.” (Rich, 2013). The article goes on to explain that the crime happened at the end of the five-year satanic panic period that had plagued American popular culture. These boys did not dress like other teens; they did not listen to the same music. Metal music especially music from bands like Metallica were frowned upon because of their expletive lyrics. When the public established that the boys were different from them, they developed stories that would align with their beliefs. The article establishes that after several weeks of investigation and no clear leads, “rumors of satanic involvement assumed greater urgency” (Rich, 2013) By doi...
In conclusion, the Kent State shooting was a tragedy that has never really had anyone held responsible. Thirty-eight years later, “Official investigations as to exactly what happened at Kent State were inconclusive.” The days preceding the shootings, the students burned down the ROTC building, protested on the commons, and threw rubbish at police officers. The violent actions of the students put the law enforcement officials and National Guardsmen around them on edge. On the other side, the Guardsmen arrived in full combat gear to put down unarmed college students. There was no reason for the soldiers to fire at the students that were hundreds of feet away from them. Whether one of the soldiers fired in a moment of panic or if they were order to commence shooting may never be known.
The United States, land of the free and the home of the brave, has been through many historical shootings and bombings, Events like the Boston Marathon bombing is a great example of a horrific event that happened to the American soil. The Boston Marathon bombing was a terrorist attack that killed 3 innocent civilians and estimated an amount of 264 other innocent civilians were injured. The Boston Marathon occurred on Patriot's Day, the third Monday of April. The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by several cities in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States(Wikipedia). The Marathon is always held on Patriots’ Day. Also, it is the world’s oldest annual marathon. Amateur and professional runners from all around the world,
In the cases of school shootings that took place at Columbine High School, Sandy Hook Elementary, Virginia Tech University and Northern Illinois University, the media highly publicized the fact that the perpetrators were avid video gamers, but why is this important? The media want’s your attention and they are more than willing to say almost anything to get it. They reported that the perpetrators were avid gamers with the implication that there is a well establish connection between the two when there is not. They exploit the fear of parents and concerned citizens by not including relevant corresponding information in order to leave you more interested lea...
A day that was supposed to be happy turned in seconds. People were injured or killed. Family members were devastated. The Boston Marathon was supposed to be a fun and exciting day for people watching and for the runners. We shouldn’t take every moment for granted, because you never know when it might be your last day or what we might consider "normal." April 15th 2013, will always be a day remembered in history.
Charles Manson’s illicit upbringing contributed to the manipulative criminal he grew up to be. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1934 to an unmarried 16-year-old mother, and to a father he never met. When he was only 5-years-old, his mother was sentenced to prison for armed robbery. After moving from household to household in foster care, then later being expelled from boarding school, Manson commit his first crime in 1948 when he was caught and convicted for robbing a grocery store. He spent the rest of his adolescence and early adulthood in and out of jail for car theft, forging checks, and running a prostitution ring. In between sentences he married and divorced two women, and had two children. In prison, where he did most of his growing up, he learned to play the guitar, and became obsessed with the Beatles. Manson was released in the spring of 1967, despite asking to stay (Bugliosi 14-38). Manson never felt like he belonged to normal society, as he spent so much of his time in prison. “I never realized that the people outside [of prison] are much different from the people inside. People inside if you lie, you get punched… There’s a certain amount of truth in prison. And being raised in prison, I was pretty much raised in light of that truth” (Journey). ...
Manson had a plan in mind. When were the Beatles first? released "The White Album," it was a hit. Manson listened to it often. He had a great devotion to the Beatles, who he believed spoke to him across.
When 2 young men, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, went on a shooting spree in Littleton, Colorado, killing 15 people, including themselves, there was a public outcry for censorship of every type of entertainment and changes in gun laws despite Eric Harris’s journal entry titled, “Last Wishes” asking that no one be blamed, other than himself and Klebold, for the massacre (“As You Were”, par. 2). After the 1999 school shooting now simply known as Columbine, a “Newsweek” pole showed that, “about half of all Americans want to see the movie industry, the TV industry, computer game makers, Internet services and gun manufacturers and the NRA make major policy changes to help reduce teen violence” (Alter, par. 1). According to Dave Cullen in his article “Let the Litigation Begin” several lawsuits were filed against the parents of the two boys responsible for the shooting spree claiming that Harris’s and Klebold’s families, “breached their duty of care” by allowing their sons to amass a cache of illegal weapons (Cullen, par. 5). Although the boys’ parents denied such allegations, they settled out of court for $1.6 million (Cullen, par. 5)...
The event in Littleton, Colorado, 5 years ago was a shocking wake up call to our society. Because of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold’s fanaticism with artists such as Marilyn Manson, music was labeled as the culprit for negatively influencing the youth of America. Music is a tool of expression that an artist uses to vent their frustrations and to reveal their emotions. However, these artists do not see the moral boundary that they have crossed with their emotionally disturbing lyrics and dark melodies. To grab the attention of teenagers, musicians often produce music videos with a vivid portrayal of the song’s message. The heavy influence it has on kids today is in direct relation to the murders and shootings that are happening. The use of CD walkmans and the carelessness of parents are making it easier for children to get their hands on the “satanic music.” The anger expressed by these musicians shows the youth that violence is culturally acceptable. Due to the strong emotion that is portrayed in music, the youth responds to music more so than they do to video games, movies and TV. There are many components in music structure that influence violent behavior such as music videos, lyrics, style, and role model images.
Since violence had become part of every individual's life, they see it as a regular event, which reduces the hatred for violence. Nelson implies that when an individual get exposed to controversial violent acts such executions, those individuals are less likely to react and take action against this violent topic. Nelson argues that “Model of shaming-us into-action-by-unmasking-the-truth-of-our actions cannot hold a candle to our capacity to assimilate horrific images and to justify or shrug off horrific behavior” (Nelson 300). Desensitization to violence takes away the individual's senses of supporting “right” and “wrong” cause of violent acts. As a results, individuals either try to justify the violent acts or just ignore or deny. Likewise, instead of getting horrified by the news of the murder of Matt Shepard, some residents of Laramie became defensive, by attempting to deny the existence of intolerance in their town. Loffreda writes that‘“Hate is not a Wyoming value,’ residents kept telling each other, telling the visitor, telling the press. ‘We really take care of each other here,’ a woman told me one day in a coffee shop, echoing a dearly held ethos I’ve heard from many in Laramie ”(Loffreda 254). Media, through their twisting and manipulation of the murder was
Neither county police department really wanted to take responsibility for law enforcement in the area, so nobody kept an eye on Manson. Charles never let his family watch television or listen to the radio, which people say now, is the cause of what happened. Manson’s hard-core followers began to believe, without question, Manson’s claims that he was Jesus and his prophecies of a race war. Manson believed that there was still a tension between the blacks and whites and that would erupt into a cataclysmic race war ending in the slaughter of nearly all the white people. He called this doomsday “helter skelter.” His belief stated that while in the mist of these masseurs he and his family would stowaway in a deep hole in Death Valley. Upon the war’s end, the group would rise from the desert and rule the victorious blacks, whom Manson thought would be incapable of governing themselves. Manson became obsessed with the beetles white album, which included a song called “helter skelter.” Manson became impatient after his race war failed to
McBride states “In China, teens spray-paint graffiti on The Great Wall. In France, it has been blamed, unfairly, for the worst civil unrest that the country has seen in decades”(2, 7). Though this doesn’t make sense, how a music genre can be blamed for a violent act and not that it was a decision that the person made themselves. Hip Hop wasn’t made for young children to listen too, but due to our culture, all of the younger generations have been raised around it. It does influence people and but it doesn’t make decisions for them either, it’s the way the parents raise their children and common sense, not just some words written in a song they listen
...he death of his friend, but that does not mean he can undoubtedly lay blame to Oliver Stone’s movie. Because, like Marilyn Manson says in his essay, “Columbine: Whose Fault Is It?,” “If a kid is old enough to drive a car or buy a gun, isn’t he old enough to be held personally responsible for what he does with his car or gun?” (730). It is simply put, but it sends a clear message. People should be held accountable for their actions, because no matter how much they claim to be influenced, it is still their decision.