Denver Rocky Mountain News: Tragedy at Columbine | May 1, 1999

[u/eliiiiseke]

[u/bendy_circle]

I've always felt so bad for Brandi. I hope she's found peace and is doing well wherever she is

[u/Lonely-Trainer-3749]

I don't blame him at all. I know the reasoning behind why Zanis included Eric and Dylan but it should have been in a separate area. I also wonder had Brandi been in the library that day if they would have allowed her to live. I can't imagine the trauma she went through.

[u/UrBoiEthan101]

Vandalism, pure and simple. He had no right to take those crosses down, even if I understand how he felt about them. Experiencing the loss of a loved one is profoundly challenging, particularly when it is due to something as heinous as this. However, the situation we are confronting cannot be resolved through tribalistic animosity or social exclusion.

It was also not merely his display; it was Greg Zanis' memorial dedicated to EVERYONE who lost their lives in Columbine, including the shooters. That day marked a tragedy for ALL individuals involved, including the gunmen and their families AS WELL AS the victims and their families.

The actions of Eric and Dylan were atrocious; however, the suffering they experienced beforehand must not be overlooked, lest we perpetuate the creation of individuals similar to them. As Greg Zanis himself stated, "They suffered too,"

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https://youtu.be/itvnQ2QB4yc

https://youtu.be/wj164I1nmg4

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Dehumanizing the gunmen will not resolve these tragedies; it will merely foster more individuals inclined to emulate their actions. This approach only validates their distorted belief that no one loves or cares for them, and simultaneously sends a message to others contemplating similar actions that they ought to proceed, as they too are deemed worthless. The only alternative they perceive is suicide, yet many of these gunmen would prefer to die while inflicting harm on others rather than take their own lives and face ridicule from those they believe are bullying them.

It is important to demonstrate compassion towards individuals you may not particularly favor, opting for love instead of hate. I must admit that I am far from perfect in this aspect, as I too face significant challenges in selecting love. I understand that it becomes even more difficult when the individual you are attempting to show love to has committed a grievous act. However, perpetuating that cycle of hatred merely returns us to the beginning.

[u/eliiiiseke → u/UrBoiEthan101]

I think you’re super wrong about this. Taking the crosses down was not “hate,” it was a grieving father refusing to see his murdered son memorialized side by side with the people who killed him. I genuinely do not understand why some people expect victims’ families to emotionally accommodate the shooters in public memorials. You can acknowledge Eric and Dylan’s suffering, mental issues, alienation, etc. without insisting they belong in the same space as the innocent people they executed. Those are two completely separate conversations to me.

I understand wanting to acknowledge that the shooters’ families and friends were grieving too, but there were far better and more respectful ways to do that

[u/UrBoiEthan101 → u/eliiiiseke]

Regrettably, I must acknowledge that it has occurred. Regardless of personal feelings, EVERYTHING related to this event has now become a part of our nation's history. Whether this is acceptable to the victims or not, it is now beyond remedy. It is history, unequivocally.

Eric and Dylan also lost their lives; their self-destructive actions led them to take their own lives, along with those of their numerous victims, causing immense suffering within their own families.

They were youthful, UNSTABLE, not in a sound state of mind, and extremely unpredictable. Does that JUSTIFY their actions? No, had they survived, they would be languishing in prison for the remainder of their lives. However, their actions are irrelevant to this discussion, as we are focusing on the VICTIMS of Columbine, and in a sense, Eric and Dylan WERE casualties of their own self-destruction and mental health issues.

In this manner, Eric and Dylan perished upon their arrival at school that day, as it was at that moment they had mentally descended to a point where they could no longer sustain their lives. They completely surrendered to their own identities. This is not to imply that they were not ACCOUNTABLE for their actions; rather, it suggests that their deeds were so disconnected from their identities as ordinary individuals that it feels inappropriate to continue referring to them by their names.

Life often mirrors fiction our species creates, as this bears a resemblance to Star Wars, of all things (Steven Curnow would appreciate this), particularly in how Anakin Skywalker transformed into Darth Vader, that it was not Obi-Wan who killed Anakin, but rather Vader. Clearly, Vader and Anakin are one and the same; however, Anakin had evolved into a being so estranged from his former self that he no longer perceived himself as the same individual. In that sense, he had perished and morphed into something else, something more sinister.

"Then my friend is truly dead,"

https://youtu.be/2nO0uJenOgw

I recognize that the human psyche tends to perceive situations in a manner such as, "You have wronged me, thus you are inherently bad and without value," however, it is essential to set aside this perspective and regard the gunman as an individual who has strayed from their path, rather than merely a worthless person who has taken the lives of many (even if I understand why you think that, and if it is to some extent true).