Originally published in Shawnee News, a middle school newspaper (June, 1999)
The question in this article’s headline is not going to be answered. The fact of the matter is, there may never be such an answer, for how can you explain the events in Littleton, Colorado? Or Jonesboro, Arkansas? Or Springfield, Oregon? Or Fayetteville, Tennessee? Or Edinboro, Pennsylvania?
It is common knowledge that Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889. Neo-Nazis across America may have celebrated that day, but none more than horribly than in Littleton. The group was called the Trenchcoat Mafia, and at least two of the members, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, went on a shooting spree exactly 110 years after Hitler’s birth in order to honor him. In the process, 15 people were murdered, and the lives of the students at Columbine were shattered forever.
For over a year, Klebold and Harris, among others, had planned their atrocious massacre. Since then, an entire nation is left wondering: Will this happen again? If so, where? Can we avoid it?
It is frightening that a fair percentage of our generation thinks that what happened at Columbine is cool. Some fail to realize the sorrow, fears and losses that accompany these tragedies. All we can do is hope that there aren’t copycat crimes. All we can do is hope that this will never happen again, anywhere. Even we, the students of Shawnee and the future freshmen and sophomores of Easton Area High School, could face a similar situation. For those of you in doubt, think of the fights that occur in the locker areas. It’s frightening. What’s even more frightening is that some students, with an attitude of complete neutrality toward the violence, jump up on the lockers to watch the fights, cheering on the “winner” and jeering the victim. It’s not that these kids are evil; they are simply neutral. We live in a society where violence isn’t that uncommon, and after awhile, it’s like, “who cares?”
You should. You should care. If there is some way we can avoid another Columbine incident from happening, stopping the violence that is occurring right now is a great way to start.