Essay Questions

How did mainstream media falsely portray the motive behind the shooting?

Mainstream media often talked about how Eric and Dylan were outsiders in a classical high school. There were also rumors about them being bullied and that the shooting was a revenge against their enemies. Another popular rumor was about the Trenchcoat Mafia, who Dylan and Eric supposedly were a part of, though they only spent their time playing video games. A lot of different myths floated around the time while investigators were trying to find out why the shooting happened, though all the myths were deemed untrue as the investigators found evidence such as the Eric’s journal and the videos the duo made together.

Dylan’s character is a lot easier to comprehend than Eric’s. Dylan was angry, depressed and suicidal. Ultimately, the plan was more of a fantastical suicide mission. Eric, on the other hand, was revealed to be a psychopath, as psychologists and investigators have dived further into his case. He didn’t have the ability to feel emotion the same way others do, which means that he didn’t feel neither guilt nor remorse. He had a superiority complex, and he wanted to punish the world for its inferiority, through a grand gesture that he would forever be remembered for.

Why does Dave Cullen argument that the shooting could have been averted?

Eric and Dylan were not hiding all the plans they had. They frequently posted videos, sent messages and Eric even had a webpage where he would express his feelings, sometimes even threatening to kill people for being insufficient. Their families even knew they were making bombs and practicing shooting firearms. If the people around Dylan and Eric had taken them seriously, they could have been brought to a psyche ward and been taken care of. Instead, everything the pair did was brushed of and the planning of the shooting/bombing was easy.

Why would Eric and Dylan consider the massacre a failure?

Eric and Dylan didn’t intent to let the massacre be labeled as a “school shooting”, it was supposed to be a bombing killing thousands of people, both students and the people that would come to rescue them. It was supposed to be a destruction America would remember forever and would let them feel the utter power the boys had. The guns they brought were only supposed to finish of the survivors. Blessedly, the bombs didn’t go off, and they decided to use their guns instead. Because they chose to use their school as their victim, it became labeled as a “school shooting”, though that wasn’t what it initially was supposed to be, which is why it could be considered a failure.