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The shooting at columbine high school sociology

About eleven old ages ago on Tuesday April 20th, 1999 ( day of remembrance of Hitler ‘ s birthday ) started out like any other twenty-four hours. Parent and kids in a little Colorado town both went their separate ways to work and school, neither overly concerned about the other or how their twenty-four hours would turn out but a twosome hours subsequently that would all alteration. On that twenty-four hours two seniors by the names of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold went on a sidesplitting fling killing 12 pupils and one instructor. The seniors besides injured 24 pupils straight and some that were seeking to get away before taking the guns on themselves and stoping their ain lives. The violent deaths created media craze sing Torahs that had to make with gun control, how easy it was to entree guns in the United States, and gun force refering childs ( Larkin 13 ) .

The slaughter besides created contention and treatment on the nature of high school coteries, intimidation, and besides how the function of violent films and video games affect a kid ‘ s head. The event besides changed the sum and grade of school security at that place was. The shot besides created a moral terror pointed at Goth civilization, societal castawaies of the school, violent music, how teens use the cyberspace and the usage of pharmaceutical anti-depressants by adolescents. Overall the shot brought up many issues that needed to be discussed in our civilization today so some sort of slaughter like this would non go on once more.

The biggest job that could be accountable for these slayings would be our civilization today. Our civilization today can be perceived by an foreigner to be highly violent particularly in our media. The media everyday particularly on the intelligence shows violent offenses being committed ; video games and movies are besides highly violent. Video games in today ‘ s society are pathetic with the sum of force that is shown. Games like Grand Theft Auto show aberrant work forces killing bulls, cocottes and guiltless civilians with a multiple array of arms. “ If we are willing to pay for violent “ amusement ” so we should anticipate our phantasies to infect our existent lives. At some point violent talk becomes a public menace ” ( Schweitzberger ) . In this quote Schweitzberger negotiations about how these violent picture games that kids in America are watching will act upon them in an highly negative manner to believe it ‘ s alright to perpetrate some of the flagitious offenses depicted in their picture games ( Larkin 28 ) .

Probably the biggest issue brought up by the shot was gun control. “ The two byproducts of that whole calamity were force in amusement, and gun control. And how perfect that that was the two things that we were traveling to speak about with the approaching election. And besides, so we forgot about Monica Lewinsky and we forgot about, uh, the President was hiting bombs overseas, yet I ‘ m a bad cat because I, good I sing some rock-and-roll vocals, and who ‘ s a bigger influence, the President or Marilyn Manson? I ‘ d wish to believe me, but I ‘ m traveling to travel with the President ” ( Manson Marilyn ) . Manson negotiations about in this quote how society blamed him for the Columbine shot because he is seen as a really aberrant figure and because the two male childs listened to his music. Manson explains how there is much more force so we seem to believe there is. He thinks America merely sees the consecutive frontward force like in his music but there non seeing what the president who is supposed to be America ‘ s graven image is making since on that twenty-four hours that the Columbine shot occurred more bombs were dropped by the United States on Kosovo than of all time before ( Bowling for Columbine ) .

The people in the little town in Colorado wanted to cognize why childs had such an easy entree to guns and other arms. Why was it so easy for under aged teens to acquire their custodies on them? Peoples wondered why this happened where in merely a town over in Littleton, Colorado a individual opening a bank history at the local subdivision received a free pistol merely for opening an history. They did n’t have a free ugly bag that was splattered with the name of the bank like most Bankss giver their clients for opening an history but a free violent death machine merely for subscribing a few documents and lodging a few dollars. The chief sociological position being upheld here is kids were seeing pieces as more of an accoutrement so a arm that was capable of mass devastation. Whether we want to acknowledge it or non our state loves force. There are changeless gun rallies where people preach about how good they feel about having a piece ( Kass 87 ) .

Merely two hebdomads after the shot at Columbine the NRA hosted a gun mass meeting in Littleton, Colorado merely 15 proceedingss off from the existent high school where the shots had taken topographic point. The sad portion was even after the people of Columbine asked for the mass meeting to be cancelled since everyone was still forenoon over the tragic loss of 13 people their petition was denied by the NRA. Alternatively the mass meeting took topographic point and a mass sum of people still attended. What does this state about our civilization? That praising 1s gun is more of import than regard or the fact that violent offenses are merely looked at non that large of trade these yearss since it happens everyplace. America ‘ s society whether we want to believe or non is a really violent society filled with offense and mayhem ( Kass 117 ) .

“ I am here today because my boy Daniel would desire me to be here today. If my boy Daniel was non one of the victims, he would be here with me today. Something is incorrect in this state when a kid can catch a gun, catch a gun so easy, and shoot a slug into the center of a kid ‘ s face, as my boy experienced. Something is incorrect. But the clip has come to come to understand that a Tech-9 semi-automatic -bullet arm like that, that killed my boy, is non used to kill cervid. It has no utile intent. It is clip to turn to this job ” ( male parent of Columbine victim ) . In this quotation mark the male parent of one of the victims makes a really good point. Why do American places have guns that normally are n’t used for runing? There is no demand for them yet 1 in every 3 places in America owns some sort of piece. In our civilization we feel this sense of fright particularly after 911 where we feel like we need to be prepared in instance person breaks into our place or bombs us or some other pathetic ground to hold a gun. It seems like our society lives in a province of fright all the clip. Since 911 place security systems have shot through the roof along with the sum of pieces purchased. Gross saless in both place security systems and pieces were said to duplicate since 911 ( Bowling for Columbine ) .

Columbine created a civilization daze among the state. Everything about the event such as the age of the pupils, the arms being used and the force that two immature persons could do was flooring to our society. The civilization shocked brought up all the media and gun issues antecedently mentioned. If these male childs were looked at before the shot they should hold already been labeled as highly aberrant figures. Before the hiting the male childs in their originative authorship category wrote narratives about killing animate beings and slaying people. The teachers did non catch until after that the names of these animate beings and people were most of the names of the childs who they killed in the shot ( Innes 221 ) .

Another mark should hold been a web site that the male childs created uncovering Nazi memorabilia every bit good as violent images most of which was even directed towards their ain schoolmates. In our civilization there are 10 values that the U. S. has. The 10 include: equal chance, accomplishment and success, material comfort, activity and work, practicality and efficiency, advancement, scientific discipline, democracy and free endeavor, freedom, and racism and group high quality. The first nine of these cardinal values neither male child had, nevertheless they did experience racism towards many of their schoolmates. On their web site they specifically targeted African Americans as an inferior race. Some of the chief values they did n’t hold were “ accomplishment and success ” because they invariably felt they were the lowest on the societal hierarchy in their high school and they felt that they did non hold any “ equal chances ” as their schoolmates. The male childs invariably felt that they were at a disadvantage to their fellow pupils. The male childs were invariably bullied and ridiculed throughout their high school calling and throughout the four old ages they were excessively fed up with the construct ( Kendall 113 ) .

Society had a complete deficiency of societal control over the male childs. The male childs did their ain thing and were complete perverts of society. They had no values in their society. In the “ basement tapes ” that were found after the violent deaths both male childs go into great item about how much at that place traveling to bask killing pupils at the school along with elaborate histories of killing animate beings in their country. When inquiring the pupils of how they viewed the two male childs they replied with similar replies “ castawaies, ” “ also-rans, ” and “ ciphers. ” Ethnocentrism is the pattern of judging another civilization by the criterions of their ain. The pupils felt that because they were different and non like them that they had the right to judge them ( Innes 71 ) .

Aberrance is the accepted misdemeanor of a societal norm. The male childs in the Columbine shot could be said to be really aberrant members of our society because of all the societal norms that they broke. “ Like biological theories, psychological accounts of aberrance focal point on abnormalcy in the single personality. Some personality traits are inherited, but most psychologists think that personality is shaped chiefly by societal experience. Aberrance, so, is viewed as the consequence of “ unsuccessful ” socialisation ” ( Macionis, John ) . In this quotation mark from a sociology book it fundamentally explains how the boys become pervert in their society. The bad societal experiences that these male childs had in high school or merely being made merriment of and ridiculed twenty-four hours in and twenty-four hours out has caused them to move out in their society in a really negative manner ( Vandenburgh 31 ) .

Durkheim created a theory that explained the map of aberrance in the structural map analysis. Durkheim fundamentally stated that there is nil unnatural about aberrance but instead it is a necessity in life to demo us right from incorrect. Durkheim came up with four basic regulations of this analysis. The first 1 was aberrance affirms cultural values and norms. Durkheim said that there ca n’t be evil without good and justness without offense. In the Columbine hiting it taught our society that the slayers even though were non put to justness were incorrect in what they did. They should hold talked to a counsellor about what was go oning alternatively of moving in a manner that they did. The 2nd regulation to the analysis is Reacting to deviance classifies moral boundaries. When society defines persons as pervert like in Columbine with the two slayers it shows people right from incorrect. In this instance it is incorrect to kill people merely because they were average or unfair to you. The right manner to manage this state of affairs would hold been to speak to person about their jobs like a head-shrinker who could of helped them acquire over their bad high school experiences ( Emile-Durkheim. com ) .

The 3rd regulation of Durkheim ‘ s functional analysis of aberrance is reacting to deviance brings people together. This regulation relates likely the most to Columbine because after the Columbine shots people truly came together to discourse what was truly incorrect in our school systems. Schools decided they needed to look for more marks of aberrant people and maintain a closer oculus on them every bit good as acquire better security for their schools so something like this shot wo n’t go on once more at another school. Peoples besides came together and discussed how much force was I our society and it sort of made everyone realize that society needs to halt allowing their kids watch these in writing images every bit good as proctor what their kids were watching on the cyberspace. This leads into Durkheim ‘ s concluding regulation about aberrance which is aberrance encourages societal alteration. After Columbine there was a batch of alteration made. Schools were going safer and more schools were engaging more counsel counsellors to speak and assist pupils about how they were experiencing. Gun control was besides improved upon. After Columbine, Colorado passed a jurisprudence saying that all pieces must hold a safety placed on them and besides stash them off from kids ( Emile-Durkheim. com ) .

The labeling theory besides had a immense impact on why these male childs killed. The labeling theory refers to informations that persons become pervert when either a aberrant label is placed on them or they adopt the label by exhibiting the behaviours, actions, and attitudes associated with the label. The labeling theory fundamentally states that people become aberrant when that individuality of the label they are given is forced upon them. The individual being labeled feels trapped within that label and that ‘ s when people that are labeled act out. In Columbine the male childs felt that there was no manner out of the labels that people put upon them so they decided to move out against the pupils who labeled them. The procedure of re-casting person ‘ s actions from the yesteryear in the facet of a present individuality is known as retrospective labeling. In Columbine Eric Harris and Dylan Kelbold were both re-cast after the awful shot took topographic point. Much of their old behaviour that led up to the shots had been relooked upon as pervert which they were labeled as after the shot ( Encyclopedia. com ) .

Another important portion of the labeling theory is the thought of a stigma. A stigma is a strongly negative label that greatly changes a individual ‘ s ego construct and societal individuality. Since high school is such an waxy portion of person ‘ s life the male childs could hold felt that since they were n’t “ cool ” in high school that there ne’er traveling to be “ cool ” and ever be “ also-rans. ” Eric Harris could besides be described as medically aberrant because he was really on medicine that was “ head neutering. ” Harris in the tapes the male childs made before hiting up the school talked about how he had stopped taking his medicine to allow the fury construct up indoors of him so it would be easier to kill all his fellow pupils easy. Since Harris had been harassed his full high school calling he had a batch of choler built up inside of him and the fact that he was n’t taking his prescribed medicine did n’t assist much ( Encyclopedia. com ) .

Both male childs had nil to lose they thought. They thought that if they merely kept populating their lives twenty-four hours in and twenty-four hours out that they would merely maintain being ridiculed unrelentingly and with no terminal in sight of this wretchedness halting the male childs thought up a program to stop it all. The male childs have ne’er felt in control of other people n their full lives. They were ever looked down upon in school and in the community so they knew by keeping the school surety they would eventually go in control for one time. “ Persons who feel they have small to lose by aberrance are likely to go regulation surfs ” ( Hirschi 17 ) . In Hirschi ‘ s Control Theory he outlines 4 basic beliefs that if person lacks they are able to easy go aberrant. No surprise that either of the male childs had any from halting them.

Hirschi ‘ s first belief was attachment because strong societal fond regards encourage conformance. Both of the male childs had no societal fond regards to anyone but themselves. Both of their households were considered to take portion in domestic force and even as childs they were treated dreadfully by their parents and household members. Both male childs felt entirely in the universe with no 1 to turn excessively. The 2nd belief was chance because the greater chance a individual has in their life makes the thought of aberrance vanish. Both male childs were portion of really low-income households and had awful classs in school. They knew that any sort of station secondary instruction was non in their hereafter. They felt that they would be stuck in their little Colorado town for forever. The 3rd belief was involvement because take parting in such activities as keeping a occupation or playing on a athleticss squad would give a individual less clip to prosecute or believe about aberrant activities. The male childs ne’er played athleticss or of all time even tried to acquire occupations. Student from the high school would state they would merely travel place and bent out in Harris ‘ s cellar until the following clip they had to travel to school and even so most of the clip they ne’er showed up. Hirschi ‘ s concluding belief was belief because holding a strong belief in morality and regard will do a individual non desire to perpetrate aberrant Acts of the Apostless. In the picture left behind that were made before the slaying called the “ basement tapes ” the male childs were both speaking about killing and tormenting animate beings for pattern on what they were traveling to make to their schoolmates. Clearly both male childs had no moral values or regard for anyone or anything ( Hirschi 87-93 ) .

The aberrance that the male childs had can besides concern their values of power. Aberrant people that we might see “ brainsick ” are non every bit bad as they are powerless. Take the male childs for illustration, at their high school they were seen as ciphers and were complete societal outcasts/ the male childs looked at themselves as powerless because they were ne’er seen as anybody. Even at place their household lives were the antonym of normal since both families were victims of domestic force. So after coming home from an atrocious twenty-four hours at school they would one time once more be ridiculed. The male childs so started believing of the thoughts on how to acquire retaliation on their schoolmates. The male childs wanted power because they ne’er had it so they feel by taking everyone at their school surety they can recover that power that they had lost after all these old ages of societal anguish ( Vandenburgh 111 ) .

Overall the shots at Columbine high school will travel down as the one of the most hideous events to of all time happen in American history. Over 20 people lost their lives that twenty-four hours and all this decease truly amounted to society opening up its eyes and seeing how media and the authorities influence us. The event truly opened our eyes to gun control and the sum of force that is taking topographic point in our society. It made everyone see merely how influential America ‘ s love matter with pieces and force can be. It merely took two immature outcast adolescents who decided they wanted to hit and kill several of their schoolmates.

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