Columbine

[ReB]

This is just a thread about me bitching, sorry. I am related to Eric Harris, one of the Columbine killers. Hes my 2nd cousin. Today in health class, we watched a video on bullying. Columbine was mentioned and I happend to tell the person next to me I'm related to Eric. The whole class heard I guess and started bitching at me like I am Eric. According to them sense I am related to him, I am going to do what he did. Now I dont wanna sound like I am defending him, but my whole family knows Eric was a good person. Bullying made him do what he did. I just think its ironic that we were watching a video on bullying, and they had to go and bully me.

[The Grand Nudger]

It's probably best practice to keep factoids like that to yourself, lesson learned right? I agree, the situation was ripe with irony.

[Rev. Rye]

This is just a thread about me bitching, sorry. I am related to Eric Harris, one of the Columbine killers. Hes my 2nd cousin. Today in health class, we watched a video on bullying. Columbine was mentioned and I happend to tell the person next to me I'm related to Eric. The whole class heard I guess and started bitching at me like I am Eric. According to them sense I am related to him, I am going to do what he did. Now I dont wanna sound like I am defending him, but my whole family knows Eric was a good person. Bullying made him do what he did. I just think its ironic that we were watching a video on bullying, and they had to go and bully me.

Really, I'm sorry if I may seem to be overstepping my bounds, after all, he is your second cousin. However, the fact is that the idea of him as a tragic figure led to a school shooting by bullying is just naive. I mean, there are certainly some shooters like that (Elizabeth Catherine Bush, who went from aspiring nun and human rights activist to school shooter comes to mind.) The fact is that Eric and Dylan had both had long-standing trouble with the juvenile authorities (I suppose the fact that Eric was the cold, calculating one makes it easier to believe that he was a tragic victim) and shortly before committing the massacre actually taunted the police who thought they had reformed. Furthermore, while they certainly were victims of bullies, they also dished out as good as they got to underclassmen and those they decided were "fags." And, I know it's really common for people around killers to be surprised that they, of all people, snapped.

Of course, he is still your second cousin, not mine.

[ReB]

^ Good point. But I'm just saying, Eric was just a troubled kid. If you knew him, you would say it too. (That he was good at heart I mean)

[Violet]

We all learn to keep information to ourselves the hard way... hopefully you learned much from this?

And yes, it is ridiculous to go from watching a video about bullying straight into bullying once again. Don't let it get to you though... some of us have had to cope with such bullying since we were in kindergarten. That said... I tell you the same thing I tell anyone smart: Get out. Go straight to college. It is just as much crap as highschool... but attending ASAP doesn't waste your time any longer than it must be wasted... whereas sitting though years of pointless high school will only serve to depress you.

[thesummerqueen]

Wow.

Stay in school, kid, but keep your family out of it.

Here's what I think you should have done: if you had actual insight into Eric being a good person, you should have brought up the troubles a child goes through because of bullying in a non-personal manner. Don't attach yourself to it. Use what you learned from the situation to bring perspective to other people, but you should know already from this board that people like to jump to conclusions. Be careful about the information you let out.

[frankiej]

You should have acted all crazy and slightly unhinged... They wouldn't say anything to you in fear of what you might do... I would take advantage of such a thing, but you might not be a scheming, evil genius like me >:}

[Violet]

Stay in school, kid, but keep your family out of it.

Can't kudos anything with this bold message attached to it.... so:

Here's what I think you should have done: if you had actual insight into Eric being a good person, you should have brought up the troubles a child goes through because of bullying in a non-personal manner. Don't attach yourself to it. Use what you learned from the situation to bring perspective to other people, but you should know already from this board that people like to jump to conclusions. Be careful about the information you let out.

+1

[downbeatplumb]

Or you could use it to your advantage.

If someones been bullying you look him dead in the eye and say 'thats what they did to my cousin eric' then twitch your eyebrows.

Or start obsesively cleaning something vaguely gun shaped, never taking your eyes off them.


By the way I had a relation that killed his brother with an axe, in the 1970s I think.

[Shell B]

I don't mean to be the douche here, but you're going to have to define "good at heart," if that term isn't obliterated by mass murder. Yes, bullying sucks. Yes, we should do more about it. However, most kids who are bullied don't turn into mass murderers. Mass murderer and bully victim are not synonymous. Those kids were fucked in the head and not just from bullying. I'm sorry to be insensitive, but do you ever hear people say Ted Kaczynski was "good at heart?" Nope. That is because he was an adult, so people weren't afraid to say he was a fucking lunatic. I'm sorry. I know he was your cousin, but don't kid yourself, buddy. He was troubled, at least. I just wouldn't go so far as to say "good at heart."

As for the situation, you have every right to say what you want to say. If they want to treat you like shit about it, that is their prerogative. Rise above it or really fucking scare them by coming to school in a trench coat. /kidding

ETA: For the record, someone in my family (particularly closely related, no twice removed about it) was a pretty horrible person, though by no means famous or even an uncommon type of total waste of human life. I don't delude myself in the slightest. He was a monstrosity. I say that as someone who was not a victim of his horribleness, so I have no bias on the matter. It is possible to be related to someone and make no excuses for their behavior. It is okay to say he was shite and move on with your life.