For seven years, I was a reporter for the Hobbs News Sun. It was my job to get the facts right in all my stories and to not make any connections that weren’t supported by my facts. As I am not perfect, sometimes I got facts wrong and had to correct them.
As an English major studying literature, I took facts and used them to make connections that, at some points, were tenuous at best. Being a subjective writer in that case allowed me freedom to skew facts.
I am bothered, however, when erroneous information is used to villainize people or make a weak connection between two people existing at different times in history.
Once again I had to see the Rachel’s Challenge presentation. I still contend it is a sad world when we have to be challenged to act like decent human beings to one another, but that is not the topic of this post.
During the presentation, the speaker and accompanying multimedia presentation connects Rachel Scott, the first one killed in the Columbine shooting, with Anne Frank who died in a concentration camp.
Granted, the two girls have common bonds. They both kept diaries. They both died young. They both wanted to impact the world. However the statement is made that “Both died because of one man: Adolf Hitler” The video then goes on to say that Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold planned the Columbine shootings for April 20th because it was Hitler’s birthday. Um…no.
Yes, in Eric’s writings there are mention of Hitler. Eric liked Hitler’s idea of killing those who were beneath him. Eric differs, however, in that he didn’t pick one race or ethnicity that was beneath him. Eric thought everyone was beneath him. He thought he was a superior being. He thought he was Godlike. And he was a psychopath. In one writing he praises Hitler, the next he condemns racists.
Dylan Klebold, on the other hand, was clinically depressed and suicidal. He likely saw the shootings as a way out. A way to commit suicide that wasn’t lonely. He was also Jewish.
April 20th was most likely picked because they weren’t ready on the original day of April 19th. Did they yell racial slurs at Isaiah Shoals? Yes. But Columbine was carried out by a psychopath and a boy who wanted to die. It was not some sort of Neo-Nazi hate crime. They killed 13 people regardless of race. They planted bombs around the school hoping to kill as many as they could. Not just the minority students or just the Christians. They wanted to kill everyone.
This is not to take away from the tragedy. They were wrong and it was an horrific day, but making connections that aren’t there to benefit and advance your cause.
A good research site on the event is:
Also there is a book
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