Quote:At the risk of opening a can of worms what has changed in our culture to make these tragedies possible?  I graduated HS in 1981 in a rural community. We wore knives on our belts all day long in school.  We had gun racks in our pick-ups with loaded guns hanging in them and they were in the parking lot all day long. We picked on each other, we cajoled each other, we were insensitive and at times down right cruel to each other.  In all that time the thought of going to the truck and pulling out the shotgun or whipping out the knife on your belt never occurred to us.  Sure we would throw a punch or two but when the fight was over it was over for the most part.  There was always a line you did not cross.  What happened to the lines?  What happened to make our egos so fragile that an insult turned into gun play?  

 

The bullying at Columbine went far beyond insults.  


I'd say that the bullying just got worse because everyone said "Oh it's just kids being kids".  They dismissed it as kids needing to 'toughen up' or kids just having 'fragile egos' as you say.  Compound the bullying with mental issues (which the shooters at Columbine had), and you get an unspeakable tragedy.  

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