Engelsk-tema: High School Shootings

Source - Wikipedia:

A school shooting is an occurrence in which gun violence takes place at an educational institution. A school shooting involves a firearm being discharged at a school infrastructure, and may refer to incidents of shootings on a school bus or near school property while school is in session. A school shooting can happen anywhere in the world where there is an access to firearms. These shootings have sparked a political debate over whether firearms should be allowed in the classroom and if there should be stricter gun control.

There are notable school shootings in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, South America, Asia, the Oceanic region, and Africa, with the United States bringing the highest number of school-related shootings.

BRENDA ANN SPENCER

The Cleveland Elementary School shooting took place on January 29, 1979, in San Diego, California. Shots were fired at a public elementary school. The principal and a custodian were killed. Eight children and a police officer were injured. A 16-year-old girl, Brenda Spencer^[1] (born April 3, 1962), who lived in a house across the street from the school, was convicted of the shootings. Tried as an adult, Spencer pled guilty to two counts of murder and assault with a deadly weapon, and was given an indefinite sentence. She is currently in prison.

A reporter got through to Spencer after the shooting while she was still in the house. He said Spencer told him she carried out the shooting because she 'didn't like Mondays'.^[2] Spencer later said she did not recall making the remark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tKu2cgYW50
"- I DONT LIKE MONDAYS..."

Questions  and notations about Brenda Ann Spencer – I Don’t like Mondays – January 1979

It is a good idea to answer the questions before your examination.

What is the message of the song “I Don’t like Mondays”?

She was 16 but looked like a 13 year old little girl. Was she evil looking? –  or is that demonizing her?

She shows remorse while attempting to get parole in 2005. Does she mean it?

One policeman said that her shooting was a consequence of boredom, rage and no sense of guild. Is he right? If yes or no, explain why.

Her mother said that she was no monster. She was loving and caring all through her childhood until she snapped. Could the mother be right? Explain why.

Her father has isolated himself since the killing. Why do you think?

After the divorce in 1972 he had care of her and her two siblings. He hated society. Her mother was said to be very strict and severe – very “particular”. How could that have influenced little Brenda? – explain.

The father gave her a rifle for her birthday. Why could that be?

She said during an interview in 1973 that before the shooting she had been drunk and had smoked marihuana. After the arrest she was checked and was not intoxicated. Why did she lie?

During  an interview in 2001 she said that she felt neglected and was sexually abused by her father. She had never claimed that before. Why could that be?

Compare the differences and the similarities between Brenda Ann and Eric and Dylan from “Columbine”. What make teenagers make school killings?

WATCH THE DOCUMENTARY:

COLUMBINE SHOOTINGS
On April 20th, 1999 two teenagers, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold walked into their school in Columbine Colorado and began a one-hour long killing spree, which ended in the death of 12 of their fellow classmates and one teacher and left another 28 wounded. The shooters then took their own lives. The two teenage gunmen did not have a previous history of violence but were both enthusiasts of killing-oriented video games. The violence in video games was a major factor in teaching these kids how to shoot other people in real life. Violent video games can and have led children to committing acts of violence against other children and adults.
Growing children are easily influenced by the examples laid out before them. A young boy who plays hockey and follows the sport closely is probably more likely to resort to violence to solve a conflict than a boy whose role model is a pacifist folk-singer simply because violence and fighting is a prominent overtone of the sport. The same goes for a child who is very interested in one or more of the numerous video games available that focus on killing as their main theme. A child who plays violent video games will resort to violence more easily when faced with a problem than a child who has never been exposed to such interactive killing. Violent video games do not teach any other way to deal with a conflict. So a young, impressionable youth will be susceptible to resorting to violence if that child has been exposed to violent video games.
Some people claim:
Violence in video games can also act as a gateway to more serious forms of violence. If a child who has no interest or knowledge in guns and weaponry begins to play a "shoot-em-up" video game where the sole purpose is to kill other people that child could become interested in guns and move on to something more realistic such as pellet and paint ball weaponry. From there the child could move into actual guns when he/she is able to acquire such weapons and this could lead to school shootings. Do you agree or disagree?


Littleton, Colorado was a Midwestern city that went relatively unheard of until April 20 of 1999. It was on that Tuesday morning that Littleton became the site of the worst school shooting in American history, and for that the city has achieved notoriety.
The two people who engineered their hometown's infamy were Dylan Klebold, 17, and Eric Harris, 18. They are perhaps two of the most talked about teenagers in recent history, their names and faces stamped in the annals of American crime forever.
What made these two young men, who seemed to have no outwardly threatening, overtly violent tendencies, arm themselves to the teeth and blow away twelve classmates and a teacher, before each taking a bullet themselves? 


"You all better hide in your houses because I'm coming for EVERYONE soon, and i WILL be armed to the teeth and i WILL shoot to kill and i WILL KILL EVERYTHING!"
- Eric Harris, Journal Entry


LINK TO FIVE-PART DOCUMENTARY:https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=4u2j7hM8MPo

THE SURVEILLANCE VIDEO:
http://www.members.tripod.com/~VanessaWest/Faces_of_death_-_Columbine_High_School_Shootings.mpg

Great site and timeline about Columbine:
http://vanessawest.tripod.com/columbine-4.html

(You have to be able to answer this:)

About Dylan and Eric

The following questions are guidelines to help you. Please make notes or keywords for your examination.

- Can anyone be blamed for school shootings?

- What make teenagers kill other teenagers?

 - Why did Dylan and Eric do it? (bullying, outsiders, revenge?)

- Why did Dylan laugh during the slaughter?

 - Why did Eric lie about his vandalism? Why did he smash windscreens and destroy keyholes? Was it hate? Was he a psychopath?

- Why did they write diaries? Did he need domeone to confide in? Why did Dylan hate everybody?

- Why did they pretend to be movie gangsters?

- What could have prevented Columbine?

Example of an OUTLINE:

My topic: School shootings
Why did I choose this topic?
Interest
Know more about it
How can we stop the school shooting?
Security in school
Focus on students
Easy access to guns
Children and guns
Gun laws (NRA)
Violence in video games
What causes school shooting?
Hatred
Bullying
Too much violence in television
Political impact
Political position about guns
NRA
America vs. other countries
Easier to get a weapon
School shooting
Columbine high school
What happened?
Who was behind it?
Why did they do it?
My opinion
Can we stop it?
Movie: Bowling Columbine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_violence_in_the_United_States