-Caveat Lector-
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from: AMERICAN ATHEISTS
subject: AANEWS for April 22, 1999
A M E R I C A N A T H E I S T S
AANEWS
#560 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 4/22/99
http://www.atheists.org
ftp.atheists.org/pub/atheists/
http://www.americanatheist.org
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A Service of AMERICAN ATHEISTS
"For Reason and the First Amendment"
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SENSE AND NONSENSE FROM COLORADO
Media Hype, Political Posturing and Turning Youth Into The "Scapegoat"
Generation Mark A Senseless Tragedy In A Colorado High School
**
The list of villains is growing.
The deaths of 12 students and a teacher thus far from a shooting spree
in a Littleton, Colorado high school on Tuesday has media, political
figures, religious spokespersons and others speculating what might
have motivated the gunmen. What little is known about the two alleged
killers -- Eric Harris, 18 and Dylan Klebold, 17 -- is already being
diluted with considerable speculation and misinformation. From the
President of the United States to advocacy groups, even religious
right presidential candidate Gary Bauer of the Family research Council
(whose official campaign kickoff seems to have meshed conveniently
with the slayings), everyone has a theory, and a pet shopping list of
solutions.
* The involvement of the two youths with a group of disaffected
students called the "Trench Coat Mafia" has authorities wondering if
others might be involved. Harris and Klebold presumably committed
suicide after their rampage, but left behind a number of bombs and
other explosive devices which SWAT teams and bomb squads are still
finding throughout the school building. Jefferson County District
Attorney David Thomas told USA TODAY, "It is unclear how all these
devices got here and whether anyone assisted them."
As a result, there is considerable attention being paid to the "Trench
Coat Mafia." One theme in media coverage is that the group's members
dressed in black, wore trench coats, and were identified as part of a
"Goth" subculture. From there, the media has had a field day in
stereotyping "Goth" enthusiasts, even incorrectly identifying them
with the music of Marilyn Manson -- the cutting edge group which is
often the target of religious pickets and calls for censorship.
Manson has never identified himself as a "Goth," but that didn't stop
the speculation about interest in vampires, blood, Nazis, killing,
Adolph Hitler and a range of other topics that hang together more
through guilt-by-association than any coherent analysis and framework.
* As usual, there is a huge gap between media fueled public
perceptions of violence and the statistical facts. A USA TODAY-CNN
poll yesterday asked parents of school-age children "What are the
chances of a similar school shooting in your community?" A whopping
30% said "Very likely," and 38% responded, "Somewhat likely." A CNN
broadcast correspondent, though, noted that compared to other venues
and activities, the nation's schools are surprisingly safe; odds of
getting killed are less than one-in-one-million. A number of schools
in the last year have reported "problems with violence," but that can
consist of anything from a fist-fight to a shooting. According to the
National Center for Education Statistics, 90% of the nation's schools
reported no serious violent crime during the 1996-97 school year.
Among those which did, "violent crimes" included a wide range of
behaviors, ranging from murder, rape, and other sexual assaults to
robbery or a fist fight. Despite this statistical evidence pointing
to a relative scarcity of violence, though, the Colorado Association
of School Executives held a day long workshop for administrators in
"crisis response."
* The activities of two disturbed youngsters (possibly aided by a
handful of friends) has media, politicians and parents already
overreacting to a "climate of violence" which is supposedly swelling
to epidemic proportions. Denver closed all of its 12 high schools,
and two lower-grade schools, as police there requested time to invade
student lockers for bomb and drug searchers. Major League baseball
and hockey games in Colorado were canceled. Outside the state, the
media response was almost universal, as local televisions stations
focused on "the growing problem of school violence in our area." In
at least one Pennsylvania school district, a ban on trench coats was
announced. Meanwhile, President Clinton -- once a liberal
nonconformist -- announced that he was seeking federal assistance for
school districts wishing to implement dress codes.
* Who -- and what -- are to blame? Without even knowing much of the
details of what precisely transpired at Columbine High School, polling
respondents blamed "availability of guns" (60%), parents (50%), TV,
music and movies (49%), and even the internet (34%). Conspicuously
absent was "television news reporting," which has been shown to have a
poignant impact on its audience, whether it consists of youngsters or
mature adults. The "very effective" solutions which people chose were
equally broad and ambiguous. Gun control was a favorite (62%), along
with counseling (60%), metal-detectors (53%), restrictions on the
internet -- a scary 50% no-confidence vote in the First Amendment --
and equally simplistic, feel-good placebos like school dress codes
(36%) and even "body searches of students" (34%). There was no
discussion in any of the media reporting these figures of how students
might react to this, whether such steps had worked elsewhere, whether
they are constitutional, or if they might actually cause problems
rather than solve them.
* Coming in for a special bashing has been "nonconformity" and
"rebellion" amongst youngsters, especially anything suggestive of
"Goth." Tony Tribbey, a DJ and concert promoter in Denver, told MSNBC
that stores selling "Goth" clothing and music had been receiving
threats of violence (mirroring the events at Columbine), and charges
that they were centers of neo-Nazi intrigue. One voice of moderation,
at least concerning the "Goth" subculture, was an article by reporter
Elizabeth Weisein USA TODAY: "Goths are dark, not dangerous." She
noted, "Whatever the two young men in Colorado might have imagined
themselves to be, they weren't Goths. The morose community, much too
diffuse to be called a movement, is at its heart quiet, introverted
and pacifistic..."
But Goths are proving to be an easy target in this rush to judgment,
in part because they appear to embrace so much of what larger
bourgeois culture fears and rejects. Weise noted the fascination
"with horror-tinged mysteries, violence, supernatural effects and a
taste for the medieval." Other icons include interest in vampires,
death, morose scenes, music and philosophy and the "air of sullen
ennui..."
A posting on alt.culture describes "the original Goths" who were part
of the early 1980s London youth scene as "pale-faced, blackswathed,
hair-sprayed night dwellers, who worshipped imagery religious and
sacrilegious, consumptive poets, and all things spooky." Marilyn
Manson or other groups (such as Korn) which have been targets the
American Family Association and other religious indignation are not
really part of the Goth discography. And more: "Goth provides a
highly stylized, almost glamorous, alternative to punk fashion for
suburban rebels, as well as safe androgyny for boys..."
The case of the two youth identified in the Columbine shootings may
have eerie parallels in an incident that happened in April, 1997 in
the Mormon capital, Salt Lake City. The city's Tribune newspaper
noted the indictment of two boys, ages 14 and 15, supposedly involved
in the death of a 14-year old friend who happened to die of diabetic
shock in March during a "Goth" party. All of the provocative themes
and symbols which make for shock-journalism were present as well; the
party was a four-day Bacchanal "that included smoking marijuana and
taking LSD." Following the youth's death, other partygoers allegedly
"discussed dismemberment and burial," and even conducting a "howling
rite meant to open portals to the spirit world..." During the formal
funeral, somebody dropped a Satanic pentagram into the coffin.
"Misinformed About Goths," read one of the responses sent to the Salt
Lake City Tribune from an outraged, and more aware reader. "I've
never read a more hideously misinforming article on the Gothic
Subculture... Just because two teens are completely out of their
minds doesn't mean every last living Goth is like that." Amanda Wulff
continued that Goths "do not have a 'romance for death,' we simply
find it intriguing," and noted "The two boys in this particular crime
more than likely were Marilyn Manson followers (who, by the way, are
not Goths) and not Goths..."
There were some voices of caution and skepticism in the midst of the
media hype, though. Brian Levin, a professor of criminal justice at
the Richard Stockton State College in New Jersey declared, "You have
this elastic pool of troubled kids, and to blame any one movement is
shortsighted." The Rocky Mountain news even noted an observation by a
Dayton, Ohio police officer who tracks "youth cults," who remarked
that those who happen to dress in trench coats "can't be painted with
a single brush." Sgt. Dave Williams noted, "They're kind of the
outcasts already, so they take on the attributes of Goths."
Similar opinions reportedly emerged on chat rooms and news group
forums on the internet. But Margie Wait, Internet Representative for
American Atheists, noted a rise in the number of postings about the
shootings "which say that this wouldn't have happened if we had prayer
in the schools."
* The internet is likewise taking a lashing as an integral part of the
"Whirwind of violence, hate" which supposedly assaults and seduces
anyone who might log on to an inappropriate or questionable website.
Media coverage and commentary on the Littleton shootings seems to
blame a diffuse array of things internet-related, everything from
"hate" sites glorifying Adolph Hitler and Nazism or offering
instructions on making a pipe bomb, to "white supremacy chat rooms."
"Colorado shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold had Web pages and
frequented chat rooms," noted USA TODAY (4/22), as if trying to make a
semantic and conceptual link.
But just how effective are the hundreds of web sites which espouse
Nazi or other unpopular ideas? The Southern Poverty Law Center which
tracks hate groups, admits that while these sites have proliferated on
the internet, there seems to be little relationship between that and
the stagnating membership of these groups. As any web master knows,
hits to a site -- "eyeballs" -- do not magically translate into
lingering visits, return visitors, or dedicated recruits. Calls to
"regulate" the internet likely pose the same ethical and legal
dilemmas as attempts to throttle or control any other form of
communication -- radio, television, books, magazines, leaflets. If
anything, youngsters today are often savvy enough to circumvent "Net
Nanny" and other "parental controls"; and parents have to recognize
the aura that is created around anything banned or censored. Bottom
line is the rejoinder from the American Civil Liberties Union, that
the answer to "hateful" or "bad" speech is more, not less, speech.
* Would public recognition of Jesus magically have prevent Tuesday's
shootings, or other acts of senseless violence? The religious
dimension of the reaction to the Columbine High School tragedy has
become overwhelming. "United in Prayer" reads a caption to a photo
appearing in the Denver Rocky Mountain News, which shows a sea of
students with upraised arms -- many sporting "What Would Jesus Do?"
bracelets. Yesterday, President Clinton used the occasion of a speech
to White House volunteers to call for a moment of silent prayer,
informing the nation "that we continue to offer the people of
Colorado, the people of Littleton, the families involved, the sure
knowledge that all of America cares for them and is praying for
them..." Pope John Paul II sent a message "of his prayerful closeness
at this very difficult time," and couldn't resist the opportunity to
employ favorite Vatican phraseology, and broadcast his social agenda.
The pontiff declared, "American society as a whole will react to this
latest act of violence among the young by committing itself to
promoting and transmitting the moral vision and the values which alone
can ensure respect for the inviolable dignity of human life..."
Denver Archbishop Charles J. Chaput opined to reporters, "It's
obvious to me that the violence we experience in our very
sophisticated and comfortable society is the result of the coarsening
of the value of human life. Whether it's abortion, euthanasia, the
death penalty -- we see violence as a solution, and our attitude about
these issues carries over to young people..."
In addition, we have received numerous reports of local and national
call-in programs where listeners expressed the opinion that "we need
to put god and prayer back in our schools."
While sports programs and other events are being canceled, one event
which is sure to capitalize on the grief in Littleton is the Denver
Whole Life Expo which opens tomorrow in the Mile High City. "Many of
the nation's greatest philosophers, social commentators and spiritual
leaders are arriving," notes the PR News Wire, for "the nation's
premier event for natural health, personal growth, spirituality and
global transformation." A press broadside from the Expo declared, "In
light of the tragic shootings in Littleton, the Whole Life Expo wishes
to use the collective power of the events, its speakers, participants
and attendees to focus ... on creating a shared vision of healing and
hope."
New age - spirituality guru Marianne Williamson will conduct "a
dialogue about the healing process."
Expo organizer Justin Hilton declared, "There is a real need all
across this country and especially in Denver right now for a
collective healing of spirit." He added that "As many as 300 students
from Columbine High School, and students from other Denver area high
schools have been invited to participate in activities designed to
meet some of the need for healing tools in the aftermath of this
tragedy..."
* Free-floating social angst may be the most poignant reaction so far
to the shootings in Littleton. Families of three students killed in a
similar incident in 1977 in Paduchah, Kentucky blame the media; this
past week, they sued several entertainment companies for a whopping
$130 million, insisting that everything from violent movies and
computer games to internet pornography sites -- even a movie starring
Leonardo DiCaprio -- all contributed to the deaths of their children.
In that incident, a 14-year old freshman at Heath High School, Michael
Carneal, shot members of a student prayer group which had gather in
the school lobby. Initial reports incorrectly identified Carneal as a
troubled youngster who did not believe it god. The plaintiffs will
argue that Carneal was fascinated by violent computer games (some of
which may have also interested the two alleged shooters at Columbine
High School) such as Doom and Redneck Rampage. Carneal was also
allegedly inspired by a 1995 movie, "The Basketball Diaries," which
portrays the drug addicted character played by "Titanic" heartthrob
DiCaprio gunning down a teacher and classmates in a school.
The potential consequences to civil liberties and free expression of a
guilty verdict in this suit are manifold and frightening.
Reality Check Time
While no humane person would deny the horror of the events which have
taken place in Littleton, or at any of the other schools across the
nation which have experienced this sort of violence, the tone of media
coverage and commentary about these happenings may not reflect an
accurate picture of what is taking place. The total number of school
shootings being reported by the news media through the 1997-1999
period consists of incidents in Idaho (no injuries), Oregon (2
fatalities, more than 20 injured), Tennessee (one death), Pennsylvania
(teacher shot to death), Arkansas, (four students, one teacher killed,
ten persons injured), Kentucky (three students killed, five wounded)
and Mississippi (student kills mother then shoots nine students, two
fatally). All told, eight students -- out of nearly 85 million
enrolled in school systems throughout the nation -- were involved.
The Columbine tragedy brings this total to ten, perhaps more. The
total number of those killed or injured comes to fifty; out of this
number, 22 were fatalities.
While it is unfortunate that anyone is killed or hurt in such mayhem,
it hardly constitutes an "epidemic" or "whirlwind of violence" that
engulfs every young person not old enough to vote or drink alcohol
legally. If anything, the repetitious cant that youngsters are out of
control and need to be "monitored" is fostering a new mythology of
generational subversion where any teenager in a trench coat is assumed
to be a potential member of a killer cult, or is mentally disturbed.
Any of the external trappings and cliches associated with generational
revolt are branded as a threat to the family and the social order.
Indeed, in the public imagination, yesterday's "drug-crazed hippy "
has been replaced by a sinister figure wearing face make-up who
listens to certain types of music and does not "fit in" with prevalent
high school culture.
Were these sorts of stereotypes and cliches to be leveled against a
particular ethnic, racial or religious group in the society, there
would be an immediate -- and justifiable -- outcry. In this case,
however, the targets are relatively powerless. Youngsters are in
danger of being turned into generational scapegoats, a relatively easy
task since they cannot vote, are not organized into a political action
block (as are, say, gays or retired persons); and they are,
admittedly, often in a tumultuous and transitional point in their
lives. They thus constitute an easy and convenient target, one
exploited to obscure the deeper contradictions of society, while
affirming popular assumptions and hypocrisy as well. It is notable
that while deploring violence in the schools, President Clinton is
likely to use tens of thousands of young men and women -- most of whom
will be barely beyond the high school age -- for a possible ground
invasion in the Balkans. And whatever its justification, the civilian
carnage in Yugoslavia runs into the hundreds if not thousands; but our
response to that is put in an entirely different conceptual reference
frame, quite distinct from our reactions to the Littleton shootings.
Tragic as the slayings at Columbine High School are -- and we must
include shootings elsewhere as well -- one does not answer the "why"
of such an event by grasping for cliches about prayer or the need to
suspend the First Amendment, or declare a generational crack down.
The slayings are likely the work of two trouble youngsters, not an
entire generation or particular subcultures which fail to fit into our
neat preconceptions of dress, demeanor and social respectability. If
there is an epidemic in America, it is not one of violence (indeed,
many indicators of violent crime have been declining), but of
overreaction. Looking for answers and solutions requires not playing
"the blame game," and a commitment to reason, skepticism and caution.
**
'THE GREAT GOD DEBATE" SLATED FOR APRIL 24
"The Great God Debate" takes place on Saturday, April 24, 1999 in Red
Lion (near York), Pennsylvania. The debate will pit Ron Barrier with
Pennsylvania AA State Director Liz Burcin against Rev. William Read
and apologist Paul Copan of Atlanta, Ga. The event starts at 7:00
p.m. at the Fairmount Building, corner of Charles and Henrietta
Streets in Red Lion. Visit the Pennsylvania American Atheists web
site at http://www.atheists.org/pa/for more details.
**
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articles from the current or back issues, as well as special web-only
features. Visit us at http://www.americanatheists.org
* If you are a current member of American Atheists, sign up for our
e-mail discussion group, aachat. We have over 120 participants who
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