Columbine High School Massacre in Marilyn Manson's Song Essay Example

Marilyn Manson's song seems to be conveying a certain message to the young generation .It is arguable that the lyrics might have been written as a satire of the society we live in. When he calls himself an ''ape of god'' he might be referring to the evolution theory of man, but yet again he terms himself as one who doesn't hate God, which clearly portrays his contradiction concerning religion and faith. He also in a way tries to confuse revolution and rebellion by showing the willingness to use violence when he says, ''I've got a face that's made for violence.'' Stereotypes teenagers might interpret the lyrics of his song in the wrong way and end up getting a rebellious attitude against most aspects of the authority and go against the rules imposed on them. The song basically is all about how teenagers have the pressure to choose the path they follow in their lives whether good or bad and how the try to fit in according to the expectations of the society.

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The common view portrayed by the shooters of the Columbine High School massacre, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, was that their violent actions was highly influenced by entertainment. The two apparently reported that they were Marilyn Manson's fans, but it was later proven to be false. This shows how behind every tragedy that occurs there is always the urge to put a blame on something or someone, thus sparking the debate on what really was the motive behind the act. Since the finger was initially pointed at Manson and his music influence, the interpretation of his lyrics seemed to fit the explanation behind the massacre.

Marilyn Manson's music is said to have promoted bad behavior of teenagers like violence, drug use and death. According to Marilyn in his interviews he said that most people tend to misinterpret his music and that his intention was only to challenge the societal views and norms and that one shouldn't be afraid to be different. According to America's constitution, it is allowed to keep and bear arms like the gun which was a major tool that was used in the Columbine attack. That's why according to Americans guns aren't something to be afraid of or careful with. Some may term the attack as a way to criticize the gun culture. To try and justify the act, the reason for the boys to conduct the mass murder was in a way influenced by the use of videogames. Thus many tend to wonder why more restrictions have not been put against such. Bullying has also been linked to have influenced the boys, since they had previously been victims of bullying during their past high school years.

Since there is no accurate answer as to why the tragedy occurred, people end up relying on the media for answers. The media generates mental and physical standards for the society to reach, creating a high expectation for the reliability of their sources of information. On the other hand, sources have vilified violent media to be the primary cause of violent behavior in teenagers and youths in reference to the Columbine High School shooting. We cannot fully blame the media for the horrendous crime, but we can say it has played a major role of influence.

The suspicion of the boys being part of the gothic culture, which was somehow influenced by the type of music they listened to, like Marilyn Manson's music was considered to be an influence. The culture is what may have introduced members of a gang called the trench coat mafia, who consisted of high school boys, who brought guns to the school. This was however proven to be false. Some Americans say that the then president of the United States of America having dropped a bomb at the time the massacre occurred which led to loss of lives might also have had an influence on the Columbine attack, even though no one is highlighting that. In societal context, the shootings were obviously not a sociological matter. According to research around 4,500 young people are killed every year in international shootings, of which thirty percent of them were suicides. To some people, the use of violence to achieve some intentions is acceptable. Going to the extent of accepting some violent behaviors increases violent acts.

The mystery surrounding the real intentions of the perpetrators of the Columbine High School massacre has impacted different views and opinions across citizens of the United States and the world at large. As much as people would want to blame it on Marilyn Manson, we have to understand that there is something wrong with how the society operates. There may have been a rush to blame someone or something, but this people or things had to be exceptions. If there is pressure to find the cause, then there is also pressure to avoid responsibility. School violence is happening more rapidly over the years and is developing into a complex problem.

Conclusion

The moment we all come to a conclusion that there is something amiss and that it can be fixed, then it would be time to all come together to exhibit definite solutions to help prevent more tragedies like that from happening.