Columbine High School Massacre - Social Reaction Theory
On
April 20th, 1999, Columbine High School in Colorado was subject to
two current students shooting and killing 12 people and leaving 24 injured (Kennedy,
2015). Many researchers have tried to identify the factors that led these young
men to participate in such disturbing actions. There are multiple theories that
may identify certain variables as to why school shootings may occur. I want to
focus on The Social Reaction Theory (also know as Labeling Theory), which is
centered on certain aspects of adolescents that can lead to delinquent
behavior.
Eric
Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, gunned down 32 people at their high school
in Littleton, Colorado, before committing suicide. The two students first
wanted to set off two bombs, which were placed inside their school with the
intension of killing 100’s (Kennedy, 2015). A journal kept by one of the boys
showed physical proof that they had been planning to bomb their school for over
a year (Howard, 2015). However, the bombs never went off so the students took
matters into their own hands. They paraded around their school shooting at
their victims. Why these students would seek out to kill their fellow
classmates is still a mystery. However, there have been certain theories that
bring into question their motives. The two young men were said to be “labeled as deviants and were bullied by their
peers” (Criminal Justice, 2015). Labels and the stigmas attached to them could
be a cause as to why this tragic incident occurred.
Social
Reaction Theory suggests that labeling someone’s behavior as unusual is biased
based on the attitude, values, or morals of the decision maker (Siegel, 2017). This
relates to Harris and Klebold because their peers labeled them as “odd.” They
were “members of a group of social outcasts that were fascinated by Goth
culture labeled the Trench Coat Mafia” (History, 2009). People labeled outsiders will reject the
ordinary group and often form a group made up of others with anti-social behaviors,
thus describing their association in the Trench Coat Mafia (Siegel, 2017).
This would also create a self-fulfilling prophecy for them because it predicts
their anti-social behavior. They start to believe what others believe about
them; that they were outcasts and did not belong.
Overall,
one single factor cannot be identified as the sole reason for causing this
horrifying tragedy. There are many different factors that must be explored and
even now a conclusion cannot be made. The Social Reaction Theory may help
illuminate some of the possible factors in this tragedy. The Social Reaction
Theory explains how people may become deviant when they start to identify with
the label that is forced upon them by society. The person being labeled may feel
stuck within this label, and that is when they begin to act out. Both boys were
depicted as misfits and made to feel they did not belong at school. They were
labeled and then went on to negatively act upon those labels.
However,
this theory could also just be an example of society trying to understand the
reasons behind this school shooting. This could be another conspiracy trying to
make sense of a catastrophe. Others may argue the labels given to them had no
effect because both boys were mentally ill, thus, influencing their decisions,
not their environment. Is this theory a culmination of miss guided perceptions that were conducted in
order to find answer swiftly? To say the Columbine High School shooting was a
tragic and devastating event would be an understatement and society may never
know the exact reason for the lives that were lost.
References
Criminal Justice. (2015, October 2).
Labeling Theories of School Violence: IresearchNet.
History.com. (2009). Columbine High
School Shootings.
Howard, A. (Director). (2015). Columbine High School Massacre: April 20,
1999. [Video]. United states: YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I89x4C853To
Kennedy, H. (2015, April 19). Columbine
shooting leaves 39 dead or injured in 1999. Daily News: New York Daily News.
Siegel, L.J. (2017). Juvenile
Delinquency: theory, practice, and law: WADSWORTH.
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