Media hype, political posturing and turning youth into the "Scapegoat generation" all mark a senseless tragedy in a Colorado High School...

he 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.

Would prayer and public outbursts of religiosity have helped avert tragedy? Find out what Ron Barrier has to say...

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 1997 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.

   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.

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