[Rhiannon]

When I was first reading about the Columbine shootings, I had a thought that disturbed me very much: I suddenly found myself thinking about the individuals I would have sought out to shoot if I had massacred my high school 10 years ago. Of course I never would have done this – I’m not a violent person – but it bothered me that I still have so much residual anger and pain left over from my school outcast days. I was a brainy, painfully shy loner with few social skills who was harassed until about age 16. I was incredibly lonely. Things got much better for me as an adult. I came out of my shell almost immediately in college and found friends I could really relate to. Now, I’m an emotionally healthy adult (a few bad memories aside) with many friends and a loving partner, and I’m a few months shy of a PhD.

But yes, to answer your question, the alienation of outcasts is a big problem in high schools, and anyone who’s been an outcast can understand (though not condone) how a couple of kids could just snap.

User Detail :  

Name : Rhiannon, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 28, City : Minneapolis, State : MN, Country : United States, Occupation : Media studies graduate student,