Decius wrote:

flynn23 wrote:
It's too simple to say it was mental illness or that it was Marilyn Manson.

FWIW I don't think those two explanations are comparable. This article does better than that CNN piece in laying it out.

I didn't intend them as comparable, but more like opposite ends of an equally ill-formed continuum. There's no silver bullet here. Even after reading the article, which actually convinces me more about my original theory that there was somewhat of a love affair between Harris and Kleibold, it's not as simple to say that Harris was a psychopath. He could've chosen many other methods of acting out on that, including going to Wall Street or running for public office. But they didn't. They chose a school.

I do agree with the Slate article that this was more about an art project. They were seeking to be the most horrific terrors with one master stroke. Their plan was brilliant to that end. But as many things, execution (no pun intended) is everything.

But none of these things were the "cause".

RE: Columbine