History UsefulNotes / Columbine

* Creator/MichaelMoore's documentary ''Film/BowlingForColumbine'' examines [[UsefulNotes/AmericanGunPolitics America's obsession with guns and violence]], suggesting that it played a role in the shooting and pointing out that the [=NRA=] has done little to restrict the purchase of guns and ammunition for less-than-wholesome purposes. Moore also goes out of his way to state that guns themselves are not the problem, showcasing how {{Canada|Eh}} has a comparatively low rate of gun violence despite gun ownership rates being almost as high as in the United States. (As the saying goes: guns don't kill people, people kill people.[[note]]This is not to say, however, that someone with a gun, or even a knife, won't kill another living thing much more efficiently than someone who has no such thing.[[/note]]) The film's general theme is that no one has easy answers for the massacre. After all, both Harris and Klebold were bowlers--[[HitlerAteSugar could that have driven them to kill]]?

* ''Film/GingerSnaps'' was hit with Columbine-related controversy [[CanadaEh north of the border]]. News that Telefilm Canada was funding a "[[CowboyBebopAtHisComputer teen slasher flick]]" with a {{goth}} protagonist right after both Columbine and a copycat shooting in Alberta caused a media frenzy, which forced Telefilm Canada to publicly defend their decision. In the end, all the clamor may have helped a small, independent horror film [[NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity gain wider recognition]], as it wound up becoming the fifth highest-grossing Canadian film that year.

* The Columbine Massacre is the primary focus of the AlternateHistory story ''Literature/TerrorInLittleton''. In the timeline explored in this story, the bombs Harris and Klebold placed in the cafeteria exploded as they intended, and while they didn't collapse anything, it led to an even deadlier attack than what we got, not only resulting in the deaths of 269 people, including students, faculty, first responders, and [[InSpiteOfANail the shooters]], but also leaving the school itself in such poor condition that it's eventually torn down, with a new school being built where it once stood. The aftermath of the attack led to America becoming incredibly strict out of desperation to prevent another attack. The [[{{Goth}} emo subculture]] [[LonersAreFreaks becomes the subject of extreme prejudice]], stuff like black clothing and violent media is banned in several places (including homes and schools), and schools across the country (including colleges) adopt zero-tolerance policies. Not only does this result in situations such as a kid [[DisproportionateRetribution getting expelled from school for launching peas with a spoon]] [[DrivenToSuicide (and killing himself afterward)]], but it also results in [[ForWantOfANail a few changes in history]], such as Creator/JamesRolfe getting expelled and arrested for his violent videos, and [[Platform/MicrosoftWindows Bill Gates]] receiving death threats for his appearance in an ad for VideoGame/{{Doom}}.

* Not directly about the massacre, but "America's Suitehearts", a Music/FallOutBoy song about people getting famous for unsavory things, was written partially in response to the cult of celebrity around the killers that emerged on Website/MySpace in the early 2000s.

* One of the first submissions that put {{Website/Newgrounds}} on the map was site creator Tom Fulp's Columbine parody game ''[[http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/310349 Pico's School]]''. The setup: A bunch of goth/punk/neo-nazis kids went postal and turned the school into a battlefield. Now VideoGame/{{Pico}} must save the day by mowing down anything that moves--including InnocentBystanders, if you want--and killing the leader of the goths [[spoiler:who is an alien in disguise]] by ''[[GroinAttack shooting her groin with an assault rifle]]''. TheStinger reveals that the school opened again [[spoiler:with the goths replaced by gangster kids.]]

* Columbine is the reason why official Creator/{{Sega}} lightguns are region-locked out of the American UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast, as the console was released less than five months after the shooting. Fans of games such as ''[[VideoGame/HouseOfTheDead The House of the Dead 2]]'' had to use the scant few low-quality third-party guns available just so they could play those games.

* One of the characters in the VehicularCombat game ''VideoGame/{{Vigilante 8}}'' drives a bright yellow school bus that is prominently featured on the game's cover art. After Columbine, the makers of the games did not want to risk being associated with anything that so much as reminded people of violence in a school setting; for both the sequel (''Second Offense'') and the UsefulNotes/XboxLiveArcade remake of the first game, they swapped the school bus for a prison bus. A [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jms2zOU2MZE television advertisement]] for the original game, which featured a trashed school bus, was pulled for the same reason.

* In the AlternateHistory story ''Literature/PlayerTwoStart'', one of the butterflies is that [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Polly_Klaas Polly Klaas]] is never murdered, and she instead winds up becoming [[BeenThereShapedHistory a Forrest Gump-esque figure]] in the story. Her family moves to Littleton, Colorado in the late 1990s, and she enrolls in Columbine High School and interacts with Harris and Klebold. Her presence in the school has a profound impact on the shooting: Klebold drifts away from Harris and refuses to assist in his plot; Harris ultimately attempts to go it alone, but only manages to kill two people: Polly's best friend, Caitlyn, and [[DrivenToSuicide himself]]. Afterwards, a video game called ''The Darkest Night''[[note]]A witchcraft-themed, high school-set RPG for the Ultra Nintendo (TTL's version of the UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}}) with similarities to ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''[[/note]] winds up having a ton of emotional resonance for Polly, given the similarities between its plot twists and her own experience of losing her friend, which leads her to become a researcher of video games at Stanford in adulthood.\\

* The Columbine Massacre is the primary focus of the AlternateHistory story ''Literature/TerrorInLittleton''. In the timeline explored in this story, the bombs Harris and Klebold placed in the cafeteria exploded as they intended, and while they didn't collapse anything, it led to an even deadlier attack than what we got, not only resulting in the deaths of 269 people, including students, faculty, first responders, and [[InSpiteOfANail the shooters]], but also leaving the school itself in such poor condition that it's eventually torn down, with a new school being built where it once stood. The aftermath of the attack led to America becoming incredibly strict out of desperation to prevent another attack. The [[{{Goth}} emo subculture]] [[LonersAreFreaks becomes the subject of extreme prejudice]], stuff like black clothing and violent media is banned in several places (including homes and schools), and schools across the country (including colleges) adopt zero-tolerance policies. Not only does this result in situations such as a kid [[DisproportionateRetribution getting expelled from school for launching peas with a spoon]] [[DrivenToSuicide (and killing himself afterward)]], but it also results in [[ForWantOfANail a few changes in history]], such as Creator/JamesRolfe getting expelled and arrested for his violent videos, and [[UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows Bill Gates]] receiving death threats for his appearance in an ad for VideoGame/{{Doom}}.

But perhaps the most important effect of the massacre was the way that it shaped American popular culture for years to come. The most noticeable and immediate change was a trend of [[MediaWatchdog stiffer censorship]] against violence in movies and TV shows that lasted well into the TurnOfTheMillennium, and picked up further steam after the [[WardrobeMalfunction infamous]] UsefulNotes/SuperBowl XXXVIII halftime show. The teen {{horror}} genre, popularized by the likes of ''Film/Scream1996'', was all but dead by 2002 as depictions of young people being brutally murdered suddenly became [[DistancedFromCurrentEvents too unsettling]] for both the MoralGuardians and the target audiences of such media, and while ultraviolent horror movies did make a comeback soon after, the TorturePorn films of the '00s featured mostly adult protagonists. After a period of "too soon", school shootings became [[AxesAtSchool popular subject matter]] for RippedFromTheHeadlines programs, with the canonical example being the ''Series/LawAndOrder'' episode "School Daze", which was one of the first episodes of television to be advertised with such a slogan. The Columbine massacre, together with Woodstock '99 a few months later, arguably marked the beginning of the end for the viewpoints and culture of TheNineties, almost as much as the [[Film/GimmeShelter1970 Altamont]] [[AllBikersAreHellsAngels disaster]] and the [[UsefulNotes/CharlesManson Manson Family murders]] are said to have killed TheSixties, with the time between April 20, 1999 and [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror September 11, 2001]] marking [[EndOfAnEra a period of transition]] between TheNineties and the TurnOfTheMillennium.

* ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' was one of the many alleged inspirations for the killers, as they were both avid fans of the game. Harris made several custom maps for the game, which are still available for people to download.

* The Columbine Massacre is the primary focus of the AlternateHistory story ''Literature/TerrorInLittleton''. In the timeline explored in this story, the bombs Harris and Klebold placed in the cafeteria exploded as they intended, and while they didn't collapse anything, it led to an even deadlier attack than what we got, resulting in the deaths of 269 people, including student, faculty, first responders, and [[InSpiteOfANail the shooters]]. The aftermath of the attack led to America becoming incredibly strict out of desperation to prevent another attack. The [[{{Goth}} emo subculture]] [[LonersAreFreaks becomes the subject of extreme prejudice]], stuff like black clothing and violent media is banned in several places (including homes and schools), and schools across the country (including colleges) adopt zero-tolerance policies. Not only does this result in situations such as a kid [[DisproportionateRetribution getting expelled from school for launching peas with a spoon]] [[DrivenToSuicide (and killing himself afterward)]], but it also results in [[ForWantOfANail a few changes in history]], such as Creator/JamesRolfe getting expelled and arrested for his violent videos, and [[UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows Bill Gates]] receiving death threats for his appearance in an ad for VideoGame/{{Doom}}

* The Columbine Massacre is the primary focus of the AlternateHistory story ''Literature/TerrorInLittleton''. In the timeline explored in this story, the bombs Harris and Klebold placed in the cafeteria exploded as they intended, and while they didn't collapse anything, it led to an even deadlier attack than what we got, resulting in the deaths of 269 people, including student, faculty, first responders, and [[InSpiteOfANail the shooters]]. The aftermath of the attack led to America becoming incredibly strict out of desperation to prevent another attack. The [[Goth emo subculture]] [[LonersAreFreaks becomes the subject of extreme prejudice]], stuff like black clothing and violent media is banned in several places (including homes and schools), and schools across the country (including colleges) adopt zero-tolerance policies. Not only does this result in situations such as a kid [[DisproportionateRetribution getting expelled from school for launching peas with a spoon]] [[DrivenToSuicide (and killing himself afterward)]], but it also results in [[ForWantOfANail a few changes in history]], such as Creator/JamesRolfe getting expelled and arrested for his violent videos, and [[UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows Bill Gates]] receiving death threats for his appearance in an ad for VideoGame/{{Doom}}

* The Columbine Massacre is the primary focus of the AlternateHistory story ''Literature/TerrorInLittleton''. In the timeline explored in this story, the bombs Harris and Klebold placed in the cafeteria exploded as they intended, and while they didn't collapse anything, it led to an even deadlier attack than what we got, resulting in the deaths of 269 people, including student, faculty, first responders, and [[InSpiteOfANail the shooters]]. The aftermath of the attack led to America becoming incredibly strict out of desperation to prevent another attack. The [[Goth emo subculture]] [[LonersAreFreaks becomes the subject of extreme prejudice]], stuff like black clothing and violent media is banned in several places (including homes and schools), and schools across the country (including colleges) adopt zero-tolerance policies. Not only does this result in situations such as a kid [[DisproportianateRetribution getting expelled from school for launching peas with a spoon]] [[DrivenToSuicide (and killing himself afterward)]], but it also results in [[ForWantOfANail a few changes in history]], such as Creator/JamesRolfe getting expelled and arrested for his violent videos, and [[UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows Bill Gates]] receiving death threats for his appearance in an ad for VideoGame/{{Doom}}

* The Columbine Massacre is the primary focus of the AlternateHistory story ''Literature/TerrorInLittleton''. In the timeline explored in this story, the bombs Harris and Klebold placed in the cafeteria exploded as they intended, and while they didn't collapse anything, it led to an even deadlier attack than what we got, resulting in the deaths of 269 people, including student, faculty, and first responders. The aftermath of the attack led to America becoming incredibly strict out of desperation to prevent another attack. The emo subculture becomes the subject of extreme prejudice, stuff like black clothing and violent media are banned in several places (including homes and schools), and schools across the country (including colleges) adopt zero-tolerance policies. Not only does this result in situations such as a kid getting expelled from school for launching peas with a spoon (and killing himself afterward), but it also results in a few changes in history, such as Creator/JamesRolfe getting expelled and arrested for his violent videos, and Creator/BillGates receiving death threats for his appearance in an ad for VideoGame/{{Doom}}

* The flash game ''The Classroom'' references Columbine when a student brings a gun on the last day of school and kills a teacher and another student before turning the gun on himself.

* Several ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' episodes which dealt with mental illness, suicide, and death were not rerun on Denver-area Fox affiliates or syndicated on other area channels for some time after the massacre. These included the "Propane Boom" two-parter about the Mega-Lo-Mart explosion, Hank's ensuing fear of propane, and [[spoiler:Luanne's difficulty grieving for Buckley's death]]; "Pretty, Pretty Dresses", which was about Bill's suicidal depression; and "Dog Dale Afternoon", which contains a scene where Dale is [[ItMakesSenseInContext mistaken for a sniper in a college bell tower and Hank is later shot by police but survives since he is wearing a bulletproof vest]].\\
\\
"Revenge of the Lutefisk," which is about the church accidentally being burned down, was scheduled to air on the day of the massacre but was pre-empted in Denver by continuing news coverage about Columbine. That episode was not shown or rerun for a long time there either.\\
\\
One episode that Denver-area channels did air during this time was "Wings of the Dope", in which [[spoiler:Buckley comes back as an angel]]. Mike Judge [[https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/1330542-i-don-t-get-as-much-fan-mail-as-an-actor got a letter]] a month after that episode's premiere from a student at Columbine who was in the school during the shooting and had watched the episode. She said that the episode had helped her cope with the death of her boyfriend...who was one of the killers.

On Tuesday, April 20, 1999, Eric David Harris (age 18) and Dylan Bennet Klebold (age 17) entered Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado and opened fire on their fellow students. By the end of their violent rampage, fifteen people were dead--twelve students, one teacher, and the killers themselves--and another 24 were injured. Following the shooting, everybody in America, from politicians to reporters, ran around like headless chickens in attempts to recount what had happened. This page is [[Website/TVTropes our]] attempt.

** In 2013, Columbine was part of a [[http://www.theonion.com/articles/slideshow-10-things-that-will-make-you-super-nosta,32013/#4 "10 Things That Will Make You SUPER Nostalgic For The '90s"]] slideshow of real photos, along with the Rwandan genocide, the Oklahoma City bombing, the Waco siege, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and Alan Alda]], in a brutal mockery of the NostalgiaFilter for the decade in TheNewTens.

[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]

* Creator/WarnerBros initially censored parts of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyondReturnOfTheJoker'' as a direct response to Columbine. The studio later released the original version of the film as the "uncut" version; the edited version has since become harder to find, legally or otherwise.

* The original theatrical poster for ''WesternAnimation/TitanAE'' had Cale Tucker running around shooting a laser gun, followed by love interest Akima. This was released during the fallout of the massacre, however, and movie studios were facing heavy criticism for violence in films. For the VHS and DVD box art, Cale makes the same running pose, but this time shows Akima the map with his hand outstretched toward it in place of the gun.

-->--''Film/BowlingForColumbine''

[[folder: Background]]

[[folder: The Massacre]]

[[folder: Aftermath]]
Although school shootings are a relatively--some would say distressingly--common occurrence in the United States (there had been one almost every year [[OlderThanTheyThink since 1966]])[[note]]That said, the worst-ever attack on a school in the US remains [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bath_School_disaster the bombing of an elementary school]] in Bath Township, Michigan, which happened in 1927.[[/note]], the Columbine massacre quickly entered the halls of infamy for both its then-unprecedented scale and being the first major shooting spree to happen in the age of {{cell phone}}s and [[TwentyFourHourNewsNetworks the 24-hour, always-on-the-air news cycle]]. The massacre was covered on national news as it was happening, in a way that previous ones never were. Future school shootings, including those with far higher body counts like Virginia Tech (33 dead, 23 injured), Sandy Hook (28 dead, 2 injured), Stoneman Douglas (17 dead, 17 injured), and Robb Elementary (22 dead, 18 injured), would always find themselves in Columbine's shadow. The {{irony}} of all this media attention is that [[ThanatosGambit it gave Harris and Klebold exactly what they wanted]]: their names [[FameThroughInfamy burned into the history books, whether or not the historians writing said books took favor towards it]].\\

[[folder:Film]]

--> ''When a dude's getting bullied and shoots up his school''
--> ''And they blame it on Music/{{Marilyn|Manson}} and the [[DrugsAreBad heroin]]''
--> ''[[ParentalNeglect Where were the parents at]], and look where it's at''
--> ''Middle America, ''now'' it's a tragedy, ''now'' it's so sad to see''
--> ''An upper-class city having this happening.''

[[folder:Stand-up Comedy]]

* In one of the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' DVD commentaries, Creator/TreyParkerAndMattStone say that despite paving the way for many things to be acceptable on television today that were not acceptable in the 1990s (such as certain swear words, jokes about AIDS, and gay characters), due to the Columbine shooting, it was no longer acceptable for them to depict the boys with guns as the subject was no longer considered funny--especially since Matt Stone not only lived in Littleton, but had loosely based the town of South Park off of the area. Years later, they began doing it again.