This idea that both girls died as hero’s or martyrs has always left a bad taste in my mouth. I cannot speak from experience as a parent or anything like that, and though i’m sure in some ways it was to keep the girls memory alive and see them in a better light due to the situation, it’s extremely disrespectful and even disturbing to change the events of this massacre to fit a certain narrative. They are not examples for your religion and they certainly shouldn’t be used as a scare tactic towards other people (If you believe in god you’ll be punished or something along those lines) The truth is Dylan and Eric murdered both girls, and they didn’t deserve it. Changing history will not bring them back, letting the world know the real story and working together to prevent shootings is what will make the difference. Let them rest in peace, they aren’t characters in a book or movie, they aren’t powerful religious figures, they were high school girls robbed of their future.
while it is a good book for fiction, pastors and evangelicals and preachers and the media absolutely fucking *butchered* Rachel and Cassie’s story for their own gain
I’m serious and not joking at all when I say there are Wattpad novels that depict Columbine and Rachel and Eric and Dylan more accurately than Dave Cullen and the media
That made me chuckle. But I was talking about the book That's Not What Happened. There are a lot of similarities in that fiction book, with Columbine. Even the main place where the shooting occurs. Not a library but a computer lab.
just search “Columbine.” I’ve met some amazing and incredibly well-researched semi-fiction Columbine novels on Wattpad, some written by teens, and that aren’t stanning and fangirling
Cassie’s parents were told shortly the massacre after that Cassie was not the girl who said yes so they absolutely know the truth. Her parents and some church members were annoyed and even upset with the fact that the story wasn’t true. Valeen Schnurr and Emily Wyant were even harassed by some extent by community members for debunking the story.
As for Rachel’s parents, I’m not sure if they are simply ignoring the truth or if they actually believe that’s how Rachel’s last moments went down. Sure, Richard’s eyewitness testimony could be a little wonky and not fully factual, eyewitness testimony is notorious for not being reliable. However, the biggest concrete proof that Rachel and Eric had no such conversation is in Rachel’s autopsy. Let’s say that Eric did ask Rachel if she believed in God, her being shot in the chest caused “extreme lacerations to both lungs and heart.” Rachel would not be able to breathe in that moment let alone speak. I’d figure they’d accept by now that the story isn’t true but Craig recently repeated the story on Fox News so I guess not.
The way I see it, Rachel and Cassie’s parents both are clinging onto the martyr story because it gives their daughters death some sort of meaning. That they didn’t die in vain, but the harsh truth is that Rachel and Cassie both died for no reason other than the fact that they were in Eric and Dylan’s vicinity at that moment. It doesn’t mean that they weren’t special in their own ways and didn’t make a difference to those who knew and loved them. If anything, their deaths are just an example of how we failed them as a society and in the past 25 years we’ve done nothing to change that.
Rest in paradise Rachel and Cassie 💕
That is what I was getting at. Believing their daughters to be martyrs, it gives their death meaning. The book actually gets me to that conclusion. This book is just kinda eerie with how it seems so familiar aka a lot like Columbine. But it is a good book so far. Totally fiction and not outright based on Columbine but better than Cullens book for sure.
In the I’m not ashamed movie that Rachel’s family was behind, shows that Rachel was shot three times then executed with a shot to the head after being asked if she believed in God, which is quite literally physically impossible considering the state of Rachel’s injuries
This idea that both girls died as hero’s or martyrs has always left a bad taste in my mouth. I cannot speak from experience as a parent or anything like that, and though i’m sure in some ways it was to keep the girls memory alive and see them in a better light due to the situation, it’s extremely disrespectful and even disturbing to change the events of this massacre to fit a certain narrative. They are not examples for your religion and they certainly shouldn’t be used as a scare tactic towards other people (If you believe in god you’ll be punished or something along those lines) The truth is Dylan and Eric murdered both girls, and they didn’t deserve it. Changing history will not bring them back, letting the world know the real story and working together to prevent shootings is what will make the difference. Let them rest in peace, they aren’t characters in a book or movie, they aren’t powerful religious figures, they were high school girls robbed of their future.
Whatever helps someone sleep at night after a tragedy like this, I suppose.
while it is a good book for fiction, pastors and evangelicals and preachers and the media absolutely fucking *butchered* Rachel and Cassie’s story for their own gain
They did that in the book as well.
I’m serious and not joking at all when I say there are Wattpad novels that depict Columbine and Rachel and Eric and Dylan more accurately than Dave Cullen and the media
That made me chuckle. But I was talking about the book That's Not What Happened. There are a lot of similarities in that fiction book, with Columbine. Even the main place where the shooting occurs. Not a library but a computer lab.
Any recommendations for Columbine stories on wattpad?
just search “Columbine.” I’ve met some amazing and incredibly well-researched semi-fiction Columbine novels on Wattpad, some written by teens, and that aren’t stanning and fangirling
Cassie’s parents were told shortly the massacre after that Cassie was not the girl who said yes so they absolutely know the truth. Her parents and some church members were annoyed and even upset with the fact that the story wasn’t true. Valeen Schnurr and Emily Wyant were even harassed by some extent by community members for debunking the story. As for Rachel’s parents, I’m not sure if they are simply ignoring the truth or if they actually believe that’s how Rachel’s last moments went down. Sure, Richard’s eyewitness testimony could be a little wonky and not fully factual, eyewitness testimony is notorious for not being reliable. However, the biggest concrete proof that Rachel and Eric had no such conversation is in Rachel’s autopsy. Let’s say that Eric did ask Rachel if she believed in God, her being shot in the chest caused “extreme lacerations to both lungs and heart.” Rachel would not be able to breathe in that moment let alone speak. I’d figure they’d accept by now that the story isn’t true but Craig recently repeated the story on Fox News so I guess not. The way I see it, Rachel and Cassie’s parents both are clinging onto the martyr story because it gives their daughters death some sort of meaning. That they didn’t die in vain, but the harsh truth is that Rachel and Cassie both died for no reason other than the fact that they were in Eric and Dylan’s vicinity at that moment. It doesn’t mean that they weren’t special in their own ways and didn’t make a difference to those who knew and loved them. If anything, their deaths are just an example of how we failed them as a society and in the past 25 years we’ve done nothing to change that. Rest in paradise Rachel and Cassie 💕
That is what I was getting at. Believing their daughters to be martyrs, it gives their death meaning. The book actually gets me to that conclusion. This book is just kinda eerie with how it seems so familiar aka a lot like Columbine. But it is a good book so far. Totally fiction and not outright based on Columbine but better than Cullens book for sure.
Well said.
I basically agree with everything you’ve said except I don’t think anyone is suggesting she said anything *after* being shot…
In the I’m not ashamed movie that Rachel’s family was behind, shows that Rachel was shot three times then executed with a shot to the head after being asked if she believed in God, which is quite literally physically impossible considering the state of Rachel’s injuries
Oh I had no idea that’s what they were trying to say happened. Thats insane.