During the last years of the 20^th century, many instances of school killings occurred perpetrated by students against their classmates, teachers and others. To date, the worst event was at the Columbine High School in Colorado wherein thirteen students were killed and several others injured.

Many explanations have been offered about the cause of the murderous mental state in those killers as well as other youths perpetrating calculated mayhem. Thus far, no explanation rings true and most are in bewilderment at the feeble reasons tendered. Doubtless, accurate explanations for the capacity to kill irrationally will likely seem irrational. This is especially likely knowing how relatively unstressed, how undeprived, and how ordinary these killers tended to be. In fact, the superficiality and banality of the explanations thus far seem almost a conspiracy to suppress the most rational bases for corruption of our youths such that they become wanton killers. Perhaps the real causes of our children's murderous inclinations are almost as repelling as the murderous events themselves. Such would fit.

Two underemphasized phenomena are evident to me as basic to the psychological matrix leading to children becoming murderers.

Press and media

First is the phenomenon of the press and media. The impact of the press and media on the minds of our children has been mentioned so superficially as to be almost exculpatory of the press and media. But a deeper analysis reveals the contrary. In fact, the videotapes left by the Columbine killers starkly confirm the press and media as absolutely etiological to the murderous minds of these children. To watch the videotapes of the Columbine killers is to recognize the profound impact of electrono-celluloid technology.

Because of the media. youths become accustomed to the concept of killing. and destruction as if without consequence. All the vicarious murder games from Pac Man to Residual Evil desensitize to the permanence of injury and death as if it really doesn't happen. And death is never permanent in cartoons or when portrayed by actors.

^aOriginally written in Social Justice Review May/June 2000

Because of the media. youths are derealized. Youths lose their lives to the unreal. Youths are mesmerized to make one’s fantasized self become as “real” as the fakes seen on television and in movies. Indeed. the videotapes made by the Columbine killers prove that they themselves learned to create themselves by the media. On the tapes made by the killers, the killers were the media! The killers wrote a media script. They rehearsed their scenes over and over. The killers documented the whole event for the media because they considered themselves part of the media and the entire episode was to be a media event. The killers gloried in and were succored by the fan-tasied celebrity status to be provided afterwards by the media. To have any doubts about the impact of the media on these killers’ minds is to be a fool. They were on stage. calm and composed, the entire time. The killers had the media in their minds from start to finish.

Because of the media. youths (and everyone) do what they see! Youths (like everyone) become actors seeking celebrity imagery. This universally sought self-celebrity media status reveals the total lack of understanding as to just what fakes celebrities actually are. Almost all television and movies are composed of individuals just "faking it" or "acting" which is the same thing. Youths (and everyone) are caught up in the celebrity business from the sound-biting made up of politicians brainlessly regurgitating the latest polls fabricated by the media, to the glitzy rock star immersed in unreality by being stoned all the time. The flooding of our youth and society with the press and media is so pervasive that people, especially youths imitating what they see, cannot tell reality or develop a conscience. People. especially youths, just act and see the results of imitating not merely the mayhem presented but imitate the actors by becoming actors themselves repeating such automatically and unwittingly again and again. The press and media desensitize people to numbness such that they do not even know nor care what is real but only imitate and try to do what they see.

To a lesser extent. but not adequately studied, the same is probably true for the background and early development of adult serial killers.

Killing is commonly accepted

The second phenomenon completely overlooked as a major component to the cause of youths becoming killers is the abortion mentality. This cannot be denied except by the most primitive pathological denial. The impact of the murder by abortion of one-fourth to one-third of each year's birth cohorts over the past -26 years is not subliminal. Many times during our children's upbringing. they hear about and realize the impact of abortion on their numbers. Youths know and are aware of their dead birthmates killed as they were about to join them in life. Youths know that at least one of four of their would-be classmates are already dead. Do not tell them about "respect for life." Or that it is not right to kill others. Do not remind them about the wrongness of assaulting the innocent. The malignant imitative "people do what they see" applies not only to what one sees and hears, but to what has been done to one's own same aged birthed compatriots. If society has killed one-fourth of those who should have been with these youths in their age groups, then why should they not join in the may-hem and kill a few themselves? The culture of death begins and ends with abortion as accepted by a society.

What to do?

The answer to abortion as a cause is simple: Stop abortions. Abortion is as American as slavery. Like slavery. abortion's time has come and gone. Until abortion is outlawed again, death will be a pervasive desideratum diminishing society because abortion dehumanizes all especially our children who will react accordingly. most subliminally but a few, like the Columbine killers among others, in gross imitation. Abortion, like slavery, carries with it profound and pervasive attitudes towards others whenever they are considered lesser than one's self. The answer to the press and media is to teach our children not to be puppets of the press and media. Our children must not do what they see nor believe what they hear or read nor buy what is promoted or advertised. The press and media must again and again be overtly seen as corrupting, unreliable, untrustworthy and unworthy of consideration except superficially and transiently. All must know that the press and media are almost always shallow propaganda! It is not television but pretendvision. The press and media can never be the standards for our children's activities. The press and media make criminals and psychopaths of our children. The press and media must be seen by our children as maggots feeding on whatever is being presented. This is what must be taught in schools if we are to prevent our youths from becoming mass killers again: that death and destruction are much more real than video make-believe and that the press and media are not to be imitated or believed. Furthermore, the press and media moguls must be seen as uncivilized tyrants fighting for celebrity status for themselves and others who are not interested in anyone's conscience formation or well-being but only the protectiveness of the moguls feigning how great they are.

Education

There will be no improvement in our youths' ability to cope with what they are being exposed to unless efforts are made from the moment of birth. Clear public health measures need to be undertaken for children from their birth. Kids do what they see. Protect them. Make sure they see what is One, True. Good. and Beautiful. What is not, must be mocked. We must ensure that those surrounding children expose them to positive pro-social events. Crucial to healthy and educable youths are the following.

1. There should be no television or movies except brief educational special purpose and interest programs until 8 years of age.
2. On every program guide. television and movie magazine and at the start of every television show and movie must be a warning as on cigarettes: TELEVISION AND MOVIES ARE HARMFUL TO CHILDREN'S MINDS. TELEVISION AND MOVIES ARE PUBLIC HEALTH HAZARDS.
3. Words must be promoted. Words must be accurately presented. calmly. soothingly. Words must be promoted by gentle songs and reading. Words are angels as in my book, Happy Ending.
4. Educational tapes and music must be in the background of every home all the time from the moment of the
   child's arrival home from the neo-natal unit to the time they leave for school. Filling the pre-school child's mind with civilizing themes is absolutely necessary if our children are to be pro-social, educable, and able to break out of the cycle of mental destruction and underachieving even when raised in houses where the parents do not read to them or do what is necessary to enable optimal mental development.
5. Public health must mandate a television channel (audio without video) for the pre-3 year old child (from
   birth to 3 years of age), which provides pro-social nursery rhymes, simple stories and words over and over with light melodic and harmonic music — such as the Gregorian Chant, Beethoven, Mozart and other classics, which essentially are "uterine music," i.e., music most in concert with intra-uterine comfort and other sounds of the universe.
6. Public health must mandate a television channel (audio without video) for 3 to 8 year old children. This
   channel is a continuous run of nursery rhymes, pro-social children's stories, and elaborations on words with music of melodic and harmonic comfort.
7. News must be promoted as mere propaganda while journalism, television and movie personages are identified as fakes unless editorial policy meetings of the press and media are under public scrutiny by being on CSPAN or observable on a web site.

Concluding remarks

The impact of electrono-celluloid civilization and the abortion mentality are massive public health problems for our children. The resulting pathology accumulates and multiplies. The response ought to be at a governmental level. However, every parent concerned about his children can do what I recommend regardless of what the government does. And if the government continues to do nothing, it will be proof of the overthrow of the government by the press and media. Such will mean more than ever that the people must revolt against the press and media and if giggles and hooting and mocking do not work, we will reach for the Second Amendment and do what is necessary. Such is what the press and media have taught and convinced our children to do too.

None.

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.