Why do Rammstein and Marilyn Manson albums still get blamed for the Columbine High School shooting?

April 30, 2008

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Columbine High School shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were noted for being fans of two bands in particular: Marilyn Manson and Rammstein. Manson answered for himself in Michael Moore’s 2002 documentary Bowling for Columbine, but I’ll give Rammstein a closer look.

German industrial/metal band Rammstein formed in 1993, and over its decade-and-a-half history has faced numerous accusations of promoting violence and Nazism. In one instance pertaining to the 1999 Columbine High shooting, Christian author Johanna Michaelsen, in an interview on The 700 Club, attributed the massacre to Rammstein’s influence.

However, accusations of rock bands influencing violent behavior were nothing new in 1999.

The Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC), formed in 1985 by, among others, Tipper Gore, warned parents about the dangers of exposing children to the violent or sexually explicit music of such artists as Judas Priest and Cindy Lauper.

http://media.www.utdmercury.com/media/storage/paper691/news/2008/04/28/Opinion/Musics.Influence.On.Society.A.Look.Back.Nine.Years.In.Time-3352702.shtml