Collective Responsibility

According to Lickel, Schmader, and Hamilton (2003), “collective responsibility refers to the perception that others, besides the wrongdoers themselves, are responsible for the event” (p. 1). In the case of the media coverage of the Columbine and Virginia Tech Shootings, society and its aspects are in some ways to blame for victimizing the shooters, and thus indirectly being partly accountable for the shootings.

So what good is to blame society? Unlike the shooters, who committed suicide shortly after their rampages, aspects of society, such as bullying and school policies of mental health can be improved.

In memory of the Columbine Shootings, fifteen identical crosses were planted on a hill in the park, one for each victim of the shootings at Columbine High, including shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold.

It comforts us that there is something that we can fix to prevent another tragedy from occurring again. Casting shooters as victims allows the public to blame other social problems for indirectly causing the shootings, and thus be able to bring these issues to light. By adding a greater purpose to the tragic shootings, the media and public is able to imbue the shootings with the “meaning” that, as Gilbert states, is “essential to grief resolution” (cited. in Davis, Wortman, Lehman & Silver, 2000, p. 499).