Yes, the Ever-lasting contrast. Since existence has known, the 'fight' between good & evil has continued. Obviously, this fight can never end. Good things turn bad, bad things become good. My fav. contrasting symbol, because it is so true & means so much – the battle between good & bad never ends… Here we ponder on the tragedy of Dylan Klebold.
Like Mother like Son
The two share similar sloping, pudgy noses. It’s obvious if you look at Sue’s nose now that she got a nose job when Dyl was still very little. But before the nose sculpting she’d done, you can see who he inherited his schnoz from 🙂
Not to mention the well endowed big chin and jaw. 😉
I think Dylan wore his glasses while at home and possibly even contacts while at school. He’d take the contacts off at the end of the day during theater production class while hanging with friends. Sue describes Dyl in the 20/20 interview as that tall, gangly guy with glasses which means, from her perspective, she must’ve been very accustomed to him wearing his oval prescription glasses while at home among his family.
Sue also mentions in her book that before Dylan went to prom and his parents were taking photos of him, that: “He put his prescription glasses in his pocket and donned a pair of small-framed sunglasses. We thought he looked very handsome”
The Klebold’s sold their home almost 2 years ago. You guys should NOT send cards or letters to that address anymore.
@rainflesh@everlasting-contrast Are you two aware of this? I wasn’t sure how you guys were going to get the drawings to Sue.
I checked multiple different records and they all say the same. The home was sold on April 15th, 2014. I am aware that this screencap doesn’t say South Cougar Road…but it is the right home. They just didn’t put the “S” on this portion of the page.
Yep. I’m aware of this fact. The Klebold’s sell their home regularly to Tom’s LLC. I’m sure it is a legal process that allows them to continue owning the home with certain types of tax breaks and such. See my post here. I get the feeling that Sue voluntarily moved out to her own place and Tom still resides there as it’s an investment property that they bought for dirt cheap, fixed up the electrical issues (and mouse problems, per the book, yikes!) but the property has increased in value over the years due to upgrades and the desirable, secluded rural location. Tom runs a real estate property business called Fountain Real Estate management and the Klebold’s have owned rental properties in the area with tenants and such. Keeping their home in the family for themselves as a retirement investment seems what they are likely doing. They may even get together for holidays there. It’s just that the two have divorced and gone their separate ways in living arrangements.
Also, I do recall that @trailbits sent some artwork of Dylan sometime last year? I believe it was? And Sue replied back to her that she received the artwork and thanked her for it.
Klebold family photo, Christmas day 1991.
From left to right: Sue, Byron, Dylan, and Tom.
Interesting the body positioning for each. Tom with his hand on his ‘golden boy’s’ shoulder which denotes a bit of favoritism over sons. Byron is that teenager that has a sort of independent, defiant posturing about him, preferring to not have mom making any sort of contact with him. Sue looks close to him but it’s a awkward in that she appears to be giving her oldest his space. It’s a bit of an odd shot as they’re sort of like two sets of individuals in a group except that Dyl and his dad are the more connected looking pairing.
“I realize that I really can’t run from this. I can change my name, I can move, but I still have to live with the fact that my son killed other people.”
Today, the former community college counselor is retired. She and Tom divorced in 2014. She says the way they grieved drove them apart. Like the families of most mass shooters, Tom and their older son Byrone have chosen not to step forward to talk about Columbine. Klebold says she prefers to not speak publicly about them.
“I live a very small, purpose-driven life. I still do volunteer work around suicide prevention. I’m on some boards and committees,” she says. “And I try to be really kind to myself. I put things into my life that I enjoy doing. Yoga, Zumba, art, nature, walking, being with people that I love. I try to really focus very hard on a sense of gratitude. I really work hard to go to bed at night counting blessings. And try to remember that there are so many things to be thankful for. Even little things like having hot water come out of your sink or having someone smile at you. These are little things but they’re gifts. Every one of them is a gift.”
In her new memoir, A Mother’s Reckoning, Sue describes the guilt, despair, shame and confusion that have plagued her in the 17 years since the Columbine massacre. She hopes that her book will honor the memories of the people her son killed, and perhaps help other parents whose children may be struggling with mental health issues. (All of the author revenues from the book, minus expenses, will be donated to research and charitable foundations focusing on mental health issues).
Anyone interested in reading this memoir for Term 2? You can also read or listen to this news report and use as a current event for extra credit.
My second favorite interview to the CBC radio one. Again, a very thoughtful, thorough, well researched interviewer with good questions.
Sue mentions…
Prom night:
Dylan came back from prom and told her it was the “happiest night of his life”.
The ketchup incident:
“I’ve had the worst day of my life and I don’t even want to talk about it”.
Sue mentions that this incident happened to both Eric and Dylan but none of their friend’s witnessed this event. She confirms what we know that there are two different versions to this incident: that they were surrounded and squirted with ketchup and the other being that ketchup doused tampons were being flung at them. She feels this may well have been a triggering event for the two to end up doing what they did.
Basement Tapes:
“Dylan was posturing, that he was putting on some kind of performance to prove not only to Eric but to himself that he was this tough, hateful human being, who was kind of reving himself up to do this.”
“He made a reference of having to go to Passover seder in passing and he didn’t want to go and he’s telling his friend this. What was surprising and shocking about that component of the tapes was that it was obvious to Eric at that moment that he didn’t know that Dylan had Jewish family members, that it was a surprise to Eric and I remember Dylan sort of back pedaling: “she’s not really Jewish, she’s just sort of an eighth Jewish or a quarter Jewish”. And Eric stared at him. There was a moment in observing those two where you really wonder what Eric is going to do, whether he is going to extend his condemnation to Dylan or to me. It’s really quiet for a moment. You can see that Dylan is visibly shaken by having to reveal this but then Eric says “that’s a bummer” or you know “I’m sorry man” or something, expressing his sympathy for having to deal with this.”
Sue and Tom’s divorce: “Our marriage did end eventually, recently. Eventually we did agree to end the marriage about 1 ½ years ago.”
They split due to growing a part and vastly different ways of dealing with the tragedy over a period of time; she is more extroverted in seeking others out to help heal whereas he likes to go it alone.:
It’s very odd but I really feel Dylan is sort of this invisible child that I carry with me always. Working on this book, year after year, it’s made me feel closer to him and given me the opportunity to keep him alive in a way.
just imagine Eric and Dylan filming the basement tapes and Eric yelling at Dylan to “feel the rage” I literally can’t stop laughing at this, idk why it’s so funny to me
Eric doing his best Palpatine impression inciting Anakin-Dylan to hone his anger. lol
1. Bullying was only one of the many, many factors concerning the reasons behind Columbine.
2. Most mentally ill people have the presence of mind to not engage in morally wrong actions. (Shocker, I know! *gasps* That’s why mental illness in legal cases does not automatically exclude the person from regular punishment for their crimes – it would have to be proven that they were not in the right state of mind to be able to recognise the difference between right and wrong.)
3. I ain’t in the habit of making excuses for murderers.
4. Finding an explanation as to why Columbine happened and how people allowed it to happen is the only way that helps us move forward into a shooting-free world. Duh.
5. A murderer is not a sheep. A murderer is not a car. A murderer is not the Rocky Mountains. A murderer is a human being and will remain so indefinitely. Humanising them is common sense. Humanising them is uncomfortable for some people because it makes a murderer no different than the rest of us. And, hey, a murderer must be different.. right? They can’t be like us with hopes and dreams and fears, right?
6. I don’t think anybody worth their damn salt as a researcher is gonna focus on their good traits to the exclusion of their bad traits. In fact, the opposite happens a lot – people focus on the bad and forget about the good.
7. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a fucking duck. If somebody acts like an asshole and talks like an asshole, they’re a fucking asshole. Full right to call them on their bullshit: accepted.
8. Just cos your mama didn’t raise you better, doesn’t mean you can’t grow up and get away from spouting harmful bullshit.
9. What you have got going on in life does not give you a “get out of jail free”-card for your actions and words that may bring harm to others.
10. Logic. I have it. Ain’t life grand?
This^^. I particularly subscribe to No. 7 as of late..
BBC: [If there is an afterlife] do you think [you’ll see Dylan] again?
Sue: That is the one thing I have hoped for again and again, is that some moment – either in this present life or in the transition, or in the afterlife – that I must see him again.
You will Sue, without a doubt, you will see Dylan again.
this was supposed to be a cute, smiley picture of dylan butttt i accidentally made him sinister looking whOOPS
You mean half mirthful and half maniacal ? Well, I think you captured a perfect blending of the duality existing within him! The latter filtering through his gleeful expression as the side he suppressed until that day.
The Everlasting Contrast 