The teenager who thought it would be clever to send a threatening message to a student at Columbine High School in Colorado is doing some pretty fancy back-pedaling now that he has been charged with a felony and has spent some time in jail.

Wednesday, January 12, 2000

The teenager who thought it would be clever to send a threatening message to a student at Columbine High School in Colorado is doing some pretty fancy back-pedaling now that he has been charged with a felony and has spent some time in jail.

On national news programs this morning, the young man told reporters that he was sorry for what he did, but that his exchange with the Columbine student was merely an acting exercise, that he was simply acting out a part in the style of his favorite actor – Jeremy Irons. He called his escapade just a journey into fantasy. He said he never dreamed that the person on the other end of the email would take him seriously.

The boy’s lawyer says he is a victim of "Internet intoxication."

Baloney. This boy is guilty of stupidity, thoughtlessness and what many of his contemporaries seem to be lacking of as well – an understanding that the violence and horror that happen in the world are anything but a bit of fantasy themselves.

Shootings don’t seem real. Violence is a world away. Some of that is the generation’s fault and some of the responsibility for a teenager not knowing how important and heart-wrenching a story this is can be laid right at society’s door.

There will be some who think this young man is being punished too severly. They will say he did something stupid, not criminal.

They are wrong.

Strong action in this case will send a message to any other would-be "actor" that words on the Internet do not just disappear into space. It also will emphasize to teens and children everywhere that there are some actions that have consequences and "sorry" isn’t enough to erase the damage.

The outcome of this teen actor’s "exercise" is that a young woman who has already been through a terrible trauma – as well as hundreds of her classmates and teachers – had to relive that horror again and the fear that goes along with it.

That alone is reason enough for there to be a price to pay. It will be worth the trouble if the publicity makes another teen think twice before hitting that "send" key.