During the 1990s, America witnessed the age of celebrity. It seemed that if you could make a name for yourself — whether it be as an Olympic champion or prime athlete, a television talk show host or box-office favorite, or even a jilted lover or victim of a horrendous crime — you could cash in on that celebrity status. A world of opportunities remained open to you. Among the favorites were teen heartthrobs such as Leonardo DiCaprio, star of the movie Titanic, which became the biggest box-office hit in history and grossed more than $1 billion. Basketball player Michael Jordan excelled not only on the court but in commercials as well, appearing as the spokesperson for dozens of companies. Musicians such as Madonna took control of their careers, and their hits catapulted to the top of the record charts.

There were some tragic events as well. Throughout the decade, schools increasingly became the scene for angry assaults, mostly at the hands of troubled youths. In towns such as Paducah, Kentucky; Pearl, Mississippi; Edinboro, Pennsylvania; and Springfield, Oregon, teenage boys targeted classmates, teachers, and even their own parents, in some cases with gunfire. The worst of these incidents occurred in April 1999, as two young men tossed homemade bombs and fired bullets throughout Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. The rampage left twelve young people and one teacher dead, with many others injured, both physically and psychologically.

“All of us are struggling to understand exactly what happened and why,” said President Clinton of the Colorado incident. Legislators, educators, and parents called on the entertainment industry to become more responsible with their material aimed at children. It became overwhelmingly clear that many troubled youth had easy access to weapons, found potentially lethal information such as how to make pipe bombs on the Internet, and enjoyed violent themes in the music they listened to or the films they viewed.