In the wake of this cruel event, many people have begun pointing fingers at the Slender-man mythology and by guilt of association, the Creepy Pasta sub-genre of horror. It is creativity at its root.
A set of stories written by some and enjoyed by others. Much akin to our urban tales of old and the books written by our literary giants. It is imperative to understand that these things, like almost all works of the horror literary genre, are fiction. Many of these stories yes, are filled with an illusion of reality to them in an effort to make them much more unnerving. However, that does not change the fact that they are concoctions of fantasy. Sure, some of these stories are based on historical events or based upon a well documented case whose elements are terrifying. But these accounts are again: for educational entertainment and are well documented for their truth and real life consequences.
It is considered by many that common sense is applied to fantasy and history. We do not repeat the actions of real life monsters. We do not attempt to replicate the fantasy. We do not in any way condone those who fail to realize the line between fantasy and committing an atrocity. Nor do we condone a lack of security on the parts of the minds of those who read them. Many times when accountability is called into question, the blame is placed not on the perpetrators, but on the supposed fictional root causes. In most cases, the accountability and responsibility is to the teacher who failed to impart the wisdom of what is real and right, and most importantly, failed to pay attention. Please take this moment, if you haven’t, to remember that many things can be avoided, if you teach and to listen.
A long time ago, we used to gather around campfires and tell stories to spook ourselves. We used to gather around each other at sleep overs and dare each other to go into the bathroom and chant Bloody Mary. We did these things to entertain ourselves and creep each other out. However we always remembered that the sun still rose in the morning in the woods, showing natures splendor and breathing warmth and life. The darkness of the bathroom was quickly banished by the flick of a light switch, and what was once a silent black room would quickly be replaced by the smiling and laughing faces of you and your friends. Please, come together to help the warmth of that sunrise be felt by everyone. Please come together so that those who are struggling to smile, can find those smiles and friendly feelings again.
Thank you.
Letter from creepypasta.com