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Weighing Cho's Heritage, and Identity
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Posted by Andrew on Wednesday, April 18 @ 22:01:28 EDT
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By Robert Siegel
© 2007 National Public Radio
April 18, 2007
Yesterday, I checked some foreign newspaper Web sites to see how they were covering events at Virginia Tech. A headline in the British daily, The Times, said: “Korean Student Named As Massacre Gunman.” Today’s Guardian says: “Gunman Was South Korean Student.” A headline in Liberation, the French daily, also identified the gunman as Korean, as did headlines in the Bangkok Post and the Middle East Times.
That usage struck me as evidence of yet another way in which people who don’t know this country don’t get this country.
True, Seung-Hui Cho was a South Korean national living here on a green card, but in fact, the 23-year-old English major came here at the age of 8. He went to public schools in Northern Virginia just like my kids, and then he went to a state university, where being of Asian extraction is hardly a distinction. There is an Asian American student union there with six associations, two sororities and two fraternities.
Cho was obviously unbalanced, homicidal, and that makes him typical of no group of significant size. But reading his disturbingly violent script for a play online, I didn’t get the impression that his preoccupations were especially exotic or in any way Korean. Pedophilia, Michael Jackson, Catholic priests — this is the stuff of our newspapers and culture, not some foreign country’s. His ability to buy a gun reflects an American interpretation of liberty — an idea which, if not unique to us, is certainly no Asian import.
It was refreshing to catch a Washington Post headline that hit their website yesterday. They described Cho as a local: a Centerville, Virginia student. Like the kids who murdered at Columbine, Seung-hui Cho killed, and died, as one of us.
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Average Score: 4.63 Votes: 11
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Re: Weighing Cho's Heritage, and Identity (Score: 1) by DCR_Chief on Thursday, April 19 @ 09:32:11 EDT (User Info | Send a Message) | Bob Siegel gets it right. Mentioning Cho's ethnicity allows the majority group to distance itself from the acts on a additional level. It's out of fear of things that are inside all of us.
Clearly Cho was deranged, his actions a assurance enough of that but any other adjective the news can pile on will be added before it's all over.
It's a sad case of a kid who really needed treatment who was left to wallow in illness. I've got sympathy for his victims and him. |
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NPR gets it mostly correct (Score: 1) by sir_humpslot on Thursday, April 19 @ 13:22:41 EDT (User Info | Send a Message) | NPR gets it right most of the time and this commentary is spot on for the most part. Cho was a product of american society and culture and as an honorary american (without the formal citizenship papers) he represented himself alone only and acted as an individual.
the subtextual racism in the headlines of "korean gunman" this and "korean student" that only serves to magnify and perpetuate the media and social racism against asian-americans as perpetual foreigners and amp up the yellow peril paranoia.
the subtle form of racism at work here is of course as we all know that white people in the US are afforded individuality and are referred by their names, but minorities are only referenced by their ethnicity first as if somehow race gives them certain traits.
So for this clarification, NPR should be commended.
HOWEVER, even going further there still subtle racial contexts which even NPR cannot see itself as perpetuating subconsciously the racial aspects of this case of Asians as being perpetual foreigners. I've got beef with the following quote:
I didn’t get the impression that his preoccupations were especially exotic or in any way Korean. Pedophilia, Michael Jackson, Catholic priests — this is the stuff of our newspapers and culture, not some foreign country’s. His ability to buy a gun reflects an American interpretation of liberty — an idea which, if not unique to us, is certainly no Asian import.
so what does it mean to be "korean" and "foreign" and "asian import" instead of "our culture" and "american interpretation" of events and the world? is there some sort of monolithic ideologue or interpretation or behavior that identifies somebody as "uniquely american" instead of "foreigner?"
as such, what this quote signifies is that there's some sort of standard by which people should be judged as "american" or not; that there is a gauge of ideas and behaviors that makes somebody american instead of foreigner.
now this is completely irrational because alot of people from other societies and cultures all share common dreams and beliefs and behaviors: the love of freedom and liberty is not unique to the USA, nor the preoccupations with certain things that are loathsome like tyranny are only american values.
what that quote signifies subconsciously and without thinking is that there is a standard of "american culture" that immigrants have to assimilate into. this is utterly xenophobic.
america today is a land of immigrants and children of immigrants and american values are that of freedom, equality, liberty and justice for all. it's a country shaped by diverse people from all backgrounds of ethnicity, race and creed coming together to build a more perfect union than the countries which they left behind. so this means that "american culture" is shaped by its participants, that of immigrants, and their dreams and hopes that make our society great.
there's no such thing as some monolithic "american culture" because the only thing that's monolithic about america is freedom, equality and justice for all. and this means that everyone is welcome and every thought and belief is welcome so long as it contributes to the common good of the spirit of liberty:
The New Colossus
by Emma Lazarus
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor, Read the rest of this comment... |
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Re: Weighing Cho's Heritage, and Identity (Score: 1) by ubulin on Thursday, April 19 @ 15:23:17 EDT (User Info | Send a Message) | It must have been very difficult for the sites administrator to decide what to post at this trajic time.
I remember one night bailing a freind out and having to wait a long time for their release. In the mean time all types of other people were being released from the facility.
During my wait I began wondering what type of people I would see being released. I thought it would be hardcore criminal gang types, tatooed biker gangs and or homies and pyscopaths.
Not the case. I saw all types. Surfer Dude, old White guy, Mexican guys, White regular young men, slim young Korean looking girl, slim Asian guy, big White regularly dressed guy, Indian young female normally dressed, African American lady, White mom......All wearing the clothers they got busted in. It was winter and the Surfer had board shorts and sandals.
What is the point?? One thing that seemed consitent no matter how normal they may have looked, was when listening to them speak, whether it be on the phone, to other releasees, or to me, was the seemingly "abnormal mental state". All these individual seemed to have what I personally would consider a somewhat or extremely disturbed mental state. That night it seemed I encountered individuals with mental states from the slightly bothered to maybe insane.
Wonder what went through Seung-hui Cho mind on a daily basis.
Most of us take our mental stability for granted and havethe belief that what we assume as normal will remain that way. Truth of the matter is that our mental state is so fragile that if it should ever crack how is it that we would even know?
This trajedy was a result of a young mans disturbed mental health. Period.
The problem with America or maybe even the humanity is that we try too hard to hide subject of Mental Health Distubance.
I feel sorrow for the victims famliies and loved ones and also Cho's parents. I wonder what happened to their son but at the same time I guess we have to wonder why it happened?
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