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Duly Consider: America in Denial: The Virginia Tech Shooting -- Cho's Obituary »
Posted by: trnscndr 2 years, 8 months agoRefusing to change, society eventually goes on as if nothing ever happened, considering it a freak accident of one person's mental disturbance. The parents of Cho, after a brief period of mourning, will go on with their lives despite the never ending reminder of their son's final cry. Meanwhile, we continue to send people like Cho into war instead
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trnscndr
1)Of all my political tenets the one I know to be true is that emotional politicians who ignore logic are enemies of the state ...
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Comments: 472
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NoSpinDave
April 19, 2007, 1:53 p.m."Meanwhile, we continue to send people like Cho into war instead of college"
Ahh...he WAS in college. Stupid comment as part of an even dumber article. He was a nut. Period. It was not society's fault he gunned down 32 people in cold blood. Catch a frekin' clue.!
How many people have we seen interviewed over the last 48hrs that said he would NEVER speak to anyone...no matter how many times they tried to reach out to him. This guy stalked women and was almost commited (obviously he should have been). To say we should feel sorry for this phsyco and blame society for his problems is just as insane as he was.
Bottom line, SOME PEOPLE ARE JUST INSANE. He was OBVIOUSLY one of those people.
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trnscndr
April 19, 2007, 2:02 p.m.Is someone born insane? Do we have no responsibility for treating them when they become insane? This guy had plenty of warning signs and nobody listened? Hear no evil? Listen to yourself and deny, and you will see plenty more!
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HMMace
April 19, 2007, 3:05 p.m.Is some one born insane--YEs...SCHIZOFRENIA-- IT IS IN THE GENES...some thing no one wants to tell the public, but,,I married one..My wifes father hads it- committed suicide...brother had it, committed uicide,,,one of her somes committed suicide...one son stayed drunk until he died at 57,,There is no cure, it can not be healed..maybe genetic engineering will cure it??...our mental profession is guilty of omission...our government is guilty of ignoring it..the shrinks lied to me for fifty years...although there is no happy endding for my wife, she is better off then most,,she is still alive at 84...but, alzhiemers has taken all her identity away..All politicans are crooked,,,bought and paid for even before they are elected...all we can do is---NEVER RE ELECT ANY POLITICIAN--EVER... If they can not steal enough in one term--tough
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JenMurdock
April 19, 2007, 3:20 p.m.Crazy people don't get help for themselves, they are crazy. They don't think they need help.
His parents operated a dry cleaning business, it's possible that he got sick that way, after all those chemicals are deadly. Maybe it messed him up, who knows.
The same thing went on with Jeffry Dahmer way back when he was growing up, in High School he drank a bunch of beer every morning before class, was a loner, weird, etc. No one even noticed or cared. Then you see what he did...
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LABHUNTER
April 19, 2007, 3:46 p.m.Our society has become so liberal since the sixties that we have virtually allowed ourselves and our representative lawmakers to protect everyone's "privacy" to the point that the medical people were not allowed "by law" to divulge anything and even if they were allowed the university was not allowed "by law" to let his parents know of his grades much less his medical condition. In other words, our liberal law makers opened up Pandor's box many years ago and now we reap the catastrophic results of our political correctness ranging from Columbine to Virginia Tech. There will be more. Society and lawmakers need to stand up for the majority of Americans, not the isolated minority that is made up of the Cho's, etc.
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Unashamed
April 19, 2007, 3:49 p.m.I normally do not comment on an article withour reading the entire article. However, after reading the first few paragraphs I decided reading the rest would be a waste of time. It seems a lot of people want to put the blame on everyone except on the one truely responsible: Cho himself.
We seem to live in a society where everyone is the victim and no one individual is responsible for his/her own actions. We blame his parents, his college mates, the school administration, and even society at large, but we don't blame Cho.
Was he sick? Obviously, as is everyone who would take another's life. Does this absolve him of responsibility? No, it does not. It's ironic that he cannot enjoy the sympaty and attention he craved that caused him to decide to do this terrible action.
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nostalgia
April 19, 2007, 3:53 p.m."detention order, dated 12/13/05 states that officials have "probable cause to believe that Cho is mentally ill & in need of hospitalization, and presents an imminent danger to self or others as a result of mental illness, or is seriously mentally ill as to be substantially unable to care for" himself." LA Times
Since he was 21 they would not be able to notify his parents without his consent
AP: weren't enough to have him committed under VA law, one of the most restrictive in the nation when it comes to forcing treatment on a person showing signs of mental instability. Mental health experts say his case will heighten a discussion about whether it is time to revise those laws.
We need to revisit the laws governing the confidentiality of mental health records. If someone is an "imminent danger to self or others" then they need to be an inpatient - not treated on an outpatient basis.
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trnscndr
April 19, 2007, 4:02 p.m.You can only imagine what his family life was like, when you hear the comments of his cruel, smiling grandmother simply referring to her dead grandson as an "idiot". Where is the heart of such a person?
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InChrist
April 19, 2007, 4:09 p.m.We all want to have the answers. There is no simple answer to this tragedy in my opinion. We don't know the details of the murderers life enough to even point to where things went wrong and we never will. We have some glimpses though. We know he pretty much boxed himself in and felt society had cheated him of what he was entitled too. Life can be humbling given enough time. Generally folks become less neurotic as they age. The young mind is quite impressionable. Our mindset is based off a lot of things. Culture, genetics and what choices we and others around us make. They all effect us. We want answers, we want to vent and place blame. Some think we know what it was, got it figured out and nobody else can see it. Man I am not one of those folks. I just hope they don't get too upset at everyone else for not getting it like they do and go shoot somebody over it, like this guy did. He says "we pushed him to it", apparently others agree.
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InChrist
April 19, 2007, 4:19 p.m.Heres another guy we apparently let down....
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18203613/
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nostalgia
April 19, 2007, 4:21 p.m.He was a senior. That means he would have been graduating in May. Alhough he certainly exhibited abnormal behavior for years, now he was going to be faced with really going out into the world on his own.
I wonder if the thought of that was enough of a stressor to tip him over the edge into such violent behavior
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WCFIELDS
April 19, 2007, 4:23 p.m."Politicians continue to create fake adversaries against whom soldiers can masturbate their torment..."
And might I add, over-fed authors from the public education trough who masturbate their way through meaningless articles such as this.
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fullauto
April 19, 2007, 4:34 p.m.I think what is sad and worthy of some comment here is that the system in Va. failed everyone involved in this mess, Cho NOT included. I have never seen a bunch of cops and people in charge look so stupid and unaware of what was happening. What is yet to come now is that as with the 911 attack, we Americans will suffer more loss of rights, privledge, resrictions and be further set apon with inconvienience because of this. Guns don't kill people, people kill people. The mayor of Boston is quick to jump in with "MORE gun control". Why? because he doesn't have a clue how to solve the hate problem in his own city. Another misguided individual. He even has the Guardian Angels there and still the killing goes on. There will never be a total irradication of every gun in America that ends up in the hands of criminals and disturbed people. There will only be more innocents dying when we loose our right to defend ourselves. When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.
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strangelove1221
April 19, 2007, 4:40 p.m.trnscndr
i would like you to contact the victims's families and chastise them for letting Cho down. i'm sure they're ashamed of their neglect.
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ades
April 19, 2007, 4:44 p.m.generally i like reframing common views into something more profound. it gets people thinking, but this article just seemed like a real stretch to me. actually, it just seemed stupid.
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awki
April 19, 2007, 4:58 p.m.I think that people like Cho are not monsters. They are distressed, ill people who need help and support. It is our duty as people to recognise this, and give them the necessary assistance and attention. What they DON'T need is the opportunity to walk INTO a shop and walk OUT with a gun, as many others have recognized. And yes, similar occurrences will continue, unless the government sorts itself out, and confronts the gun industry over its contribution to mass murders like this one. The chief responsibility of a government is to protect all the individual citizens whom they govern. Due to lax gun laws, the government failed to carry out this basic requirement as far as 33 innocent, lively college students are concerned, and I'm sure that the country is a darker place without them.
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caneher
April 19, 2007, 4:58 p.m.Improvements in detection and treatment of mental health problems comes in spurts. Are we treating people that might otherwise go on a killing spree, yes. Are we getting enough of them no. People will scream for action to prevent this until another headline comes along for them to scream about. Fortunately there were people aware of the shortcoming is our treatment plan and are and will continue to work for its improvement long after most have forgotten this incident.
I have sunk this article though because of the anti establishment mentality of it especially concerning the military. The military is very good at picking up such flaw as such men are as much or more a danger to their squad than the enemy. The military depends on its troops having sound judgment and someone with such a distorted view does not.
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awomanwithherownmind
April 19, 2007, 5:43 p.m.reading this article only made me more furious about the whole thing all over again. how can anyone in there right frame of mind blame society for what Cho did. Cho is the one who shot the guns not society. blaming society for someones single and sole actions is nothing but a pure co-out. blame the act or the person. if you dont like something do something about it. next we will hear about the "twinkie defense" all over again. pretty soon all those drunks who kill innocent people will say " im sorry officer i didnt mean to do it. society gave me the beer!" BS and you know it. you chose to drink jsut like CHO CHOSE to pull the trigger. like geraldo said he should have shot himself first that would have saved all those people from that fateful day
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slate
April 19, 2007, 5:45 p.m.The Loathsome Left at it's finest!
Yes let's take advantage the circumstance and make political hay at the expense of 32 victims versus the poor victim with a gun that they couldn't please enough to stay alive. Yeah let's morph this tragedy into yet another thought provoking example of how it's those that have their heads blown off simply from being in the wrong place at the wrong time the ultimate culprits. Throw in the obligatory thread to attaché it to the war in Iraq, religion and viola you are a journalist!
I really feel like venting and telling people like this person and those that agree with him how I see them. It's too bad that for one I won't stoop to the same level as the Gleeful Self-righteous left in a time like this but I will try below to do it with a bit of composure.
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dpkjj
April 19, 2007, 5:55 p.m.What I don't see acknowledged in any of the posts is that Cho's problems certainly did not manifest in his college years. Where was everyone during his childhood and adolescence? I agree with the basic premise of the article that society has to take responsibilty for its dysfunctions. (That does not preclude the individual taking responsibility, of course, a truth that many folks fail to grasp.
It was a well-thought-through article. I have to disagree, however with the statement that "after a brief period of mourning Cho's parents will go on with their lives." This tragedy will live with them forever. Can you imagine not only losing your son but knowing the atrocities he committed and wondering what you might have done differently? It's got to be worse than a nightmare.
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rendarsmith
April 19, 2007, 6:07 p.m.I couldn't even finish reading the passage. Does this guy have any idea what he's talking about? People tried to reach out to Cho and he didn't respond. He just sat there and said nothing. What was everyone else supposed to do???
If you don't socialize or respond to people, you're not going to make any friends. You can't force someone to be your friend.
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slate
April 19, 2007, 6:10 p.m.How is this society's fault? If you say because of laws on the book that don't allow much action until someone commits a violent act I'd agree. Trying to lay the blame at the feet of others that choose whom they want as friends for any reason is just wrong headed.
For those that feel that 'disturbed' people just need to be coddled and treated with respect, I suggest you go to one of your local corners where there may be a disturbed person standing there with a sign after their release from an institution. Offer this person to get in your vehicle and come home with you, it will make them and you feel much better. Sleep well as said person enjoys your couch and forgives you your trespasses for the things they see around them that they have, I hope they don't see you in a bad light as they look around and ponder.
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simonsez
April 19, 2007, 6:09 p.m.WE have 300 million people in this country and a small portion of these are crazy. Get over it!
Our soldiers are the finest trained forces in the world. They do their jobs with great skill and honor. They are among our most valuable citizens!
To say that we should send this guy to war is so stupid it does not deserve a comment!
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xlegultx
April 19, 2007, 6:30 p.m.The article didn't say we should, it is saying we do. Though I'm not saying it is true. Cho's poor mental health probably started no later than junior high school where he probably got bullied a lot and began to despise people, and then steadily got worst till college when people were less of an idiot and actually cared for something, though it would be far too late to do anything for him. It isn't even remotely easy for a person to say they have a problem much less a severe mental problem and most would cast it away as something all teenagers go through. I believe many people have mental health as bad as his but choose to treat it differently, drugs is a common one.
Also people don't kill people, they just pull the trigger which makes the gun launch the bullet which causes the bullet to cause a person to bleed which causes blood loss and damage which causes the person to die....... Or you can go further than that. (sarcasm)
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truthiness
April 19, 2007, 6:48 p.m.since the 1990s high school and college shootings have increased exponentially.
this isnt about guns, guns have been around long before this issue.
this is about raising a generation plagued by sociopaths. does that abdicate this lunatics responsibility for his actions, hell no! the guilt is 100% his. I was the only Jew in my school K-12. you think I didnt experience abuse? did I get in a few fights? sure. did I lose my mind and kill a bunch of people, of course not, I made a decision to perceiver and eventually adulthood put an end to that foolishness.
nonetheless, the repetition of these events demonstrates a cultural problem. one we must address before these children are the adults in charge.
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