But I didn't grow up in a vengeful psycho mass murder nutcase, and I'm sure many of my readers endured similar bigotry and worse. Maybe it's because I ride a bicycle that I turned out to be so well balanced and happy as an individual.
Tags: Seung+Hui+Cho, vatech, virginia tech, shooting, prejudice, bigotry, persecution, cho seung-hui
Wow, that's rough. I'm been reading your blog for a while and I don't think you've ever mentioned before that you were of Asian decent, not like it matters on a bike blog, but it usually comes up.
ReplyDeleteOh great, now I've got to stop reading your blog or I'll get cooties.
ReplyDeleteWhat's that name again?
ReplyDeleteBy Michelle Tsai
Posted Thursday, April 19, 2007, at 6:44 PM ET
On Tuesday morning, Virginia Tech and police officials revealed the identity of the student gunman behind the Virginia Tech shootings. In the media blitz that followed, many news organizations referred to the killer as "Cho Seung-Hui"; others used the Americanized version, "Seung-Hui Cho." How did the news outlets decide which name to use?
They made their own decisions based on the little information they had at the time. Reuters, the Associated Press, the Washington Post, and the New York Times, among others, went with Cho Seung-Hui, putting the family name first because that was how authorities had released the information. News desks in Asia tend to follow the tradition of listing the family name first, but in America, it's often left up to the subject of the article. In general, a reporter would ask an interviewee what name he or she prefers, but in this case, Cho was dead, and no one from his family could be reached. Virginia Tech, meanwhile, had concluded that "Cho" ought to be listed first because a state trooper of Korean origin who was working on the case recommended the more formal expression.
At the Washington Post, editors debated the matter of the name several times. The paper heard from people who knew the student that he sometimes went by the single name "Cho." By Thursday it was clear there was a conflict, as the paper had learned that the gunman had written the Americanized name on a speeding ticket and on a mental-health form. (At this point, they're still calling him Cho Seung Hui.)
The Asian version of the name—Cho Seung-Hui—appeared to be more widespread, in part because of its use in the ubiquitous wire stories from Reuters and the AP. As a result, some Korean-Americans felt media groups were playing up Cho's foreign-ness, according to the Asian American Journalists Association, which advised reporters to use the American order. As of Wednesday, Reuters was sticking with the Asian version, partly to conform with coverage from other news organizations. The AP, on the other hand, is investigating the name because of inconsistencies among various documents. (The wire service has its own inconsistencies: Official AP style eliminates hyphens for North Korean names—like "Kim Jong Il"—but includes them for South Koreans—like "Roh Moo-hyun.")
National Public Radio, ABC News, the Los Angeles Times, and others went with the American format of the name. They reasoned that Cho had been in the United States since 1992, and there was other evidence to suggest he preferred the American way. For instance, he used "Seung Cho" when he handed in work for his playwriting class. The L.A. Times also learned that a name tag found in Cho's suite said "Seung" and that Princeton University records showed that his sister had also Americanized her name. ABC News arrived at its decision after talking to its own producer in South Korea, producers in the United States, and staffers of Korean descent. CBS News made a decision late Wednesday to switch to the American style after it learned from the shooter's former principal that he was known as Seung-Hui Cho in high school.
I too was bullied. I have scars both permanent, a crooked tooth, and faded into invisibility, a burn on my left bicept from a pair of tongs deliberately heated in highschool shop class. It wasn't bigotry though, I and my persecuters shared the same pasty white skin.
ReplyDeleteI totally understand why he felt like he had no choice but to fight back, from the sounds of things he was "bullied, persecuted [and] injured by others".
The tragedy here is that his diseased mind didn't allow him to see that he really did have other options. Despite the horror I feel at his actions and a deep belief in the importance of personal responsibility I still feel some compassion for the man.
If he had been treated with kindness and tolerance throughout his life would he have been a healthy individual? Maybe not. But would he have chosen do what he did? Seems unlikely.
As to bicycles and mental health. For me there was and still is a direct link between my mental health and my bicycle. As a child it physically took me away from my tormenters. As a depressed teenager it gave me something positive to do when I was overwhelmed. And as an adult I still turn to the bike when I feel my mood slipping. The exercise, the focused concentration and the feeling of being in complete control that come from a good hard ride is the best therapy I've ever had.
It is a true tragedy- all around.
ReplyDeleteRiding my bike is one of the only things that has kept me "sane" over the years. Without my bike/s, I'm convinced I'd be a different person.
I love the blog that you have. I was wondering if you would link my blog to yours and in return I would do the same for your blog. If you want to, my site name is American Legends and the URL is:
ReplyDeletewww.americanlegends.info
If you want to do this just go to my blog and in one of the comments just write your blog name and the URL and I will add it to my site.
Thanks,
David