The Writing of Seung-Hui Cho
EmailAs we continue to work on the Virginia Tech story, we’re running across details about Seung-Hui Cho’s past. Ian MacFarlane, a young staff member at AOL, says he was with him in a creative-writing course last year.
In an AOL blog, MacFarlane writes, "When I first heard about the multiple shootings at Virginia Tech yesterday, my first thought was about my friends, and my second thought was "’I bet it was Seung Cho.’"
He continues: "He would sit by himself whenever possible, and didn’t like talking to anyone. I don’t think I’ve ever actually heard his voice before. He was just so quiet and kept to himself. Looking back, he fit the exact stereotype of what one would typically think of as a "school shooter" – a loner, obsessed with violence, and serious personal problems."
Take a look at the rest HERE.
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It’s not surprising that a troubled person like this left plenty of clues and signs of his psychological torment. It’s very sad that there was no way he could receive help before he was pushed over whatever edge he fell from.
Posted by: chuck | April 17, 2007, 3:35 pm 3:35 pm
You’re right, chuck. But the idea of arresting or detaining someone just because of what they write or say is chilling to say the least. It’s an unfortunate concomittant of our legal system that such things can happen, but until he (or whomever) does something overt, there’s little that can be done. It’s both a good and bad thing that a cop can’t arrest you until you do something illegal, even though he *knows* that you’re going to do it.
Posted by: Andy | April 17, 2007, 7:24 pm 7:24 pm
I disagree Andy, just as it is the governments responsibility to make sure I wear my seatbelt, protect me from drunk drivers etc… they should also protect me from obviously mentally disturbed individuals. Unfortunately, I’m sure several of those kids parents would agree that Cho should have been involuntarly committed to an institution for evaluation. If I’m not mistaken this was a common practice at one time in this country. I say bring it back
Posted by: Karl | April 17, 2007, 7:41 pm 7:41 pm
I’ve heard people who said “crazy” things, but mostly it was for attention, but to actually do what this guy did is unimaginable. How could he kill 2 people, go home to reload , and kill 30 more. This guy was beyond help.
Posted by: jeff | April 17, 2007, 8:57 pm 8:57 pm
Karl, there’s reason the practice went away…as did many other practices; slavery, involuntary sterilization, witch trials, etc. It’s a short stretch from “knowing” someone is dangerous to “knowing” a lot of other things as well. Such power is too easy to abuse and one needn’t even look back to see such abuses, though doing so would reveal what today are easily considered political atrocities. I can only paraphrase Dwight Eisenhower who said those who wish absolute safety should admit themselves to a jail cell. One cannot be truly alive without risk taking. We mustn’t become prisoners of our fear.
Posted by: Dave | April 18, 2007, 6:39 am 6:39 am
There needs to be more public awareness about the symptoms of mental illness. Families who have members that suffer from mental illnesses are stigmatized, and therefore are not free to share information or their pain with others. If you have cancer and recover, you are a big hero and everyone wants to know how you were cured. If you have a mental illness and find successful treatment, you have to keep it to yourself so that you won’t become stigmatized. There are thousands (if not millions) of people walking around with symptoms of mental illnesses such as bi-polar and pszychophrenia, who go undiagnosed and untreated. Whether or not they become a threat to society, they all lead lives of suffering because they don’t receive treatment. Agencies that create public awareness programs for illnesses such as aids and heart disease, should invest money into research and awareness programs so that the public can become more educated about these illnesses, and people who suffer from these illnesses can receive the help and support they need.
Posted by: Shoshana | April 19, 2007, 3:20 am 3:20 am
I feel his evaluation by the phychiatist was inadaquate. He “fooled” him into thinking he was only a threat to himself. He should have been committed for an in-depth evaul and prehaps lives
could have been saved.It’s only a second guess now
clearly he was a threat to society.Pure hatred of the rich is clear in his ramblings and that in itself was a waarning that he may hurt others. I pray that other Koreans will not be blamed for the
action of one very disturbed man.
Posted by: Maria | April 19, 2007, 3:37 am 3:37 am
As a parent I have had 2 daughters in separate colleges that have had disturbed roomates. One threatened my daughters life and I made sure the housing dept had a e-mail trail as she had a father in prison and was of great concern to me.
The college President never acknowledged a thing
I forwarded. The other roomate had a mental health history, was on and off medication and never left the room. She seemed to be more to a threat to herself than to anyone but life in the same room was miserable. My kids are “reacher-outers”, they are not live-in trained professionals. They have a need for normalcy, safety and STUDY space in a SCHOOL.
So, a responsible parent has to go through considerable expense to support and protect their child and must contact police themselves and act
independent of school officials. You can expect to be treated as the irrational party. Be prepared to pay for student housing for a disturbed roomate AND an off-campus apartment for your child at the same time with no hope of reimbursement. Maybe the colleges hands are tied but they protect insanity in my experience.
Posted by: Karen Fain | April 19, 2007, 5:30 am 5:30 am
I think Mr. Potter has addressed an issue that seems to me to be to be a critical piece of the story, but that is virtually overlooked in most public discussions and by the media.
We are a largely ignorant society when it comes to mental health. There are professionals who understand it, but the public at large stigmatizes mental illness and has little grasp of it’s own state of mental health, much less that of someone who is extremely sick.
If our national treasury had a dollar for every person who has a strong opinion about psychotherapy for example, but who has never participated in psychotherapy themselves and has no real clue what it entails, our government would probably be free of debt.
I am not one of those people who is suggesting that someone with a mental illness should bear no legal responsibility for a crime. But I do think that until we collectively understand mental health and illness much better, we are doomed to keep chasing our tails and to not finding any real solutions to this kind of problem.
Talking about gun control is not enough.
Posted by: Barbara | April 19, 2007, 6:26 am 6:26 am
ok U.S.A here`s the thing and it`s very simple, give an idiot the rite to bare arms and expect to get shot, yes sadly thats how it works, how many gun related masacres have you had now? how many more have to die at the hands of an idiot with a gun in their hand before you do something about your gun laws? give an unstable person access to a fire arm and watch people die, it`s an accident waiting to happen, a murder waiting to take place. All it takes is a word or a look taken the wrong way to make someone snap, why give people the rite to bare arms if you don`t want them to shoot people? kinda deafeats the purpose.What kind of wake up call do you need? how much more blood has to be spilled to get the message accross that giving the people the rite to bare arms is the wrong thing to do? when will the line be drawn, when it`s too late?
Posted by: shayne | April 19, 2007, 9:29 pm 9:29 pm
I think there are obvious “things” to the Virginia Tech tragedy..but I think the basis for this kids actions really fall into some form of organized crime..where the dis-ability a person can attain in America really has a small economic aspect in it..I myself am a disabled person..I was able to work for some 20-years..actually at hard labor(H.S.Grad.)..I did appreciate the salary..later as old age set in I came down w/a mental disorder that required some Therapy..I went thru 12-months of therapy and returned to work..but did relapse..some 10-years later..basically old age was a problem..I can truthfully say that medication is a positive influence on a mental disorder..BUT..its quite large DOSES that offer some benefit..and a long period of time..TOO MAKE A Long Story Short../I would not be surprised if some Puppet has come along..to attempt to BEND such a Community as the Mentally Disabled..reaching inside the economic structure for “what-ever”..from my own experiance as a disabled person..I have gained the insight that crime cares very little..and would KILL for Money such as a Disabled Benefit package..its just that you really can’t fool your way thru such a program..This really has been my reality to such horrible violence..the killing for money..in a disabled environment.
Posted by: MarkSM | April 27, 2007, 10:29 pm 10:29 pm