Great. Just what I needed during my examination period at my university: news of a shooting at another university. And not just any university, but one of the top universities in the United States of America: Virginia Polytechnic, or Virginiatech for short. Kinda reminds me of the Columbine shootings, et al., but this one turned out to have a death toll of 33 students and professors, including the shooter. I know that this story is at least two weeks old, but the story behind the shooting is one that would be told should something like this happen again, to remind us of the deviants in society. Even when taking a look at the list of the deceased does one realize that the shooter did not discriminate between anyone as he murderously raged through the school and kill those who stood in his way.
Not surprisingly, however, was the notion that the media spun a hype about the massacre being motivated by "Islam" ever since police identified the words "Ismail Ax" in red ink on one of his arms. Even more not so surprising was the fact that this rumor was circulated and mega-hyped by none other than FAUX News. These two words alone catalyzed a "web frenzy" (The Age), and people all over were quick to blame "Islam" as a cause of the massacre.
Even sadder is that there are probably a lot of people out there who still believe that this is some "Beslan" gone rampant in America. Before we start pointing the finger at Islam, which I'm sure Seung-Hui Cho, the kid responsible for the murder of 33 people including himself, didn't profess, let's keep in mind first the events that occurred during that day. Why is that?
Let's get to Cho's motives or whatever it is that compelled him to commit such dastardly deeds that led to the massacre on April 16, 2007. Cho himself was an immigrant student in the USA. Apparently, he sufferred discrimination and alienation from other students. He also had an unhappy childhood and, to date, an undiagnosed intellectual disability/psychological problem (whatever the heck it was, we can't find out now), which could explain his anti-social behavior. Furthermore, Cho wrote morbid plays, which only confirms the violent nature that he masked for quite a long time.
There were many factors that would have contributed to the rampage on that fateful April day, but all we could do for now is pray that something like this never happens again. I could only think of a deranged psychopath when I read something like
Of course, his deviant behavior was expected. You can't expect society to run ever so orderly without any crime happening once in a while (okay, maybe not this magnitude, but I think you get the idea if I explain it a little. According to French sociologist Emile Durkheim, ever society has crime, and a society can't progress without it. That is, a crime might bring about a change that might lead to social progress. That is, a crime makes a hidden societal problem more pronouncable, and only then can people change it to fix things up in society. For example, the massacre sparked up a debate on gun rights, put campus safety resources under questioning, and gave the governor of Virginia an impetus to ban "deranged" people from owning guns. Is it progress? Who knows? Only time will tell...
Oh, and by the way, for those still wondering that Cho was some sorta AQ nutcase undercover, take a look at the words I bolded in one of the quotes. He's desecrating the name of Christianity and Islam under the same breath by evoking Jesus's name. Let's drop this one as another case of murder by a psychopath who probably gave up on living a normal life.
Salaam, from Saracen
Not surprisingly, however, was the notion that the media spun a hype about the massacre being motivated by "Islam" ever since police identified the words "Ismail Ax" in red ink on one of his arms. Even more not so surprising was the fact that this rumor was circulated and mega-hyped by none other than FAUX News. These two words alone catalyzed a "web frenzy" (The Age), and people all over were quick to blame "Islam" as a cause of the massacre.
Even sadder is that there are probably a lot of people out there who still believe that this is some "Beslan" gone rampant in America. Before we start pointing the finger at Islam, which I'm sure Seung-Hui Cho, the kid responsible for the murder of 33 people including himself, didn't profess, let's keep in mind first the events that occurred during that day. Why is that?
During the time period between the two shooting events on April 16, Cho visited a local post office near the Virginia Tech campus where he mailed a parcel to the New York headquarters of NBC News containing video clips, photographs and a manifesto explaining the reasons for his actions. The package, addressed from "A. Ishmael" as seen on an image of the USPS Express Mail envelope (incorrectly printed as "Ismail" by The New York Times) and apparently intended to be received on April 17, was delayed because of an incorrect ZIP code and street address. The words "Ismail Ax" were scrawled in red ink on Cho's arm.It was at most a reminder that Cho scrawled on his arm so he may not forget to send images of his grotesque demeanor and insanity that one can find all over the net now; for the sake of sensitivity, I will not post them here either.
Let's get to Cho's motives or whatever it is that compelled him to commit such dastardly deeds that led to the massacre on April 16, 2007. Cho himself was an immigrant student in the USA. Apparently, he sufferred discrimination and alienation from other students. He also had an unhappy childhood and, to date, an undiagnosed intellectual disability/psychological problem (whatever the heck it was, we can't find out now), which could explain his anti-social behavior. Furthermore, Cho wrote morbid plays, which only confirms the violent nature that he masked for quite a long time.
There were many factors that would have contributed to the rampage on that fateful April day, but all we could do for now is pray that something like this never happens again. I could only think of a deranged psychopath when I read something like
Cho also railed against materialism and hedonism while, in another video, he compared himself to Jesus Christ, explaining that his death will influence generations of people.To Cho: of course your death will influence us. It will teach us not to follow a deranged, anti-social, violent lifestyle that will put more people in danger for no reason whatsoever.
Of course, his deviant behavior was expected. You can't expect society to run ever so orderly without any crime happening once in a while (okay, maybe not this magnitude, but I think you get the idea if I explain it a little. According to French sociologist Emile Durkheim, ever society has crime, and a society can't progress without it. That is, a crime might bring about a change that might lead to social progress. That is, a crime makes a hidden societal problem more pronouncable, and only then can people change it to fix things up in society. For example, the massacre sparked up a debate on gun rights, put campus safety resources under questioning, and gave the governor of Virginia an impetus to ban "deranged" people from owning guns. Is it progress? Who knows? Only time will tell...
Oh, and by the way, for those still wondering that Cho was some sorta AQ nutcase undercover, take a look at the words I bolded in one of the quotes. He's desecrating the name of Christianity and Islam under the same breath by evoking Jesus's name. Let's drop this one as another case of murder by a psychopath who probably gave up on living a normal life.
Salaam, from Saracen
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