Column: Let Cho die as he lived, anonymously
Dan Sheehan, CT Regular Columnist
April 20, 2007
I had been telling my family and friends at other schools (even a reporter) how respectful I thought the media had been toward the students and their families; then I saw the pictures of Cho Seung-Hui and heard an audio clip of him ranting while I was driving home. I had to pull off to the side of the road, I was so furious.
At first, it was like listening to talk radio being broadcast from hell. It was as if he was finally getting what he wanted: people to know his name and know who he was. I say let that man die as he lived: anonymously. At first, I wanted to see the pictures and watch his video clips, with the hope that I could extract some sort of meaning, some sort of reason for why he would do such a thing. After further deliberation, it occurred to me that we can never understand why, because there simply is no reason. Nothing he can say will ever remotely justify his actions.
All of the news media, not just NBC (the recipients of his package), should be ashamed of themselves. As if it weren't enough that he murdered 32 members of our community, as if what we imagined in our minds of what those people saw in their last moments wasn't awful enough. For the survivors, that their first encounter with him wasn't enough, that they had to see and hear him again. The Virginia Tech community had to face Cho again, and it was the media, who is "so sorry for what happened" that made us face him again. They chose ratings over healing. They chose video hits over real people struggling with real loss.
What's worse is that the editing teams' decisions to air the contents of the package gave Cho exactly what he wanted: freedom from anonymity. The media, again, has proven to Cho and those capable of doing like he did that if you commit atrocity, you will become famous; so the cycle will continue.
When are we going to get over our curiosity and start listening to our conscience? Its human nature to wonder about these people and its normal to want to know more about them, but our fascination with people like Cho is only making more of them. Maybe I wouldn't be saying all of this if it weren't affecting me so personally. I'm guilty of watching the stuff about the Columbine kids (I wont name them-its what they wanted) and other sociopaths in American history, but I'm stopping now, out of fear that this could happen to another school, to another 32 people who were guilty of nothing more than going to school and teaching school.
History wants to remember the names of the people who commit atrocities like what happened on Monday--forget them. Don't make martyrs of these people, its what they wanted. I'm choosing, instead, to remember names like Liviu Librescu. Reema Samaha, Erin Peterson, Henry Lee, Kevin Granata, Ryan Clark and Waleed Shaalan. These are some of the names we should remember, and will remember.
I don't ever want to see another picture of Cho Seung-Hui. This is the last time I will speak his name. He wanted to be heard, to be remembered‰¥"don't give him the satisfaction. I will never forget April 16th. I will never forget the story of Dr. Librescu, or the students who risked their own lives to save others. I will always remember the names of those we lost. As time fades, my memories of that day will remain intact, but I will do the victims their final honor, and forget the name of their assailant. I will let him die as he lived: nothing to nobody. I hope the media will, too.