Letter: Remembering everyone who died in the VT tragedy
Letter to the Editor
April 25, 2007
The rock representing the 33rd person who died and the 33rd family who mourns wasn't placed there on Saturday as published in today's (Tuesday's) Collegiate Times; it was placed there at about 4 a.m. on Thursday morning (in the dark of the night to avoid drawing attention to its addition). How do I know this? Because I brought it and put it there. I was not, however, the one that removed it and am saddened and outraged that it has been moved. I intend to bring another, and continue to bring them for as long as the memorial remains there. Until now, I have not talked to anyone but the individual who helped me bring it to campus and my mother about this event. I fear backlash from my fellow students and perhaps even faculty or staff members who do not agree with my actions or perhaps my reasoning. Most people walking on this campus today are outraged and have a deep felt hate for Cho. At least that seems to be the popular opinion. I can respect and understand that response. Most of those people probably wouldn't care that there were only 32 stones placed in memorial, only 32 white balloons released in remembrance and all the lists of the dead (not victims, list of the dead) only include 32 names ... but I care.
My family did not raise me to do what was popular. They raised me to do what was morally right. We did not lose only 32 students and faculty members that day, we lost 33 lives. Yes, 32 were victims of another, but we lost 33 members of the Hokie family (say what you want about Cho not being a part of this family... but as a Hokie I choose to accept all my fellow students, faculty and alumni as Hokies no matter what I think about their current problems or their past, their criminal history or their political or religious views and especially no matter their mental health status). 33 people died. No matter what you think of Cho, his actions, his responsibility, his mental health status ... he still had a family and loved ones who mourn his loss. They mourn the pain that he must have been feeling to cause him to do something this horrific, the person he was that we may never know about and never understand. It is with that family and any friends he may have had (maybe there were none, but who would come forward now to admit to being his friend at this point?) that I mourn the loss of his young life. I mourn a society that was so disinterested in this human life that this individual felt completely isolated and alone on a campus filled with thousands of students. Do I think he was without fault? Of course not, he made a horrible choice and did a devastating thing that ended many promising lives and has changed all our lives forever. Am I horrified when I see videos of his last words about his actions? Absolutely I am, it is chilling and ghastly to watch. Yet I am sad that there was someone on this campus, amongst all our "Hokie Family" and "care and concern for each other" that felt so isolated, marginalized and ridiculed that his only possible reaction was this terrible act. Much of this started long before he arrived here I'm sure ... but I can't help but wonder how many times someone could have intervened in his life in a positive way, without labeling him further and without isolating him further that could have made a positive difference in the outcome of his life. I can only hope there is no one else on this campus who feels that way, if there is, I'd sure like to talk to them and offer my friendship.
I lost friends and acquaintances like a lot of other people; I have mourned this event and continue to deal with the intense disbelief and pain we all are. I am not removed from this incident, I am not heartless and it's not that I don't care about the horrible thing that has happened. But, I refuse to do what is popular and agree with everyone around me that only 32 people died on Monday. 33 died. We lost 33 Hokies that day, not 32. In my opinion, no life has less value than any other. Cho was a human being, a member of our community and he had people who loved him. Who am I to judge who has value and who doesn't? I am not in that position. Are you? Because I can not judge the value of another's life, I mourn all the losses, all 33 of them.
Those rocks aren't just for those who died. They are for all of us to mourn, to remember those they left behind, their family, their friends, their loved ones. If we are truly the tight-knit community that we represent ourselves as, we should have care and concern for ALL individuals in our community. You don't get to pick who's in your family ... just as I don't believe you can not choose the members of our Virginia Tech family ... no matter what he did (and it was awful and painful and destructive, I don't deny that) that young man had people who loved him and cared about him, and as Hokies, I believe we should have enough compassion to remember that.
Katelynn L. Johnson
Senior--Sociology / Psychology