People Want to Know Why

It has been barely a day since the deadliest massacre to ever hit the United States shattered the rural campus of Virginia Tech yesterday morning. 32 lives are lost, and the survivors want to know why. Last night reporters were already trying to place the blame on the school for not shutting down the campus earlier, which I personally think is way to early to do. Today though, it seems that the media is changing a bit. Now that people are aware who the single person that created so much devastation is, they want to know what kind of individual is capable of such a thing, and could it of been prevented. "The Psychology of Mass Murder" from MSNBC suggests that the only answer science has found to this question is shadows and darkness, misfiring neurons and psychic pain. Those who knew the gunman Cho Seung-Hui, a 23 year English Major, described him as depressed, erratic and a violent individual. Yahoo News!'s article "VA Tech Gunman Writings Raised Concerns" states that he was a loner who rarely talked to anyone. In Cho's creative writing classes, some alarms were raised. Professor Carolyn Rude, the Chairman of the English department said that "Cho's writing was so disturbing that he was referred to the counseling center" Still though, authorities are not really sure what could of set him off, and how do u know who is going to become a school shooter and who is just a troubled individual. The school tried to get Cho counseling, but you can't force someone to be helped if they don't want to be.

What happened at Virginia Tech was absolutely horrible and it makes me sick to think about. For the most part I think the media has been doing a good job of covering this event. I'm glad that at least it seems that as more of the facts start to come out, the media is taking a more rational approach to try and look at the person who committed this act and to reflect more on the victims and heroes of that day. It has only been a one day, the shock is barely fading and reality is just starting to set in for these people. There will be plenty of time for the media to make accusations, for now the media should do its best to let people heal, and the answers will come with time.