Necessary compassion

Kate Power
Amanda Gallagher
Executive editors
magazine@smcvt.edu

It could have happened anywhere.

On Monday, April 16, 23-year-old Cho Seung-Hui shot and killed 32 people and wounded 14 more before taking his own life. The shooting, which occurred on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, is the worst act of campus violence in United States history.

The public is understandably anxious for an answer as to why this tragedy occurred. It’s hard to comprehend what motivates a person to open fire on innocent people, and even though Cho sent a videotape to NBC ranting about his reasons for the murders, his semi-coherent rambling left more questions than it did answers. And because he is dead, speculation is basically all anyone has left. Was he crazy? Was he depressed? Was he simply in complete contempt of human life?

Of course, aside from the general hypotheses that people will inevitably produce, a barrage of experts will soon proclaim their answers as to why Cho executed this massacre. Dr. Phil will blame the video games, frightened parents will blame violent movies, and most Democrats will blame lax gun laws. All of these reasons will be accepted on the surface and discarded at the deeper level because none of them came from the mouth of the murderer.

Among the talking heads will be President Bush, offering condolences and support, while still emphasizing his belief in the second amendment. “The president believes that people have a right to bear arms, but all laws must be followed,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Dana Perino said in a press conference.

And pushing their way through the crowd of politicians and Ph.Ds are reporters, all yelling out questions they hope will give them the top story. The coverage of the event has been hardhearted at best.

During a press conference, a reporter called Virginia Tech Police Chief W.R. Flinchum “discompassionate.” Granted, we didn’t see what the reporter saw; however, it’s unacceptable for a reporter to name-call an interviewee, even if it did give him air time.

There is no answer as to why this happened. Not today. Not tomorrow. And probably, at least for the families of the victims, there will never be a truly acceptable reason to why their loved ones are dead.

People who want a reason often cannot accept that there may not be an immediate answer. Instead of accepting this, they look to the tangible ideas offered by public figures. They might decide it was caused by inadequate gun laws or bad security communication or acculturated violence. But they will pick up an idea laid forth by those spinning in circles, just like everyone else, trying to find logic in an action that was completely illogical.

Instead of trying to understand the situation (or spew a political rant, break a story, or sell psychology books), why can’t the public, and those in positions of power, take a few days to simply offer condolences? Just accept the reality for what it is-- a terrible tragedy with no one to blame except the shooter. The families and friends of the victims deserve compassion and respect. Which is not, no matter how good the intentions are, what any news show or expert can offer.

The thoughts of The Echo staff are with the Virginia Tech community.