A good post. Part of my worry regarding a backlash is the reaction of Asian themselves which I think does have to do with a collective view of society by Asians and a fear of backlash from the rest of society. At this point we are still seeing how this situation will play out racially but the fact that there have been some racists comments about this already there is still the possibility of a racial backlash. At the same time though I don't think we as Asians are coming out with group apologies for the actions of one deranged individual or as for non-Korean Asians to distance ourselves from Koreans. I can understand but am somewhat dissapointed about the sense of relief expressed by many Asians when it came out he was Korean and not some other group of Asians. As far as American society is concerned there is little difference between the various Asian ethnicities even though we ourselves recognize huge differences between us. For most of America there is practically no difference between Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Cambodian or any East Asian ethnicity so for better or worse actions by one ethnicity affect all of us. As a group though I don't believe we should be apologizing or feeling guilty about this incident. We obviously should be sympathetic to the victims as we should to victims of any tragedy but group apologies IMO contribute to what I believe a mistaken view that being Asian has something to do with this.
You're right there isn't a full blown backlash but as we see with this guy it only takes one angry nerd to do a lot of damage. I would rather address racial arguments now than see such thoughts fester.
Why? People kill people all the time. How many people are dieing because of our own wars and consumption habits? We act on our fears and anger constantly. The problem is that it is normal.
There are going to be some ignorant people that associate bad people with Koreans and will stereotype...That is truly sad...
Nothing suprises me with him. He was the one condemning everyone for expressing anger towards a father who had let his 10 month old girl freeze to death in the snow.
How many were killed on 9/11? How many were killed with the atomic bomb and firebombing and holocaust? How many were killed in Vietnam and Iraq. How many are dying in Iraq and Darfur? How many people die of starvation every day because of other's greed? Unfortuntely it is very normal. Killing is an every second occurrence.
Those acts are NOT normal. That's why you remember them. Normal is eating a piece of bread. Normal is taking a drink of water. You don't remember those acts every time they happen because they're normal. You do remember a plane flying into a building. You do remember mass genocide and warfare. You do remember 33 people killed while attending classes. You remember them because they are not normal. Speaking of people dying because of other people's greed, I'm sure you could sell your computer to help feed someone.
In Te Rest ing In the example given . . . his friend was not normal but still managed to not Kill people then again I guess JC and the Girl NORMALIZED him Rocket River I figure most people are not Normal we all so different and diverse even within cultures and ethnic groups
Killing is normal as in common. It is not rare. It is common then we all can capable of it, yet it is not intrinsic and nothing new. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2293991.stm More than 1.6 million people are killed by violence around the world each year, a major report reveals. The World Health Organization said that millions of others are left injured as a result of attacks. Violence is now the leading cause of death among people aged between 15 and 44. There is nothing inevitable about violence, nor is it an intrinsic part of the human condition Dr Etienne Krug, WHO The WHO has called on governments across the globe to take urgent action to cut murder rates, domestic violence and armed conflict. The report shows that violence accounts for 14% of deaths in men and 7% of deaths in women. Millions affected This accounts for a person dying somewhere in the world as a result of an attack every minute of every day. It is estimated that one person commits suicide every 40 seconds. Thirty-five people are killed every hour as a result of armed conflict. According to the report, a total of 191m people lost their lives during the last century as a result of armed conflict. But it adds that for every person killed by violence as many as another 40 need treatment for serious injuries. The WHO added that half of all women murdered are killed by their current or former husband or boyfriend. In some countries, that figure is as high as 70%. One in four women across the globe will experience sexual violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime. But violence against the elderly is also a growing problem. Up to 6% of older people have reported being abused. Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland, director-general of WHO, said: "The report challenges us in many respects. "It forces us to reach beyond our notions of what is acceptable and comfortable - to challenge notions that acts of violence are simply matters of family privacy, individual choice, or inevitable facets of life." Education Dr Etienne Krug, director of WHO's department of injuries and violence prevention, said deaths could be reduced by trying to change attitudes. "There is nothing inevitable about violence, nor is it an intrinsic part of the human condition," he said. "Evidence from around the world suggests that violence can be prevented by a variety of measures aimed at individuals, families and communities." The report calls for education programmes for school children, parent training and schemes to cut the use of firearms. It also calls for improved help for victims of violence. Majorie Wallace, Chief Executive of mental health charity SANE, said: "The WHO report on health and violence does not sufficiently emphasise the role of mental health services in the prevention of homicide and in particular suicide. "SANE's experience, based on 1000 calls a week to our helpline - SANELINE - and our analysis of inquiries following homicides committed by a person with mental illness or disorder pulls sharp focus on the lack of response to those seeking help for mental health problems. "One in three people are being turned away and the families' warnings and concerns too often go unheeded. We believe many of the tragedies involving violence and health could be prevented."
So whats your outlook on punishment for those who contribute to the cycle of "normalcy" by killing people.
I think I agree with Rocket River. There is no such thing as normal but what matters isn't that we are normal but that we can coexist.
