Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Murder at Virginia Tech

I have been feeling incredibly sad that a man could be so troubled and disturbed that he could kill 33 people, including himself. I read today that the suspect, Cho Seung-Hui, may have been romantically interested in the woman he killed in the dorm. I also read that, as and English major, his writings were filled with violent themes and that he had been taking antidepressants. What I didn't find published was information about his childhood and teenage years, how long was he taking the antidepressants and whether or not he had been in psychotherapy. What happened to this man that he felt compelled to murder?

What about Virginia Tech's Administration? Did they not do enough to protect the students at the University. I read that the news about the shooting in the dorm did not get released until a couple hours after the shooting. Had the information been made public earlier, would that have saved the other victims?

What about gun-control? Since the suspect was taking anti-depressants, should he have been allowed to purchase a gun? Are the rules about gun purchases strict enough?

What about the professors who knew that the suspects writings were filled with themes of violence? I read that he had been referred for psychotherapy. Should he have been forced to enter into a therapeutic relationship? Should he have been expelled from school for his writings since at least one of his professors was concerned?

What could have been done that was not done? I suspect nothing.

I don't want this post to be mostly about the suspect. But there isn't much information available about the victims. May they rest in peace.

4 comments:

Elisabeth said...

This is all extremely puzzling. My boyfriend, who worked for the P.R. department at V-Tech some twenty years ago, blamed the lack of prompt and adequate response to the first murders that had occurred in the dorm to the huge administrative machine that creates inertia in huge academic institutions such as Virginia Tech. I think the same bureaucracy led to the failure of Dr. Roy's attempts at getting help for Cho.

This is very sad. There is no time for bureaucracy in times of crisis.

Rosie said...

I think hind sight is 20/20 we always look back and say would-a, could-a, should-a. The fact is nothing will change the horror that did happen and we have to deal with that.

Totally switching gears here. Sue, are you just excited as all get out about your trip? You leave in like 3 days right? Ya-hooey!!

Rosie said...

I just read my last comment and I apologize if I sound callous or worse, glib. That is certainly not my intent. The point I'm trying to make is that often when a tragedy occurs I think more time is spent discussing and speculating on what could have been done to prevent it, which is a worthwhile and necessary endeavor to be sure. I just think the emphasis should be on ministering to the people who survived the trauma.

Smart Socratics said...

Rosie,
I am unofficially on vacation therefore I don't want to think about the murders until after I return. Thanks for the ya!