Ethnicity vs. Human Physiology

It does not matter at all that this zombie was Korean. Focusing on his race is just another example of the relativistic slant of the media and people that must go beyond the heritage of everyone. The problem with this person was INSIDE, not outside. He was psychologically unsound, to say the least.
We all share the same human physiology and anatomical features. The difference, not exclusive to our physical appearance is rooted deep within us; our experiences-the combination of nature and nurture.

There remain the devastating epochs of history, for example the Congolese people under King Leopold and the Kikuyu of East Kenya, wherein race or ethnicity matters. It does not matter in this case whatsoever.

Sent by Frank Greco | 8:35 AM ET | 04-21-2007

As an American expat in China I have been surprised how the first reaction in the Chinese and Korean media was to fear for a racial backlash in the USA - against Asians. To me, this is a sad misjudgement of Americans. Sure there are nuts in every group but I just don't see Americans blaming Koreans or Korean-Americans for what Cho did. Most of us aren't that stupid and I kind of resent the implied racism.

It might be a different case if Cho had been out just to kill whites or blacks or another group and made his rage a racial focus - we might have seen some tension then. But he didn't discriminate in his murderous rage.

Sent by jay casey | 3:31 PM ET | 04-21-2007

Concerning the Virginia Tech tragedy, at first I was going to ask: Why do we sometimes feel collective responsibility when members of groups we belong to doing something wrong? Isn't there enough the differentiates us from other members of racial, ethnic, religious, socioeconomic, hobby, etc. defined groups that we belong to?

In this case why did Koreans, Cho's ethnic group, feel responsible? (I know that Sen. Paul Chin answered that during the pilot.) Why didn't another group -- like his age cohort, males, college students, middle class members, immigrants, etc. -- that he belonged to feel responsibility? Why does ethnicity and race seem like they trump in cases like this?

Also, I found the discussion about the media's focus on Cho's ethnicity intriguing. As I've grown more skeptical of the mainstream media, this is one question that I need to ponder. Further, it is a question that the news media must ponder.

Back to Sen. Paul Chin, I found it fascinating how he explained that Korean culture dictated he and his fellow Koreans should feel partial responsibility for Cho's actions. Exploring culturally diverse characteristics like that is what I hope to hear from Tell Me More.

Concerning the Faith Matters segment, please do revisit this story to see how the congregation is handling this interesting situation. I find it fascinating when Christians must face the prospect of forgiving someone who has done horrific things, especially since Christians view all as sinners. If Christians want God to forgive them of their mistakes, how can they expect this if they don't forgive others?

The Heard on the Street segment is an excellent idea! Today's reminds me of the segment on All Things Considered on April 11, 2007 when concert violinist Joshua Bell found himself busking in a Washington, D.C. metro station.

Sent by Steve Petersen | 3:38 PM ET | 04-21-2007

Just a technical issue.... The "Listen to the Pilot" link allows me to download but I cannot listen to it with Windows Media Player. What player should one use?

Sent by Tessa | 9:55 AM ET | 04-22-2007

The reporting of Sueng-Cho's race was somewhat overplayed. The first thing that I noticed was that most of the media outlets mentioned that he was South Korean first and then mentioned that he immigrated to the DC area. Why not mention that he was from Outside of DC and then mention he was an immigrant? He spent a good amount of time here in the US.It seemed to me that he was portrayed as a foreigner attacking Americans. It seems to play into the theme over the last four years since the Iraq war of the "enemies" attacking Americans.

I understand that this young man had mental health problems. I do think that his experiences of being ostracized while at school may have worsened his mental health problems. One of his classmates in school said he was ridiculed in high school by his teacher and classmates when the teacher asked him to read and he did not have a command of the english language.Every kid in high school wants to be accepted and it is so sad that he was not able to find friends that he could fit in with.

I also noticed that days after the shootings his family took responsibility for his actions. I thought this is definitely a cultural difference because Americans typically will not take responsiblity for our role in some tragedy due to the individualism we subscribe to. Maybe we need to take a cue from other people around the world and begin to understand that we are all interconnected and we each play a role in someone's success or failure.

Sent by M Peace | 8:14 PM ET | 04-22-2007

Jay Casey: Apparently, you aren't Asian American (or a minority for that matter) because if you were, you would understand why Asian American groups are afraid of a backlash. Unfortunately, U.S. history has shown that you are very wrong about what you call a "sad misjudgement of Americans".

Sent by Dennis | 6:03 AM ET | 04-23-2007

Jay, why are you so surprised? Regardless of the accuracy of such a fear, it was (and maybe is) a valid one. America doesn't exactly have a great history of understanding.

As the days go by, it becomes less and less likely that we'll see any significant backlash, but that doesn't rule it out.

Sent by vetrean | 6:14 AM ET | 04-23-2007

Backlash is real, and backlash happens in the United States. After September 11th, mosques and temples were burned, at least half a dozen people were killed, and thousands harrassed, attacked, and beaten.

Sent by ravi abraham | 9:19 AM ET | 04-23-2007

I think another major issue here about the coverage is that, regardless of race, it garnered so much attention that it may encourage other attention-seeking violent behavior. Just days later, the man at NASA took two hostages before committing a murder-suicide. If someone sees that this dominates an entire news cycle for a week, complete with the publishing of Cho's plays and airing of his video... doesn't that send the message to others that this behavior succeeds in gaining one fame and getting one's message heard? The news story was important, of course, and prompted many discussions on a variety of issues (freedom of speech, race, etc.) but the coverage was nonstop and soon there were dozens of interviews, etc, some from people who don't even know Cho. A TV movie will no doubt be in the works in the very near future... meanwhile, other major news stories from the week (e.g. Gonzales' testimony, the abortion ban being upheld, more casualties overseas) can't even be found on some news sites main pages.

Sent by Greg | 12:25 PM ET | 04-23-2007

I agree with ravi abraham. The number of videos targeted at Asian Americans after the VT tragedy spiked on Youtube. The racist remarks from those videos are extremely disturbing. One would think America is moving forward with diversity and understanding but the reality tells something else.

Sent by Sandi L | 4:34 PM ET | 04-23-2007

Tessa -
Are you sure? I just tried it and it worked fine for me. Try listening once more. If you still have trouble, you can find help here: http://www.npr.org/help/media.html.

Thanks for writing!

Sent by Lee Hill with Tell Me More | 6:23 PM ET | 04-23-2007

This was an excellent show. I have not heard a thoughtful interrogation about the race of Cho in any forum. As an African American woman (and product of Spelman College's Womens center), i am also interested in the misogyny that contributed to his behavor and subsequent massacre. It seems that stalking two women, hiring escorts and taking pictures underneath desks is pretty alarming behavior. Perhaps stalking is just another womens issue that isn't really taken seriously but i digress.

As for Sex offendors in churches, I agree that for every 'out' child predator, there are far more that are walking into churches every sabbath. They're just lucky this one decided to warn people.

The soul portion was surprisingly interesting. I usually role my eyes when people begin reminiscing about soul music and how back when.. but this was a different take. Honestly I was about to skip that portion but got hooked with Al Greens cover. I'm not a big 'cover' fan but i think i might have to reconsider that stance and buy the album

Overall I think this show is valuable and insightful,and i appreciate the time and effort that goes into each story produced on this show. Its not the usual '30-unfocused-seconds-then next-story' format. I like the quality vs. quantity approach this show seems to bring.

Keep up the great(and hard)work Michel and everyone else behind the scenes!

Sent by A. Guillory | 1:40 PM ET | 04-27-2007

I think Korean immigrants, and possibly some second-generation Koreans, might feel a kind of shame about Cho, and that his actions reflect on them in some way. That is probably part of Korean culture, and that fact explains why culturally-Western Americans are surpised by that. There are two elements of that.

First, Korea, like Japan, has been called a "shame" culture, while the US and much of Europe is a "guilt" culture. Shame is not feeling bad about the simple fact of doing something wrong, but about how that action appears to others. If you care to consider it practically, shame is probably more powerful, especially if you are inculcated to think that way. On the other hand, it can lead you to not consider the inherent morality of your actions. You might only worry about whether you are caught.

The second thing is that people who are culturally Korean feel they stand out very strongly from mainstream Americans. They do not feel they fit in, at all. They feel, rightly or wrongly, that everybody thinks of them as "Koreans" and not Americans, so everything they do reflects on Koreans.

So there is the emphasis on how one's actions reflect on oneself, and the probably mistaken perception that one Korean's actions are taken to reflect on all Koreans. The two are distinct issues. One can feel shame, but inappropriately.

To feel shame, you must have a mental model or theory of how other people would view your actions. If that model is incorrect, you will feel shame that is in a sense inappropriate, or at least based on false premises.

I am Korean-American myself, a second-generation, and I work with Asian-American high schoolers as a teacher and counselor. I hear about these issues often, but in reference to the parents more than the students themselves.

Sent by Karl Chwe | 1:11 AM ET | 05-19-2007