Virginia Tech: The World Reacts
Laura Robertson
CBN News
April 19, 2007
The scope of the Virginia Tech tragedy has had an international scale, with millions worldwide expressing their opinions of the tragedy online. While most of the national and international media coverage has been more of the same "breaking news" and "new insights into the mind of a killer" . . . , many journalists and ordinary netizens from around the globe have been grieving, criticizing and analyzing the recent events.
There is no shortage of new information on the lives of the victims, grief of the families, political implication of the events, and so much more, today I'm going to take a look at some of the reactions- official and unofficial- to the shooting and the aftermath:
Student Reactions
Naturally, given the scene of the crime, the Internet has been a fertile ground for students worldwide to offer their condolences. On the social networking site
The Facebook, students from across the country and throughout the world offered their support through different groups dedicated to Virginia Tech and the specific victims.
One group from the site entitled "A tribute to those who passed in the Virginia Tech shootings" has nearly 300,000 members and counting, comprised of people from all over the world. Its creator is in Greece, and people from Norway to Jordan, Lebanon to Uganda, South Africa to Scotland, and everywhere in between have joined. Thousands have posted messages to express sympathy, but also as cathartic response to the tragedy.
Given that one of the victims was Canadian, one Canadian student feels "We are just as much in this as USA." One girl "sends my deepest thoughts from Italy," while another who was born in South Korea feels "bittersweet and shameful" and hopes that it doesn't create negative stereotypes for her race. On these message boards, however, the overall sentiments are deep condolences and prayers, sprinkled with debates on gun control, the responsibility of the American media, and anger specifically targeted at Cho Seung-Hui.
One of the popular Facebook banners reads "Today We Are All Hokies," indicating a sense of solidarity among university students worldwide. Some will just have a black ribbon with VT logo, but many others will personalize the ribbon, and add their own school logo to that of Virginia Tech's. The overwhelming statements of support for the university demonstrate that the loss isn't just Virginia Tech's, but that of university and high school students worldwide.
International Responses- China and South Korea
While most citizens have expressed condolences, others have been extremely critical of the United States and its gun control policy.
Newsweek has compiled several international responses to the situation, many of which directed anger towards America's gun control policy and general gun culture.
Government leaders in many countries, including Australia, India and the European Union have offered regret laced with a strong criticism of America's gun laws. A few of the harshest critics to the U.S. wrote for publications in London, which strikes me as mildly amusing considering that our right to bear arms was in direct response to British colonial rule.
From China's perspective (because, afterall, this is China Connection) responses ranged from diplomatic sympathies to criticism, to relief. Officials offered remarks through state-run
Xinhua News Agency and Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing sent Condoleezza Rice a telegram offering "shock, condolences, and sincere solicitude to the U.S. government and those affected by the shootings."
In contrast, on a
China Daily message board a respondent named "reapasyousowed" blamed America, who "under the pretense of freedom and democracy" gives free access to firearms and provides violent video games to children, before exporting that mentality to other cultures.
In China, however, one overarching sentiment has been relief that the shooter, who had been identified by some of the early reports as Chinese, was in fact, South Korean. Cui Shaozho, a Chinese male and photographer for the student paper, was actually detained by police after the shootings, because he matched the description of the shooter.
For Chinese and other Asians living in America, however, there is a deeper sense of sadness and fear, especially considering the aftermath of the shootings. Given that Cho Seung-Hui was born in South Korea, South Koreans have been particularly interested in the tragedy. In addition to an outpouring of
Internet condolences, the night after the shootigs, South Koreans joined together for a rally in Seoul.
Amongst students studying in the US, there's also a feeling of fear. Nam Sang-Yun, a South Korean student studying at Virginia Tech, told
Voice of America that he feared a backlash similar to that which Arab Americans experienced post-911. One South Korean student at Virginia Tech wrote an editorial in
The Hankoryeh describing his own feelings of guilt, because of the actions of "a fellow countrymen" and a general sense of being "uncomfortable" with his ethnicity.
Newsweek also notes how many South Koreans in the U.S. have already felt feelings of animosity due to their race.
The Asia Times reports that in response to the Virginia Tech shootings, some Koreans are reluctant to study abroad in the U.S. because of safety concerns and perceived animosity towards South Koreans, caused by the shooting.
What's Next?
The aftermath of this event will be particularly difficult for South Koreans and others of Asian descent. Regardless of the multiculturalism or increased education, ignorant people will blame Asians or South Koreans on this tragedy. Others will blame society, gun-control, the law, university, or a myriad of other things. Many will direct the blame more specifically: to the one mentally disturbed student who committed these heinous crimes.
It's also possible that this incident will lead to a decline in international students coming to the U.S. for fear of the backlash and unfair stereotypes. Others might fear coming to the U.S. due to its more liberal gun control policies or outbreaks of violence.
On the flip side, despite the negative caricatures that might emerge after the event, there's still a place for hopeful idealism. Maybe the incident will cause people to be more aware of segregation on college campuses, or some of the difficulties international students encounter. It could also cause some Americans to explore the wealth of information on the South Korean culture and accomplishments.
So while many Asian Americans are bracing themselves for the worst, idealistic as it may be, hopefully this tragedy can actually serve as a bridge between people of all ethnicities and nationalities. Only time will tell.
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