Virginia Tech: How To Be a Hero

I have intentionally waited a few days to weigh in on the Virginia Tech Massacre. I wanted to wait and let things sick in and make the right opinion. I often change my mind on things if I speak too early. After a lot of thought, I have come to a conclusion.

I have talked about these things before. I have strong feelings about the people who do these things. I never blame them - only the events that have shaped their lives do I blame. But this is different.

My usual belief in these situations are simple. It was a kid who had no other way to deal with his pain. But he wasn't a kid, he was a senior in college. He had other ways. He was told he needed help and was referred to a mental health facility. He was offered help.

But after careful review of the new video that has come out, I have made my decision. This fucking Cho... Regardless of age, had that the exact same sickness as every other kid I've studied who has gone on these shooting sprees. All of these people knew this kid was fucked up, and absolutely NO ONE did a motherfucking thing to help him.

Sorry fuckos, calling the cops and saying "AHHH I'M AFRAID OF CHO" isn't very fucking helpful. No teacher befriended him and reached out to him as a mentor. This kid sat there dying inside everyday at that fucking school, and no one did a thing. All this little fuck needed was ONE person to care about him.

If this was a 30 year old guy shooting up a grocery store, my opinion would be completely different. These cases are all the same though. This is a kid who was fucked with his whole life, and in his own words, had cancer induced in his brain via the torment he suffered his whole scholastic career. He said it all himself, I don't need to make the case for him.

It's a simple scale. Suicide is what happens when pain overcomes the ability to cope. When you throw blind generalized anger onto the pain side of things, this is what happens. The second Cho walked into that school, he was already dead. He had already killed himself. He just wasn't dead yet.

Initially, I thought this guy was plain and simply an insane motherfucker. I thought he was a scumbag whose parents should be beaten for raising such a fucking murderous piece of shit. It's obvious though. He wasn't born this way. He said it himself: You fuckers made me this way. "You've vandalized my heart, raped my soul, tortured my conscience."

This was a guy who was pushed to the edge of his coping cliff. He just couldn't do it anymore. I'm sure he was fucked with throughout his grade school days, and in college I'm sure he was a loaner who no one gave the time of day unless he was writing violent plays. The point is, he could have been saved. He was a kid who needed help and no one gave a shit enough to help him.

I'm not defending his actions. While certainly impressive to the extent of his madness, what he did was unspeakably fucking wrong. The fucking gooky motherfucker put at least three bullets in every person he attacked. But the fact remains; there was no other way for him and he was still a kid. He could have been saved. He wasn't at the Charles Manson/Ted Bundy stage.

I have the solution and the answer. If this would have happened, then I would be railing against the school, the police, and the faculty involved. It's the one and only thing and could have saved him. Compassion.

This is what needed to happen: Someone needed to say "Hey Cho, I think you're pretty smart... let's be friends." Cho needed something to live for. He needed someone to believe in him. He needed someone to inspire him. He needed someone he gave a fucking shit. Life your whole life in an insanely disciplined Korean household alone with no one to ever talk to or share your thoughts and struggles with, and you might lose your fucking mind too.

There have been times in my own life where I have felt this blind anger and loneliness, and I have felt angry at the entire would like this. No, I didn't want to kill everyone. But there have been dark times with me where I have just absolutely hated the entire world and everyone in it. I know how this kid felt, except it was to a degree that I just can't fathom.

So this is how you prevent this from ever happening again. Everyone who attends or works at a school needs to show more love and compassion. I know your life is busy and you've got a lot to think about, but when you see a kid who doesn't smile, consider reaching out and doing something to make him smile.

Consider lending your heart and mind to someone who looks like they need it. Not out of fear for what they may do in the future. Do it to be a decent person. A lot of kids like Cho never acquire the proper social skills. Outcasts who can never get over the shyness of saying Hello to a stranger. Seek them out and be a friend. Be a good guy or girl and change someone's life.

These people are a breed. They're just dead inside, and society does it to them. The kids wear them down with the incessant bullying in school. Then they get old and go to college and spend it in solitude. If one person would have befriended Cho and showed a genuine care in him, he would not have done this. I'll bet he was a virgin too, which also contributed to this.

Bottom line - Show some love and put your hand out to people. Show some interest and help. Not everyone is as perfect as you, and there's nothing wrong with being a decent person. It just could save a life and you just might be a hero.