Death - It seems there is too much of it

April 25, 2007
I've noticed something. Something about the happenings of this month. Unless you have been living in a box, I would have hoped you noticed it too. Does it not seem as though the only television channel existing is that of violence and death? The only website on the internet is of torture and destruction? The only book that was not burnt down in the fire is entirely devoted to what destroyed its fellow literature?

My summary of the news from the past week:

"Today has been the most violent day in Iraq since yesterday."
"Today has been the worst school shooting incident since yesterday. The UK continues to blame the US's poor gun laws, stating that the laws are 'outdated by hundreds of years'."

If you do not watch or read the news, I advise you to keep your current lifestyle. Personally I've found nothing that makes my life happier or more productive... it has just been urgh. What with the Virginia Tech Institute shooting of 33 students and professors, the continued Iraq violence, and everything... just wait a few weeks before glancing at any media again.

In all honesty, does anyone else just want this month to be over? A classmate of mine died yesterday (I never knew or met him, however he did attend the same school). That event brought me to realize that, guess what, violence does not matter unless the victim is a personal acquaintance. And even he was a student I had never met; I only experienced the pain (although I had very little) through my sobbing peers that did know this person.

We could call that second-hand grief. Then what would violence on the news be called? Unless you know someone that was/is at the scene of violence, the only amount of pain you feel is the amount that CBS, NBC, ABC, or whoever else reports, inflicts upon you. It is the sole duty of the newscaster to give the viewer the burden of grief and sorrow.

In the middle of all this, I feel bad for Asians. No really, I'm not being racist. It's society that's racist. Because think about it, the VTech killer was Asian, he had an Asian name, and he had an Asian face. Americans find it hard to differentiate between each Asian face and name. It's mostly the same to us. So when someone hears the name "Chang," it's the same to them as "Cho".

Just two weeks ago (remember?) we were dealing with racial cases. Apologies were barraged at the accusers. No apologies were actually honored. How much does it take to apologize? Can the mistakes made ever be fixed or redeemed?

By the looks of it, I guess not. Society chooses. Who are you?