Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Weighing Cho's Heritage and Identity

Robert Siegel gave a brilliant radio commentary this evening about the international media coverage of the Virginia Tech massacre: how the rest of the world just doesn't get our country and how Seung Hui Cho was a screwed-up, homicidal AMERICAN kid: "Despite being a South Korean national living in America, his upbringing, and his problems, were distinctly American."

I wish the transcript of his commentary were available, but it is still pending, so, for the moment, I encourage you to listen here.

3 comments:

Ruth's Place said...

I've been wondering about the emphasis placed on his ethnicity in news reports coming out of the USA. Heartfelt sympathy to the victims and their families.

Is the Korean community expecting a backlash?

Elizabeth said...

Siegel's point was that the foreign (non-US press) were emphasizing that Cho was South Korean--whereas US press was not making such emphasis. Siegel analyzed headlines from around the world--those in Britain, for example, used the words "Korean" in the headlines; a newspaper in Washignton DC used the word "local."

The first thing I thought of when I heard Cho's name was "Oh no--now we'll get anti-immigrant backlash"--but I have not noticed that happening here.

Of course, most of us in the US are immigrants, children of immigrants or grandchildren of immigrants.

Taoknitter said...

Thanks for the link. Interesting.