Killers and Immigration
Anyone else seriously perturbed by the number of references to Cho Seung-Hui’s South Korean immigrant status? The Chicago Tribune is running a story called, “Koreans Express Shame, Sorrow Over Massacre.” There are lots and lots of references to his being an immigrant all over the place.
He was still on a Green Card and was not naturalized, to be sure, but he immigrated when he was eight. He’s not second generation, but he’s pretty close. Not to mention that his unfortunate act was far more culturally American than South Korean.
The AP (Trib) writes:
When Yung Yang, a South Korean-born secretary in Annandale, Va., heard the first rumors that the man who had killed 32 people at Virginia Tech was Asian, she said a fervent prayer: Please don’t let him be Korean.
…
“People in my office look at me differently,” wrote the man, a government employee working in Washington. “I feel like I gotta do something to show that I’m a good neighbor.”
How sad when we live in a country where immigrants have to pray that one of their fellow countrymen isn’t behind a killing for fear of reprisals. Please don’t mistake me for callous; I feel for the victims and family members, but this kind of violence is an American issue, not an immigrant issue. I fear that anti-immigrant fear mongers are just going to exploit yet another tragedy for their own purposes.
Also, I wish the Iraqis, Sudanese, Congolese and ____________ who die everyday got as much front page coverage. Cho Seung-Hui’s picture on today’s The Age is huge, and alongside it are pictures of the victims. I don’t begrudge them their front page status - they rightly deserve it is as innocent victims - I just wish everyone counted for as much.
And no more guns. Enough.
Sphere: Related Content
April 18th, 2007 at 7:40 pm
I wasn’t able to find your contact info but I enjoy your blog and I was wondering if you would be interested in a link exchange with Immigration Orange. Email me at beausset at fas dot harvard dot edu if you’re interested. I hope this comment finds you well.
April 19th, 2007 at 12:18 am
Don’t you remember how back in ‘96 and ‘99, after Oklahoma and Columbine, there was a huge backlash against whites? I mean, I just stayed inside for a couple weeks, people looked at me differently on the street.
Oh wait, that didn’t happen.
Minor quibble: I disagree that Cho is close to being second generation: 8 is old enough to be uprooted and shocked by a transnational move. I do agree that his act was fundamentally American— the take-away for right-wing commentators should be that assimilation is working.
Also agree that the 115 people who were blown up in Baghdad today should be a bigger story. It comes down to man-bites-dog, though, right?