with the media. The bordering-ignorance coverage of "Cho Seung-Hui", and sensationalism of the VTech tragedy is really starting to get to me. What's worse is that it's giving people an excuse to be racist... when what is REALLY important is the actual tragedy, the victims, their families, the future... everything else. But no, the media chooses to ethnicize and foreign-ize a Korean American who went by "Seung Cho," by not only writing is name in an ethnic way but continually referring to him as "South Korean student Cho Seung-Hui." The only news organization that I feel has had legitimate coverage of the issue is TIME. Not only have they taken the time out to do their research, but they are also fully aware of what ethnicizing Cho will do. Did people start hurling white racial epithets when Columbine happened? What is more disturbing to me is that I had a phone conversation with a girlfriend of mine in LA this evening... she told me that people in Ktown are getting their cars egged.
And today, she was in WESTWOOD, mind you this is an educated college community, and someone pulled up next to her car and asked if she was going to try to "kill [him] too"... This was not a joke. I've heard of people being told to "Go home to Asia." I've read, all over the web, the bigotry and hatred that is leaving Asian Americans wondering what this means for them in normal public sphere. How is it ok, and more importantly, how is it helpful to turn this situation into a catalyst for hate? And all of this after just a week ago a national radio host was fired for being racist. What is even more nonsensical is that those people who are most bigoted are the ones who didnt even know anyone at VTech, victim or mourner. Those who were close to those victims, the students and faculty on campus trying to unite, anyone in Blacksburg right now is trying to remove all the hatred and negativity. That's so far from what they need. As a nation, as a people, why aren't we trying to look at this as a tragedy that people need to heal from and eventually a way to bring good... if all it does is spur more hate, those students and those professors were really victimized in vain. --------------- and the Asian American Journalist community has responded.
[source: http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2007/04/17/publiceye/entry2693705.shtml] AAJA Says To Avoid Racial Identifiers In Virginia Tech Coverage Posted by Brian Montopoli
 (AP Photo/Casey Templeton) The Asian American Journalist Association is calling on news outlets "to avoid using racial identifiers unless there is a compelling or germane reason" when identifying the Virginia Tech suspect.
Says the Association: "There is no evidence at this early point that the race or ethnicity of the suspected gunman has anything to do with the incident, and to include such mention serves only to unfairly portray an entire people. The effect of mentioning race can be powerfully harmful. It can subject people to unfair treatment based simply on skin color and heritage."
We now know the suspect was 23-year-old Tech senior Cho Seung-Hui, who yesterday was being identified only as a "young Asian male." In a press release, CBS News initially referred to him as Sueng-hui Cho. The discrepancy comes from the fact that Korean surnames are listed first, while in America they appear at the end of a name. CBS News is now referring to the suspect as Cho Seung-Hui, which follows the Korean tradition. RESPONSES TO THIS ARTICLE [A LOOK FROM THE OTHER SIDE]:
(i leave you to make your own judgments.) What a bunch of silly little pukes. I have lived in Korea and Japan and these places are hands down the most racist countries I have ever seen. Kids who are half Korean are treated like pure *** and chased out of school more often than not.
In the US I often hear Korean kids call Filipino kids the N*****s of Asia. Their culture is one of "We are the best and everybody else pretty much sucks". This is the kind of culture that breeds racist acts and hatred.
Grow up AAJA and take a long hard look in the mirror for the racist that you are looking for.
Posted by kemoe2 at 11:58 PM : Apr 18, 2007 IRRELEVANT INFO
"There is no evidence at this early point that the race or ethnicity of the suspected gunman has anything to do with the incident"... so do not report it, is the logic here.
Does his age have anything to do with this? If he was old, offending other oldsters, compelling America to believe all oldsters are potential killers?
If he was young, offending youngsters, by compelling America to believe all youngsters are potential killers.
Stop showing his picture as well. His looks are irrelevant. His name has nothing to do with the incident. It is not Mohammad. So please stop reporting that. Insert short, Korean, Asian, black haired.
Thank you AAJA for reminding me that this incident is entirely irrelevant and has virtually nothing to do with my life. We can stop reporting anything about it now.
*Click* Posted by jburdman7 at 06:48 PM : Apr 17, 2007 Regarding the AAJA not wanting to have the race of the Virginia Tech MURDERER defined. Would they have a problem if the shooter was "African American" or "Hispanic" or "Caucasian"? Probably not. They didn't weigh in on the Don Imus affair either. The "leaders" of the African American "Community" were jumping on the fact that the women of the Rutgers Basketball Team were "African American" and the perpetrator of the reprehensible crime was "White". He's not called "Caucasian American" and they black. He's "White" and they're "African Americans". Does anyone see the distinction? And, if no one had identified the shooter as "Asian", what exactly was everyone supposed to be on the lookout for? Suspicious characters? Huh? Musing2cents is right on target stating that here is a journalist organization that advocates suppressing information about a suspect that certainly qualifies as "news". Sadly, it's the act that's tragic. It's the lives lost and their families we should focus on, not what the AAJA wants. Shame on them for wanting to "pretty up" the news. It was a solitary act, not something "the people" did. Most of us are intelligent enough to see that. Posted by vmcgrew at 03:39 PM : Apr 17, 2007 ------------------------------------- SQUASH ALL THE HATE. REMEMBER THE VICTIMS - http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3051248 | 
