Virginia Tech Mass Killing

I would like students to consider the many facets of yesterday’s mass murder at Virginia Tech in which a college student, Cho Seung-Hui, murdered 32 people, the largest mass killing in American history. I think this event relates to the college population more than any other, though it affects all of us in some way.

Firstly, the most common question students have asked me in the last couple of days is how something like this could happen? What would motivate someone to do such a thing? What do you think?

Secondly, does the tragedy bring into sharper focus the gun control debate? Could this event have been prevented with stricter gun control laws? Indeed, this is what a few students argued in my American Government course today and it has become a matter of debate in Congress already.

Thirdly, can we place this horrible occurrence in a broader cultural context? What is it about American culture that might produce events such as these or at Columbine?

I would also like us to deal with an existential question: Was the man who committed these murders evil? More generally does evil in the world explain why terrible things happen?

Finally, a question to consider is how safe you feel at Tunxis Community College. Could something like what happened at Virginia Tech happen here in Farmington, Connecticut?

Please be sensitive to this issue as you post your responses. 

Cultural Differences between Immigrant Groups

In class the other day, my students debated the idea of cultural distinctions based on ethnicity that may lead to deviant behavior in some groups. If you would like to respond, please feel free to do so.