Posted on 04/25/2007 12:48:14 AM PDT by neverdem
BLACKSBURG, Va., April 18 — Cho Seung-Hui rarely spoke to his own dormitory roommate. His teachers were so disturbed by some of his writing that they referred him to counseling. And when Mr. Cho finally and horrifyingly came to the world’s attention on Monday, he did so after writing a note that bitterly lashed out at his fellow students for what he deemed their moral decay.
Mr. Cho’s eruption of violence, in which 32 victims and himself were killed on the Virginia Tech campus here in a rampage of gunfire, was never directly signaled by his actions or words, several of his acquaintances said Tuesday. But those acquaintances were frequently disturbed by his isolation from the world and his barely concealed anger.
Joe Aust, who shared Room 2121 at Harper Hall with him, said he had spoken to Mr. Cho often but had received only one-word replies. Later, Mr. Aust said, Mr. Cho stopped talking to him entirely. Mr. Aust would sometimes enter the room and find Mr. Cho sitting at his desk, staring into nothingness.
“He was always really, really quiet and kind of weird, keeping to himself all the time,” said Mr. Aust, a 19-year-old sophomore, who, though finding Mr. Cho strange, had not thought him menacing.
Yet there were signs that his behavior was more than just bizarre.
Lucinda Roy said that in October of 2005 she was contacted as head of the English Department by a professor who was disturbed by a piece of his writing. Ms. Roy, rebuffed by Mr. Cho, contacted the campus police, counseling services,...
--snip--
He also took a prescription medicine. Neither Mr. Aust nor Mr. Grewal knew what the medicine was for, but officials said prescription medications related to the treatment of psychological problems had been found among Mr. Cho’s effects.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
This might get interesting.
The drugs affect his brain.
“He was always really, really quiet and kind of weird, keeping to himself all the time,” said Mr. Aust, a 19-year-old sophomore, who, though finding Mr. Cho strange, had not thought him menacing.
Sounds like the ideal roommate to me...
Gosh, why such an *old* article? I’ve seen more updated news than this, which is a week old. They’ve learned much more now...
“Gunman Showed Signs of Anger”
No. Your kidding. He was actually angry when he killed thirtytwo people? Who’d of ever thought...
Stupid, just plain stupid.
< / CAPTAIN OBVIOUS PIC >
Actually, his moron of a rommate was the principal reason any of this happened. His political ultra-correctedness led him to believe Cho’s behavior was acceptable. “Perhaps his culture is such that no one speaks to one another.” He has openly said as much.
Not all are like that and many are decent people and would most likely help others if they knew there was a need. However for someone who is an introvert to start, I imagine not having social contact on an isolated campus can result in a mental break.
This is an environment where young people are thrown together from different parts in the country after going through the rat race of having to do really well on a test and being told the results will determine the rest of their lives. I guess what I am trying to say is that college campuses are really abnormal places that really screw with people mentally. The fact that this guy had been there for such a long time and only one person attempted to speak to him is a window into how messed up these places and education really is.
You said — “Actually, his moron of a rommate was the principal reason any of this happened. His political ultra-correctedness led him to believe Cho’s behavior was acceptable. “Perhaps his culture is such that no one speaks to one another.” He has openly said as much.”
Nope, I really don’t think it had anything to do with his Dorm-mate. The reason i can be really confident on that is because there *was* a time when a Dorm-mate did act because he feared something was wrong. He reported that Cho might be suicidal. And so that got the police involved and the psychiatrists involved. They already knew that. They knew Cho was released. They knew he was taking medication. They knew that the police had already talk to Cho several times about other girls and stalking. All this is what they knew.
So, they (the dorm-mates) don’t take responsibility for another person when they’ve already done what they could, referred to authorities and nothing more came of it. No, you simply leave the guy alone. So, there was *nothing* more that they could have done.
Heck, the police couldn’t do anything, the teachers couldn’t do anything, the department at the university couldn’t do anything, the psychiatrist couldn’t do anything, his parents couldn’t do anything — and you expect a dorm-mate to do something? I would hate to have you as a dorm-mate...
Regards,
Star Traveler
What medicine was he taking? That's the question. What prescribed drugs was he getting, and when they were prescribed?
Are meds to blame for Cho's rampage?Experts say psychiatric drugs linked to school shooting sprees
On the Trail of Parkinson’s, Through Yeast Cells
Abortion study results blamed on 'ideology', Critic says no connection found because none wanted
FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list. Anyone can post any unposted link as they see fit.
You said — “The fact that this guy had been there for such a long time and only one person attempted to speak to him is a window into how messed up these places and education really is.”
That’s a totally false representation of Cho. He basically *did not want to talk* to people. It didn’t matter if people tried — and many did try. Even his teachers tried. In class, just to answer simple things, something that would be nothing at all, he wouldn’t do it. If he was asked to say something, he would walk out of the class. Even being asked his name, he would say “question mark”.
No, it had nothing to do with others reaching out to him. Many did. Many tried. He rejected it all. It’s all in his lap and on his shoulders. It’s all totally his fault and no one else’s and certainly not the culture or the atmosphere of the campus.
That guy was not only whacked and disturbed, he was evil, too.
This is the common thread running through all these killings.
The only way to defend against this guy was to be able to shoot back.
This article is by the Nannystate—flailing around trying to find a passive way to defend against a killer. It can’t be done, but no matter. The Nannystate must prevail.
Gee, it must have been the wrong meds. /sarc
Are meds to blame for Cho’s rampage?
Experts say psychiatric drugs linked to school shooting sprees
WND | 04.23.07
Posted on 04/25/2007 12:54:29 AM EDT by Coleus
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1823086/posts
Can you please cite a source for this? I am unaware the roomate did anything.
The fact that 9-11 could have been prevented had the t.s.a. et al listened to a very credible report from none other than a famous actor with a 160 i.q., and few if any reading this post can name that actor, points to the heart of the problem re: discovery of potential security threats like Cho.
I don’t disagree.
I think his problems started when he young before his family got to the US and only got worse as time continued.
But at the same time I wanted to convey to those who have to work for a living every day, unlike tenured college professors, what I see on a near by college campus is not what you think a college is. I mean I’m there and I see it!
Colleges are not this great institution of higher learning; the best I can describe it is that it is retirement village for the young and old where no one really has to do any hard work - I mean it’s really freaking unreal.
While everyone is out delivering the milk or providing a service, everyone on the campuses are having a time of their lives; if everyone acted like this, this society would collapse in a nano second. So when you say the professors tried to talk to him - I find that more blozak for their egos than anything. Either way, he was probably too far gone!
You said — “Can you please cite a source for this? I am unaware the roomate did anything.”
That was repeated several times, at news conferences by the authorities, by interviews of the dorm-mates, in articles. It’s the *reason* Cho had that temporary committal order, and had to be examined by a psychiatrist in the first place. And if the psychiatrist had not made Cho an “outpatient” for treatment, then it would have been on the record and that would have prevented Cho from purchasing the guns legally. As it was, this was an area where the state of Virginia said that this was their law and Cho was “legal” as a result.
This fact, that his “dorm-mate” reported him as suicidal was the *only reason* that he ever had the evaluation from the psychiatrist and the only reason that he was taking medications.
As for an exact reference, perhaps someone can supply that for you. I could give you a long list of FReeper articles that you could hunt through, if you want. It would be in there, in several places, but I don’t know which exact article.
Do you want the list of FReeper articles? They won’t all necessarily be in the exact topic area, but they’ll all be about the shootings, in one way or another.
You said — “Colleges are not this great institution of higher learning; the best I can describe it is that it is retirement village for the young and old where no one really has to do any hard work - I mean it’s really freaking unreal.”
Well, I was in college, too. It’s not supposed to be a “trade school” where you learn welding or carpentry where you’re constructing houses. So, you’re not going to see that kind of “work activity”.
It’s all mental gymnastics. And it’s a period of time, where (if you’re able to do this), you *do not work* — but concentrate on studies and do what you need to do there.
In addition to that, I also realize that there is “party, party, party” too on campus. I’ve been there and have seen it.
Along with that comes the hours needed to be in clase, the hours needed to read and study, the long study sessions, the research and writing, the doing of many tasks in order to finish the course work successfully and get what is desired — that course grade and eventually that degree.
There are those who are there only part time, or who are spinning their wheels. Many don’t make it and simply drop out. But the ones who do make it, will be doing this kind of necessary work. And it is *work* — although it’s not “trade school work”...
.
You then said — “So when you say the professors tried to talk to him - I find that more blozak for their egos than anything.”
Well, they did so. They may not have accomplished much by it, but they did try. From what I’ve seen, two professors were trying to get him out of there. They were thinking he was a danger. But, that went nowhere. I guess it was against their principles (i.e., the “university”) to do something like that....
No, not really! There are some people who benefit and get a good education, but any more, the curriculum is weak, and the product the universities are producing is poor.
Many of the teachers are at best “think they know it alls” typically with no practical experience beyond reading books and sitting in front of computer screens, and the children (forgive me if I don’t call them adults because they are not) party all the time and have the delusion that they really know something when they get their degree.
I know I have offended you, but I have to call it the way I see it; American colleges are typically the home of over paid under achievers - both young and old,.
But it’s odd; every once in a while you meet one of those oddities that you know could change the world if they don’t get crushed like a bug by some under achieving bean counter in government or industry.
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