Wednesday, April 18, 2007

'Real Talk' About a Senstive Issue

Today's focus on the tragic events on Virginia Tech's campus dwelled on trying to define the personality of the alleged gunman, Cho Seung Hui. I have no doubt because of what he did, his name will probably be famous enough to feed America's fascination with the perpetrators of violence. Of course, his face, actions and writings have been plastered on every media outlet since it has been discovered that he sent a package to NBC before his final descent into a VT building.

Throughout the day, the surrealness of his message posthumously aired as pundits, politicians, criminologists and the like gave their two cents about why he might have done it. As riveting as these investigative stories were, there is quite another sensitive issue revealed when looking at the media-objectification of the 23-year-old man.

There is no doubt that Mr. Cho was a very troubled, mentally unstable, young man who needed help on many levels. When celebrated poetess and VT professor Nikki Giovanni even told her department heads that if they didn't do something about him she'd quit, you know that something must have been up during this long descent towards the terrible events of this week.

While the FBI criminologists tried to sort this out, I delved into the views of other people of color like myself who are trying to make sense out of this. I had to read their words to help formulate a fuller picture of this sad occurrence.

As a person of color, one really sees how the media treats non-white people--whether they are good or bad. In the case of Mr. Cho, it was rather eye-opening to watch the politicians, pundits and clinicians from the dominant culture try to be "as racially neutral" in their statements in a "colorblind" way. However, the words and the images truly speak for themselves, especially when other issues quietly wend their way into the discourse of the tragedy at Viriginia Tech.

Some of the broadcast items on the air conveyed that Mr. Cho's act coincides with "illegal immigration". He was a legal resident of America. However, that even came a close second to what was used in conjunction with this first description. When one reporter had said he was an "legalized alien", the descriptions of Mr. Cho's criminality took an entirely different turn.

When I heard these definitions about Mr. Cho's personality, I wondered whether the broadcast journalist who brought up these descriptive, negative terms, thought any differently about this statement in comparison to the other perjorative term, "illegal". What was worse (and subtly done, I might add as in the Imus case) is that the media outlets trotted out the "token" people of color in order to show that there wasn't any disparities in the reportage. While this was happening, it did not escape me that a high percentage of interviewees who received face-time on cable about their pain and suffering belonged to the dominant culture.

Now, that does not take away from the fact that all people suffered from this horrible happening. And it shouldn't. But, in the media, perceptions are the key--whether it is someone saying that a group of young women are "nappy-headed ho's" or whether a 23-year old man was thought of as barely "saying two words in class" and "persecuted by rich kids".

The underlying motif that seemed to play under the narrative of trying to define Mr. Cho continued with the usual stereotypes of being "quiet" and "unassuming". Even the early assumptions about him were weighed on the fact that "he might have gotten a bad grade and retaliated because of it". Blatantly, these aspects might go unnoticed by some of the viewing public. But to others, this stereotypically points to the myth of the "model minority", that somehow Mr. Cho was an "anomaly" among other Asians in the guise that he "acted out" while others stoically "hold it in and try to work hard to make it in America".

I could only wonder how the media would have done it if a Black man was found to be the shooter instead of a Asian man. One could only speculate now, but I know that it would even be a little bit uglier--if you take the media-objectification of Colin Ferguson and the D.C. Snipers into mind.

I only wish that someone would break ranks in the MSM and invite someone who could provide a cultural perspective on this issue. It would be helpful in order to not only continue breaking the silence and stigma surrounding race in America; but also to provide a different take on these events that go beyond the usual explainations that come out of the cable talk shows and the network investigative shows. If this were to happen, it might make this issue more broad and encompassing than the usual "loner, delusional, persecuted" explaination that continues to be peddled.

I wonder if anyone tried to ask the question why Mr. Cho felt persecuted instead of writing it off as solely delusional? Did it not occur to some of the journalists that in college, a lot of students of color have to face institutional racism in terms of education?

These things are a factor of life for a lot people of color on a daily basis, but especially in higher education. But the question still remains silent and unspoken.

In that light, there are few investigative journalists and pundits of color who are given a chance to give their perspective on major events. And of course, when crime happens, few clinicians and criminologists of color are even invited to weigh in and give meaning to what happened. Unfortunately, this does not happen on a regular basis. And when extraordinary events occur such as this one, they are quite non-existent.

But until news departments try to make changes in their coverage, all we'll get is the same old song and dance--unless there is an audience committed enough to write them and force them to adjust their narrowed view.

2 comments:

Charlie said...

Could the massacre that took place at Virgina Tech Monday morning be the result of a life-long speech impediment -- and the ridicule of classmates?

Read the linked blog for evidence and my hypothesis! BTW, I would post it here, but the info is too long for a comment.
http://newzreviews.blogspot.com/

Ceci said...

Charlie, I read your take on the VT shootings. It is rather interesting. And it goes to show that there are many reasons why Mr. Cho did this horrible thing on Monday.

However, I still believe that the cultural issues behind this happening must be explored. And, I still stand by what I say that the news organizations did not do enough on this aspect with the exception of Soledad O'Brien.

All things should be investigated to include a much fuller picture instead of being left out. Or else it does not serve us well to be in the dark.

Thanks for replying.

Take care,

Ceci

Affiliations

Powered by WebRing.