Does the coverage of the VA Tech gunman (Cho) glamourize what he did?

Question

I wonder if we'll see a bunch of copy cat killings now...

Answer 1

in most sane eyes, no.

But for those who feel frustrated, victimized by society, angry, and self-loathing, very possibly.

The fact that he sent his material directly to the media shows he had been influenced by media coverage of other tragedies like Columbine.

Answer 2

I live in Tasmania Australia where there was a similar mass slaying 11 years ago at Port Arthur. Roughly the same number of people died & many more were injured - young children through to elderly people.
The press could not leave that alone either, but it definitely didn't 'glamourize' it. Most people were horrified and very distressed by what had happened. There have been no copycat slayings after it.
On the plus side it strengthened the sense of community in Port Arthur as people supported each other, and it brought out the best in 'outsiders' who found ways to help & support those effected.
Hospital & prison staff were given the option to refuse to work with him. He is still in prison, isolated from the rest of the prisoners & unlikely to ever get out

Answer 3

I don't watch any of it. I read a couple AP news stories about it. I don't feed into it. The only reason they show the crap is because so many people cannot exercise control over watching crap. Do you really need to know what the psycho had to say in his pointless video, or up to the minute information on who the killer had lunch with last. Bunch of frikken sheeple. Stay tuned for more horrific information!

Answer 4

This was a copycat of Columbine, we should of done something then. If we don't do something now we are the stupidest nation on the *&^%ing planet.

Guns are too easy to get, look at other nations like Japan and England, no handguns allowed and they don't have a tenth of the gun violence we have (per capita).

Tell these NRA gun-toting pricks to STFU and get some new gun laws passed, before its my kids school getting shot up.

Answer 5

I swear I just heard someone on MSNBC calling Cho's killings copycats of Columbine because he mentioned those killers in the manifesto he sent to MSNBC. And, yeah, I think they are over-reporting, the way they always do. It's sickening when you think about it. Let those poor people rest in peace and let their family and friends mourn the same way. Enough is enough already and they are starting to sound like broken records.

Answer 6

DEFINTELY, the date was meant to commemorate Columbine, he wanted to be immortalized, and the media was only too happy, now he raised the bar, so the next will have to try harder to raise the number killed, sort of like the death tool count on the news does for the insurgents in Iraq. The news people don't care, they are willing co-conspirators because they love mayhem, gives them big news and ratings. But the government will hide his motivations, just like they tried in the Salt Lake City shootings, JIHAD. Nothing to see here folks, just move along.....

Answer 7

Not glamourize but they do give him a lot of sypmathy for no reason. He was perfectly sane and knew what he was doing. Yea he was depressed so he killed who he didnt like and he knew he was gonna die before it was all over so he decided to make a name for himself. He wasnt some raging lunatic wit a gun.

Answer 8

I guess it's the media's job to attempt to glamorize or exaggerate everything that happens.

Answer 9

I don't think it glamorizes it. Anyone who thinks this way needs serious help.

Answer 10

I do think it encourages copycats.