Was it political correctness that killed 32 innocent students?

Question

As more and more details mount on the life and warped mind of Cho Seung-Wi, we are beginning to see that although the signs were evident and for whatever reason society ignored them.
Seung-Wi had been psychologically examined in 2005, and they found him to be disturbed and a "threat to himself and others". Yet, where were these details when they were really needed? Why didn't the university know about them? Why didn't they come up during his background check when purchasing guns? I think we all know the reason--political correctness. In our own Liberally bent society we protect the dangerous, the mentally ill misfit, above the everyday citizen.
How many more Seung-Wi's are there out there, with records hidden by a bloated bureaucracy with kind intent toward those who would attack society? Have we allowed a virus of apathy breed in our hearts and minds?
They say that a great society dies not necessarily from a stronger threat, but rather by it's own apathy.

Many of you seem to have missed my initial point: WHY didn't the information about his antisocial personality disorder get to the proper places? Simply saying "He was a crazy nut!!" is minimizing the problem. Consider that if the university had been informed they might have caught on to him sooner, and if the information of his psychosis was used correctly then he would not have been able to buy a gun via legal channels. The simple fact that I have to spell this out for you does lead me to believe my initial assumption on PC thinking is correct.

Super Ruper you are incorrect that there was no background check, as a portion of a CBS article notes:

As a legal permanent resident, under federal law, in order to buy the gun, Cho had to show a government-issued photo ID—in this case, his green card—and proof that he lived in Virginia—his driver's license. Cho was also subjected to an instant, criminal background check.

"It went straight through. We did the state police check with federal computers. It came back clean," Markell said.
As to the issue of his mental illness, it can certainly be said that if the court had charged him initially with stalking via 2 threatening letters to women, he would have been barred from owning a firearm via Va rules that limit purchase of guns by anyone with a protective order or who "adjucated incompetent or incapacitated".

Answer 1

The shrink who examined him initially at the request of the Virginia magistrate felt he was not a risk to harm others only himself so they did not force him to be commited into the mental institution...this case is repeated 1000's of times across the country each day. Given Cho's actions on campus prior to the shootings VT should have dismissed him for his actions but they will not do that to a minority student.
He would sit in classes and not respond to the professors...come on how do you get away with that? Only in the PC world of universities.

Answer 2

I understand and concur...mostly. But there are other pieces of information to consider.

When asked, point blank, if he thought Cho was dangerous, his suite mate said no. While he admitted that he was rather strange in that he never spoke or made eye contact, these students didn't pick up on anything dangerous.

Also...the official body responsible for inputting Cho's psychological information into the central records computer didn't. Therefore, when purchasing a gun, no retailer would have access to that information. And admitted by the retailer who sold him the gun, no computer program or data base was consulted.

So I think you make a valid point about political correctness, but you might be overlooking a couple of other factors. I'm not about to suggest gun control...but I will most definitely state that the purchasing laws and regulations are lax...at least in Virginia. So if we want to start to take some positive steps in light of this tragedy, that would be one very good area.

Answer 3

I feel that everyone is responsible for their own choices. Cho Seung-Wi could have chosen to do something better with his life, something greater. He had the opportunity to grow into a stronger and powerful being, yet he went the other way, causing pain and suffering upon others and ending his own life.

There is nothing wrong with being angry, there's nothing wrong with having dangerous thoughts, but it's wrong to act upon those thoughts. It's wrong to kill.

It wasn't political correctness that killed the 32 innocent students, it was a weak-minded, weak-willed being that killed those 32 students. Some of us have an internal locus of control, some of us an external locus. Society is only a fraction of the factors that shapes us into being who we are. It is important to stand up to the storm and face it.

It's tragic for the victims and their families, and it's tragic for Cho Seung-Wi's parents.

Answer 4

No. The reason they kept Hasan in the job is that they military is so short-handed in every area, but particularly in the Mental Health area. We don't draft doctors and psychiatrists any more, so the military has to recruit them. Once they get someone in the system they do everything they can to keep them working. Hasan should have been weeded out. It didn't happen because if any psychiatrist reported him and got him removed from duty, guess who would have picked up that patient load?

Answer 5

A killer killed those poor people. But I do see your point, and I just had this discussion with someone who believes it's the college's fault. Colleges are liberal institutions in general. Wiretapping, checking emails, and censoring student work deemed as "disturbing" would have come under outrage and been seen as a violation of "freedom" in the eyes of a liberal institution prior to this tragedy. Perhaps they will "wake up" now. Nonetheless, people are hurting and that's where our focus needs to be right now.

Answer 6

The bottom line is that we'll never know exactly what motivated him to commit such horrible atrocities. Even if he says it's one reason on a videotape, there's no way to know if he was being truthful.

That said, I do find value in your worry about political correctness on campuses. It would be a stretch to say that it causes violence, but it certainly contributes to a build-up in tension, which is not healthy. People fear saying anything, rather than dare to risk saying something wrong and being ostracized for life.

Answer 7

No one could see thru him, and no one could be blamed for this, I'm sure he didn't tell anyone, but I'm sure they'll spend the next couple of years finding someone parents,relatives, childhood, why he did it, but he did kill himself so the long drawn out court won't take place

Answer 8

your point is valid, but the real problem at least in this case is the lack of simple respect. I in no way what so ever am trying to justify what this student did, but from all the reports I have read / listened to, in his mind he was a target of excessive hazing. This behavior of people (mostly the young) who need to pick on, degrade, made to feel inferior for the sole purpose of bullies trying to make them selves feel strong and superior. I don't know if this is in fact the case, but I know mental abuse from extreme hazing can and does cause mental instabilities in the targeted persons thought process.

Answer 9

No. It was a mentally ill person who did not display enough characteristics to be committed to a mental institution.

This is a very complex issue, and one which should not be politicized.

Thousands of Americans are hospitalized daily for suicidal ideations, yet never go on a killing rampage.

ADDED: This is what we'll get by politicizing this tragedy: Libs crying to take away our guns and Cons crying to lock up anyone someone else calls insane. Both positions stink, imo.

Answer 10

man, you know if someone is determined to do something, little will ever be able to stop them.. that goes for that crazy mother-****** from korea...

but I really agree that this age of political correctness, could be the end of us.....

no one´s free to say what they want.... if you want to make a statement it has to be cut apart and analyzed for the 10,000 religions or races or what have you to make sure you don´t "offend" anyone..... it´s complete BS...

i mean, did you know in the military jobs, (other than fighting) you´re not allowed to have a christmas tree up for xmas... unless you put up a haunika(can´t spell it) and a bunch of other things to represent other relgions.... because an xmas tree might "offend" someone who doesn´t celebrate christmas.....

we´re just killing ourselves from the inside... i hope this next pres, who-ever it is.... can make it better.... cuz as the terrorst plot their next attacks... we sit around having depates about what to call the War.... war on terror, war against extremists, war of ideals.......