Dear Editors,
Re: “Virginia Tech: an irreconcilable truth,” (Journal, May 29, 2007)
Mr. Tedjo admits his “view on the subject [of Virginia Tech] can change with [his] mood”—and how lucky we are to be privy to his mood swings. He initially proposes that, since “we have had memorials” and “we have had discussions,” we need to have action. Yet the statement, “doing something for the sake of action is not the answer” qualifies even this apparent call for action. These quotations are indicative of Mr. Tedjo’s complete inability to form, much less argue, an opinion, ironic for someone headlining the “Opinions” page.
Throughout his article Mr. Tedjo wants action, wants discussion, yet decries both as being ineffective. He follows these contradictory calls with vague and pointless definitions of student government and the following inanities: “if we need better gun control …. then we should have it”, “an individual attempting to kill people will happen again” and “change comes in steps and those steps need to begin somewhere”. As I started to revise this letter, I started to have mixed feelings. I started to wonder whether writing this letter was productive, or just merely an expression of too much free time. Then I recalled the reason why I found Mr. Tedjo’s piece to be beyond annoying: there are actual issues to be dealt with after the Virginia Tech murders. Why were the police so eager to ignore the initial shooting? What does the slow response to a shooting initially classified as a domestic violence incident mean for the view of violence against women in our society? Why was shooting victim Emily Jane Hilscher blamed for “sparking” the shootings? Why was Ms. Hilscher consistently reported, in American and UK coverage, to have been Cho Seung-Hui’s girlfriend? These questions, and opinions about their possible answers, need to be discussed in the media. Questions of racism, sexism, mental health discrimination and gun control need to be raised. There are important questions and insights linked to the Virginia Tech shootings—Mr. Tedjo has avoided all of them with unparalleled dexterity.
Katy Tucker
ArtSci ’07
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