I Am Really Ticked Off Right Now

United States
April 20, 2007 5:23pm CST
Maybe I am over-reacting, but I really need to vent. Why is it that everytime a school shooting happens the blame seems to get put on the fact that the perpatrator was "bullied or belittled", by his classmates, teachers, and society. It immediately turns into a pity party for the criminal, with people feeling sorry that he went through being bullied as a child. In the case of the VT shootings, Cho is being represented as misunderstood by his peers. It happened at Columbine, and numerous other school shootings as well. I was bullied as child, a teen, and even an adult. Does that give me carte blanche to go out and commit murder(s)? This is ridiculous. He was a terrible, imbalanced, lunatic, that committed a heinous crime against humanity. I can only imagine how this must make the family, friends, and faculty feel to hear these excuses for his behavior. Am I the only one that feels this way?
23 people like this
38 responses
@onabreak2 (1161)
• United States
21 Apr 07
I don't really think anyone feels sorry for this murdering lunatic. I think they bring up the fact that he was bullied and belittled because he probably was. I think the reason that point is brought up is because they are trying to make kids aware of this from the time they enter school. Bullying has a definite effect on a child's self esteem. Most kids get over this though when they get older. This kid had problems far worse then being bullied and belittled. I think there are a lot of people responsible for this guy being on the loose. Everyone that had any contact with him including teachers and room mates knew what a weirdo he was. If you have a room mate that doesn't talk to you or anyone for a year wouldn't that kind of indicate there was a problem. They talk of him staring into space , having a pretend girlfriend. Where were the counselors at this school. Why didn't his parents get him help. They had to know something was wrong with him. Someone besides this lunatic has to be held accountable for what he did. His one teacher had threatened to quit if they didn't get him out of the class. Something is just not right about the whole thing.
4 people like this
• United States
22 Apr 07
Yes, you are right, he didn't get the help he needed. And, all the warning signs were there. But using excuses doesn't negate the terrible acts he planned and committed. I'm glad you shared your point of view, I really appreciate the input.
1 person likes this
@meme0907 (3481)
• United States
21 Apr 07
Hey CDW I get where you're coming from 2 ppl can be faced w/ the exact same circumstances but react in totally opposite ways especially if one has a fractured mind/soul. I don't feel sorry for these shooters & may God have mercy on their souls b/c most carnal men will not. +'s 2 U
4 people like this
• United States
22 Apr 07
I hear ya. Nice comment. I can't feel sympathy for these shooters, even if they do have mental imbalances. So do I...LOL, I take meds. Thanks as always my friend meme0907. +++
1 person likes this
@smuggeridge (2148)
21 Apr 07
I think its partly down to the fact that we always need a reason for someone doing such an act. To think that someone could do something like that for no good reason or simply because they are evil is a rather scary thought. Although blaming the fact that he was bullied doesn't make it all better it in some ways makes it easier to accept and to be able to move on. I agree with you that we shouldn't be feeling sorry for him. I was also bullied as a Kid but i have bever considered killing anyone so this is not an excuse and you certainly can't blame the people who bullied him. I'm sure in the end it was a mixture of being bullied and simply being a psychotic maniac which led him to those terrible actions
3 people like this
• United States
22 Apr 07
"Psychotic Maniac" is the perfect description. While being worse off thinking someone is evil, it also gives the impression to other "psychotic maniacs", that they can get away with crimes also, because they will just lay the blame elsewhere. Thank you for your reply, I really appreciate it.
1 person likes this
@mahayla (192)
• United States
21 Apr 07
i hope the bullying stops...then they won't have it as an excuse
3 people like this
• United States
21 Apr 07
exactly!!!!!!! I agree whole heartdly with you on this!!!
2 people like this
• United States
22 Apr 07
I don't see it changing either, finlander. Bullying is an age old concept...it goes to survival of the fittest. I think though that we need to help those that are getting bullied, especially the younger ones. But that is another subject. Thank you all for your input.
1 person likes this
• United States
22 Apr 07
Great idea. Then they will have to use their brain, assuming they have one, to come up with a different excuse. I wonder what it will be. How do you propose to end the bullying? There will always be those who are stronger than others, and they will, at least try, to bend the weaker ones to their will. This is the way of this world we live in. I, for one, do not foresee this changing. Do you?
1 person likes this
@easy888 (10405)
• Australia
21 Apr 07
Everyone will have the same feeling with you, we do not care how he had been treated unfairly in his childhood, his behaviour is simpley unforgivable so matter what the excuses are from their families. I believe that many other people may have similar experience being bullied or belittled in the childhood, but they know how to get through these,so there is absolutely no excuse.
• United States
22 Apr 07
Even if you don't know exactly how to get through it, you learn techniques to help you to deal with it. Great response. Thank you very much.
1 person likes this
• United States
21 Apr 07
In the long run when you think about it I feel the same way you do but the only difference is I think you can blame the fact that e was bullied and something had to be bothering him in order for him to feel it nessecary for him to have to commit those hedious crimes. but then again I can understand exactly what you are saying
3 people like this
@loujac3 (1188)
• United States
20 Apr 07
Right on! This falls in with the insanity pleas. Just another cop out for the criminal. We all suffer from some sort of persecution and torment in our lives and if we all reacted as this guy did then the world would be in total choas. I hate to see anyone bullied but it doesn't give them the right to commit murder and heineous crimes. Wake up folks! I am sure that not all the victims were tormenting him. What about the families of those victims? This is Earth month and we are seeing melt downs of all kinds. Go to the source and eliminate the problems.
@estherlou (5015)
• United States
22 Apr 07
Interesting thought. I was made fun of and ridiculed as a child and I just internalized my emotions and became a depressed person! LOL...people are just trying to find a good reason why someone could act like Cho did...and there isn't one. People like that are imbalanced or crazy! You can't just explain it away!
2 people like this
• United States
24 Apr 07
I think your reasoning is pretty accurate but I think something should be done about bullying and some people aren't mentally stable to endure bullies like most of us.
2 people like this
@kylanie (1205)
• United States
20 Apr 07
No I feel the same way I think they use that as a excuse and they don't know what to say about it so they say what they think people want to hear.
2 people like this
• United States
20 Apr 07
Thanks, it's nice to know that I am not the only one that feels this is a lame excuse. I appreciate your comment.
1 person likes this
• United States
21 Apr 07
I agree with you as well. I was made fun of as a kid at one school and I wasn't at the other (thank goodness). Horrible things were said to me at the old school though, but I didn't go shooting people up over it. I was even sexually harrassed by a group of guys my freshman year in high school. I guess being simply mean and hateful isn't an excuse anymore, so the reasons we are given is that they were wronged and hurt. It's a pitiful defense that future (and I wish it weren't so, but it's inevitable) school shooters will know they will get to fuel the justification for their heinous crime.
• United States
22 Apr 07
Hopefully it won't come to that, and people like us will stand up and say "wait a minute, we can't let this kid get off just because he was bullied or mistreated." I don't know where all this violence will end, but I know that for the future generations of children, I hope and pray that it does. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
1 person likes this
@dlkuku (1935)
• United States
21 Apr 07
I definately agree with you, I was terribly picked on as a kid and wouldn't think of hurting people. I think people need a reason to look for, anything to try and explain this horrible thing and why Cho did it. But I don't buy the 'poor Cho was picked on theory'. I think he had a severe mental illness which was never dealt with properly.
• United States
22 Apr 07
He did have a mental illness, I will agree with you there. It never crossed my mind to hurt those that poked fun at me or hurt me. I guess I just can't understand that mindset. Thanks for your wonderful reply. I appreciate it.
1 person likes this
@wachit14 (3595)
• United States
20 Apr 07
If everyone who was picked on ending up killing other people because they were angry about it years later, there would be no one left on earth. Everyone was picked on at one time or another and most people overcome it and even excel in spite of it. This man was deeply disturbed and delusional. He had many behavioral and social problems long before he was picked on and his family knew that.
• United States
20 Apr 07
His family had to have known it, so why wasn't something done. His professors (some of them) knew he was disturbed and tried to get him treatment. He was even hospitalized and labeled "as a danger to himself or others". I feel we are really failing as a society in many areas. You are right, there would be no one left if we all went out and shot up those who picked on us. Thanks for the response. I appreciate it.
1 person likes this
@Nebuloso (179)
• United States
20 Apr 07
No, you aren't the only one that feels this way. I just chalk it up to the direction our culture has taken in the past couple of decades. People are taking less and less responsibility for their actions. I won't get into any of my theories about how or why this happened because I don't lke stirring up storms in other people's discussions (especially without their permission! lol), but I do feel that the political direction our nation has taken has a huge share of the blame. Don't feel alone, though. You aren't the only one who feels this way.
2 people like this
• United States
28 Apr 07
I feel the same way you do creativedreamweaver. This would is all mixed up and upside down, and it is such a sad shame.
1 person likes this
@wmg2006 (5381)
• United States
21 Apr 07
I think society has always needed a reason for every action. My son was picked on a lot in school for various reasons, mainly because he was an academic genius and extremely talented. He did not embrace these things and I had him counseling since first grade. I think without all the counseling he too could have lashed out like Cho as he got older and understand just how dangerous he could be. I do not think Cho's past is an excuse for his actions at all. I do think his parents were neglecting his cry for help. All kids are not extroverts, but all kids are also not locked in their own world. When a parent sees these problems they need to address them, no matter how it affects the reputation of that child or that family. I do pity Cho, not because he was picked on or ridiculed, but because he was neglected by the ones that could have helped him. Basically no one wants to take responsibility for this persons actions and in reality society, parents, teachers and everyone who came in contact with him are responsible for his actions. We are not our brothers' keeper, but we should at least try to get help for those who can not get help for themselves.
@finlander60 (1804)
• United States
21 Apr 07
After reading all the other responses to your question, I can only assume that all the other MyLotters have no doubt that you are not the only one who feels this way. I agree with them, wholeheartedly. If everyone in the whole world that was bullied reacted in this fashion, who knows how much later, the rest of the world would be cowering in fear 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and wondering when their turn was going to come up. This would be a very sorry world, indeed, if this came to pass. Most of us just will pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and get on with our lives. When one of the "others" decides he or she has to "get even with the rest of society" for whatever wrong has been perpetrated upon their warped mind and does something like this, there are no winners. Only losers. Family and friends lose everything. May God have mercy on his soul. I, for one, will not shed so much as one tear for him. My two cents on this subject.
• United States
22 Apr 07
Great response finlander60. I shed no tears for him. I do pray for his family though. Thanks for sharing. I appreciate it. It is nice to know that I am not alone in my angst.
1 person likes this
@crystal8577 (1466)
• United States
21 Apr 07
NO & I just said something about this yesterday. Most people are teased at some time in their life. yes, some get it worse. You have to find a way to deal with it. I don't think going in & shooting people is the way to go.
2 people like this
@lisado (1227)
• United States
21 Apr 07
Between that and criminals saying that they were taken over by the devil and he made them do it, I want to gag. I was watching Dr Phil the other day and the grandfather had sexually molested his then 6 year old granddaughter. He said that it wasn't really him but that the devil had taken hold of him and made him do it, but he had found God again and he hoped that his son and daughter in law would forgive him so that the grandparents could spend time with their grandkids again. I seriously wanted to vomit. I was also picked on as a kid. I don't know many who weren't. I wore glasses and was a little overweight most of school, so I had a double whammy. Anyone who wears braces or anything else was picked on, as well. It's just the way life is. Why it turns into an excuse no matter what they do (steal, murder, molest) I have no idea. I get tired of it being an excuse and like you said, people end up feeling sorry for the person that did it and not the true victims.
1 person likes this
• United States
22 Apr 07
Thank you. How do you propose to accomplish this grand idea? My Dad had a plaque printed up, framed, and mounted on the wall of his office. It had a very simple request on it. The statement was: All problems must be accompanied with a plausible solution. Everyone seems to have all sorts of grand ideas about what went wrong with this person. Nobody seems to have any real ideas about how to fix these perceived problems. My two cents on this subject.
• United States
21 Apr 07
yes but why should being picked on be a part of life? May be we should take a step and teach that picking on other people isn't the right thing to do?
1 person likes this
• United States
21 Apr 07
I understand what you are saying and agree with you in the fact that it seems that people are pittying him instead of seeing what he did. However.....why are we still having this issue of people bullying other people or belittling. I'm not saying that i feel sorry for cho because i don't i mean he should have seeked help instead he turned how he was feeling into rage which then made him sick in the head majorly and 32 people had to pay for that. But don't you think it weird that he didn't go after anyone in particular he just started shooting? No one really knows what this guy was thinking and according to most people he didn't have any friends and no one really knew him. I'm wanting to know what his parents did? Why didn't they intevene why weren't the notified i understand that he was what like 23 years old but still family is a very powerfull thing when it comes to depression. I would have thought that his family would have been notified of something. I think that there could have been a lot more done to prevent this from happening i think the fault mainly lies obviously with Cho but i think that people should have been warned in a differen't manor after the first shootings accured. I feel extremly sad for all those families that are dealing with the loss of their loved ones. But why doesn't society take a step to prevent this from happening. I think that everyone needs to take a minute and think abou thow they treat someone else it doesn't matter if you have only done it once it still could be something that triggers something in someone else. I'm not saying that its an excuse for what cho did but i think in the end that society really needs to take a look at things that are going on and asking themselves if they are doing anything to contribute to people becoming like this.
1 person likes this
• United States
22 Apr 07
Why doesn't society take a step to prevent this from happening? Society, as a whole, meaning people, cannot prevent this sort of thing from happening. If someone desires to hurt, or whatever, someone else, they will find a way. No mortal person has any hope of stopping anything before it happens. You and I included. I cannot read anothers mind, and know what they are going to do with anything even approaching certainty. Can you?
• United States
26 Apr 07
No its true that i can not read minds just like everyone else can not. But his actions spoke louder than his thoughts and had warned several people yet they did nothing thats what i mean when society should take a step to prevent things like this from happening.
1 person likes this