Wednesday, April 18, 2007

NPR

Gave a ride today to a South Korean grad student. NPR was on the radio, more on the Virginia Tech shootings.
"News from Virginia?"
"Yeah. What do you think about all of it?"
"Korean people are very ashamed."
I tried to convey that he shouldn't be, that everyone understands that the shooter was mentally disturbed. We talked a little about the search for a "motive", as if there could be a rational reason for mass murder.

Must be surreal, to be living in strange country, struggling with English and the difficulties of Astro grad school, and then this happens.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Everyone "you," maybe; everyone "at the observatory," maybe. I'm afraid I wouldn't go so far as to say "everyone waiting with me in line at the McDonalds understands."

So many people will use any excuse to indulge in a little racism.

Foobar said...

Of course, you're right. c.f. the attacks on men with turbans (many of them Sihks) after 9/11.

But that's not what he needed to hear.