Murderous Fame

Seung-hui Cho was not a stupid man. He knew damn well that if his mission was successful, his notoriety would be massive. He documented his hate, his victimhood, his persecutory delusions and sent media to NBC. No longer able to live his life of complete insignificance, Cho had but one chance to be remembered for all time. Now, we've given him his wish.

The slideshow pictures don't stop. The video of his angry tirades never end. As if somehow, for the first time, seeing the thousandth picture we'll say, "Oh, yes, now I understand why and how; now this all makes sense." Well, it doesn't make sense, it never will, we choke on it each day, turning Cho into the Charles Manson of school shootings.

Why are we giving him his celebrity wish? Is there some inherent benefit to scrutinizing his every move, word and thought? Instead of relentless coverage about Cho and his long history of simmering hatred, how about some coverage of the victims? Their lives have been entirely overshadowed by the very man who ended them.

Cho's grim fame has brought the grieving process to a crawl. The searing images haunt us. While so many lost so much on April 16th, 2007, Cho got exactly what he wanted.