The Truffle

I've read some crazy, nonsensical, and just plain rock-stupid commentary on the Virginia Tech tragedy. This, however, tops them all. I can just imagine what was going through the minds of the Sunday Times' editors when they chose to publish this tripe. "Let's see--the news media has spilled lots and lots of ink on this story. They've examined American gun laws. They've interviewed his professors and classmates. They've discussed his mental state. They've aired his demented video. They've even promised to stop airing the demented video. We need a new angle here, people. We've heard his classmates and ex-professors. We need a new angle. Say--let's frame this as a gender issue! He was a man in a feminized culture! Yeah! That's new!" Ahem. Let's try to manage the difficult task of reading this thing without spewing one's beverage all over the keyboard, shall we? The author is Sarah Baxter, and the article is t...

Michael Medved used to be fun, back when he was co-writing those Golden Turkey Award titles and cataloguing all things bad and cinematic. Then he went all bonkers and became a wingnut and started talking about gay subtext in kiddie movies. And now? With the Virginia Tech tragedy, he has has added his name to the ever-growing list of right-wingers making pathetically stupid statements. Quick, someone 'splain to Mikey that Cho Seung-Hui was not a terrorist. A sick, disturbed murderer, yes, but not a terrorist. Just like a cartoon penguin is not a deviant gay homosexual, a socially isolated psycho-killer is not the same thing as a terrorist. There's a bright side to all this, however. At least Medved doesn't hate the victims, like so many of his fellow righties do.

The details about Cho Seung-Hui are still coming out. You can argue all you want about gun laws and privacy laws and how to handle troubled students. Here's a question that sticks in my head: Where were this guy's parents? Were they ever notified that their son was a stalker who needed mental help? How did they react when a campus police officer said their son was "mentally ill and in need of hospitalization, and presents an imminent danger to self or others"? What--if anything--did they do to help him? I can only imagine the grief and horror they must feel right now. I don't care who or what Ismail Ax is. I just suspect that there's a missing piece to this puzzle that nobody has bothered to pick up yet.