Following the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech last week committed by gunman Seung-Hui Cho, a South Korea native, members of the Binghamton University community have voiced concerns about a possible backlash against students of Korean descent.
Students have expressed concerns that the event could encourage negative stereotypes about Koreans and even lead to violence.
‘Just as those of Middle Eastern descent were stereotyped as being ‘terrorists’ and regarded with suspicion after 9/11, I fear that Koreans/Korean-Americans will also be labeled as being threatening even though many of them, like Middle Easterners, are completely innocent and would never condone violence,’ said Eun Sil Kang, a senior English major and an editor of the Han Perspective, a bilingual magazine published in English and Korean.
Kang also questioned why the media has emphasized the ethnicity of the shooter when his attack was not racially motivated.
‘Does it really matter what race the student was?’ he said. ‘By constantly showing the shooter and emphasizing his ethnicity, the media gives hate groups confirmation of their beliefs, which can lead to an increase in hate group members and lashing out against Asians. The media definitely could have handled the situation better.’
One student, who wished for her name and organization to remain anonymous, agreed with Kang, stating that more emphasis should be placed on the school’s neglect of a mentally ill student rather than on his nation of origin.
‘I think the incident has nothing to do with the shooter being Korean,’ she said. ‘He did not do it because he was Korean. Rather, it’s a shame that the school has not taken any measure to help their own student who is psychologically challenged and in need of help.’
Other students believe that by focusing on the race of the shooter, attention is being drawn away from the victims.
‘The absolute horror of the Virginia Tech tragedy is one that reaches all of us regardless of race or ethnicity,’ said Kathleen Choi, president of the Korean American Student Organization. ‘It was a truly sad event for all of humankind.’
She said that she hopes Americans will understand that the shooting was the work of a single disturbed individual and will not lash out against those who share his national origin.
‘I speak on behalf of the Korean community here at Binghamton University when I say that our hearts and prayers go out to the victims, their families and all the others that were affected by the VT shooting,’ Choi said. ‘The Binghamton University Korean-American Student Association hopes to see that, as a country that honors freedom and diversity, that there will not be any backlash towards Koreans or any other Asians.’
Ryan Yarosh, a University spokesman, said that while the potential for hate crimes is a concern that always exists, there are policies which seek to prevent those incidents.
‘Any student found responsible for a violation or attempted violation of the Rules of Student Conduct, who has targeted a person or group because of race, national origin or any other protected status, may be subject to a more severe sanction than would ordinarily accompany that violation or attempted violation,’ he said.