Re: The Virgina Tech Shootings
Let me start of by saying this: All I think anyone should do regarding this horrid incident is this: mourn the lost lives and be thankful for those lives around you that make you happy.
Second:
I am white.
I am American.
I refuse to be ashamed of being either and if you are truly my friend, you won't make me feel ashamed.
Just in case you didn't know, I didn't have a choice in being born either. But I will be proud of being white and American because it is part of who I am.
I am not racist or "better off" because I was born white. Please don't assume that the color of my skin means anything more than the color of my skin. Treat my race as you would like yours to be treated in return.
I am not stupid, ignorant, selfish, or evil because I am American. Most Americans I know are not either. Most Americans I know are loving intelligent people, who constantly do things to help others.
Finally, I want to express my disdain for people who are using this incident as a political platform, or those who are pointing blame every direction but that in which it truly lies: the shooter. Cho Seung-Hui made a conscious decision to end lives. He is the only one to blame for the tragedy. Not gun control, not the university's response. not the police, not his culture, not his family, nor his friends. While these things may have influenced him into those horrid actions, in the end, it was him who was responsible.
Please, please, just mourn the lost lives and reflect. Don't make this event into anything more than it is: a tragic, horrible, loss of life.
~Rachel
Second:
I am white.
I am American.
I refuse to be ashamed of being either and if you are truly my friend, you won't make me feel ashamed.
Just in case you didn't know, I didn't have a choice in being born either. But I will be proud of being white and American because it is part of who I am.
I am not racist or "better off" because I was born white. Please don't assume that the color of my skin means anything more than the color of my skin. Treat my race as you would like yours to be treated in return.
I am not stupid, ignorant, selfish, or evil because I am American. Most Americans I know are not either. Most Americans I know are loving intelligent people, who constantly do things to help others.
Finally, I want to express my disdain for people who are using this incident as a political platform, or those who are pointing blame every direction but that in which it truly lies: the shooter. Cho Seung-Hui made a conscious decision to end lives. He is the only one to blame for the tragedy. Not gun control, not the university's response. not the police, not his culture, not his family, nor his friends. While these things may have influenced him into those horrid actions, in the end, it was him who was responsible.
Please, please, just mourn the lost lives and reflect. Don't make this event into anything more than it is: a tragic, horrible, loss of life.
~Rachel