Call Me Crazy If You'd Like.

I refuse to place the blame entirely on Cho Seung-Hui for what he did on Monday.

No, I'm not calling him innocent.
I'm not saying what he did was good.
I'm not saying what he did was right.
I'm not saying what he did was justifiable in any way at all.

But I'm not saying it was totally unprovoked, either.

America, I'm sad to say, has problems. Big ones.

Cho Seung-Hui's family moved to America in search of a better life, as do most immigrants.

What Cho Seung-Hui found, however, was the cruel reality of what American life is really like.

He was, to be quite frank, an outcast. He was quiet, reserved, introverted, a minority, an immigrant, and, when he did speak, was made fun of for his voice and accent.

Classmates can recall him being bullied throughout elementary, middle, and high school.
The American life he found was not the over-glorified 'American Dream' that is so appealing.
He found the harsh life of someone growing up in America.
The childish callousness that is all too common among children today.
The already trying emotional ups and downs of middle school.
The ludicrous politics of high school.
The ridicule, disdain, taunting, jeering, and mockery of his peers.

What if someone, just one person, had really made an effort to reach out to him?
Simply smiling at him in the hall.
A real, genuine smile.
Not a smirk.

Or saying a quick 'hey'.
An actual greeting.
Not a jeer.

Or laughing.
With him.
Not at him.

I just don't understand. I truly, honestly don't.

People confuse me. A lot.

If he had just had someone. Anyone. Someone who would be willing to lend a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on.

If he hadn't had to bottle up all of his anger, his fury, his frustration.
His pain.

Could all of this have been avoided?

And once again, I'm not saying he's innocent.

But I know what it's like to bottle something things for so long that you just can't handle it anymore and you just... break.

And, while the result of my breaking point was different than his, there is always a breaking point.

Always.

And you don't know, until you've been there, the difference one person can make.

Maybe one person could have changed everthing. Maybe none of it would have happened.

Maybe.

Here's The Thing.

So, there's a good chance I might not be at South next year.

Well, I would for one class.
(Global Studies 12)

But I think that's it. All of my other classes will be at LBCC.

Although, I'll technically still be a student at South. I'm not graduating early, exactly. I'll still be walking with the rest of my class, and, since I'll still technically still be a student at South, they'll be paying for my classes at LBCC.

So... After this year, that's pretty much it. I think. I still have to fill out a bunch of paperwork and take an acclimation test or something like that, so that they know which classes to put me in. But, yeah.