Tag Archives: Virginia Tech

Celebrities Lend Helping Hand To Virginia Tech Students

They say tragedy brings out the best in people, and April’s tragic shooting at Virginia Tech was no exception. In the days following the deadliest shooting in modern U.S. history an outpouring of support blanketed the campus in Blacksburg. Now, four months after the massacre, a handful of stars are once again uniting to offer help to the students and staff affected by the shooting rampage. School officials have just confirmed that John Mayer and the Dave Matthews Band will headline a special concert at Virginia Tech on September 6th to help the university and its students begin the new … Continue reading →

Group Apologies and Ethnic Shame?–No Thanks

The director of my daughters’ adoption agency in Seoul has issued an apology on behalf of Koreans for the actions of Seung-Hui Cho, the young man who killed 32 fellow students and faculty at Virginia Tech University last week. (Cho was a South Korean citizen but a legal resident of the US who came here at the age of eight.) The apology was disseminated by an American adoption agency in Virginia which partners with the Korean agency in placing Korean children for adoption in the US. My local newspaper featured a Korean-American state legislator issuing a public apology and a … Continue reading →

Backlash Against Korean Adoptees/Families?

Some Koreans, and adoptive parents of Korean-born children, have expressed fear of a backlash since the Virginia Tech shootings by a Korean-born young man. Seung-Hui Cho was a South Korean citizen and a legal permanent resident of the US who came here at the age of eight. I have not personally encountered racism as a multiracial family except on one occasion when another child said of (and in front of) my daughter, “She doesn’t look like an American.” I have worried that if tensions escalated with North Korea Koreans might be judged on their appearance the way some people of … Continue reading →

Simon Cowell: He’s Really Not That Nasty

If you watched American Idol Tuesday night, you may have noticed a bit of controversy. Contestant Chris Robinson sang a somewhat nasally version of the country tune “Mayberry” by Rascal Flatts. While Randy and Paula said they couldn’t feel any connection between Chris and the song, Simon insisted it was nasally and a non-descript vocal. Chris argued that nasally was a form of singing. If that is true, then there is still hope for me as a singer! Anyhow, after that exchange, Chris who hails from Chesapeake, Virginia, threw in a quick note about the Virginia Tech tragedy that had … Continue reading →

Violence and Slang Terms

It seems hard to blog about something as insignificant as celebrity gossip in the wake of what happened yesterday at Virginia Tech. Thirty-three innocent people are dead just for doing what most think of as the American dream – receiving a higher education in hopes of improving themselves. Whether we like it or not, violence seems to be a part of our American culture. Have you ever used the term “going postal” to describe a coworker, friend, or even yourself? Normally people use it to describe someone who is filled with rage and anger – someone who seems just at … Continue reading →