Watching CNN today it struck me how the media is whipping up a frenzy of anger against Cho Seung Hui with their sentiment for the victims and celeb shrinks painting him as a one-off crazy.

Of course we feel outraged and sympathize with the victims. Our hearts and prayers go with them.

But it seems to me the media is missing another side to this story – we should be asking ourselves how did this guy become a mass murderer in the first place, and what can we do to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

I do not accept the simplistic answers that I’m hearing. I don’t believe we can just label him as some crazed “psycho” on a rampage. That’s too easy.

Listening to his video I’m hearing things like his pain from being bullied, his low self-esteem and inability to fit in that turned his hurt and isolation into anger, then on to bitterness and murderous hate. It’s a common thread that I’m noticing.

My step-kids are immigrants and I know the pain they went through trying to fit into a different culture. The racist comments, the smirks and laughter in the hallway, the isolation and loneliness of not finding any friends.

But it’s not only just immigrants. It could be the kid across the street who might feel unattractive, or who could be painfully shy, not dressed as fashionable as their peers or just plain different from the other kids.

This is a society problem and I’m willing to bet there are thousands out there who are just like him. Ticking time bombs just waiting to cross the threshold.

Picture someone like this in a culture celebrating TV violence, movies and video games. Leave them alone to nurture their neurosis, give them easy access to guns and that’s a recipe for disaster if I ever heard one.

Unless we accept the fact that this is our problem and that we need to reach out with our hearts and love these people before they get to the point of no return, there will be even more incidents like this. Mark my words. Perhaps even worse.

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