Excited
Is it me, or is the media’s reporting of the Virginia Tech “massacre” referring to Cho Seung-Hui rather than Seung-Hui Cho is really starting to bother me! I caught a part of CNN’s Special Reports – “Massacre at Virginia Tech” this afternoon, and CNN kept on referring to Seung-Hui Cho as Cho Seung-Hui.
This really bothered me after a while, especially after CNN showed the receipt of one of the guns that Seung-Hui had bought, where he had written his name as “Seung Cho.” Why does this bother me and a lot of Asian-Americans? Because this is not only how Seung-Hui Cho referred to himself (besides the times he signed into class as “?”), but because Cho Seung-Hui is the direct Korean translation and is “foreign.” As Claire had commented on the NPR opinion piece, “Cho Lived and Died as an American,” Seung-Hui was living the immigrant experience that many Asian-Americans have been living.
Sure, Seung-Hui still was a South Korean, but he had emigrated with his family when he was 8 years old, and lived over 15 years in the United States and had his green card. I know plenty of Koreans and Korean-Americans living in the United States that are in their 20′s and 30′s, and NONE of them go by their family name first and given name last.
When Seung-Hui’s sister, Sun-Kyung Cho, released a statement on behalf of the entire family, the news media correctly refers to Sun-Kyung in the proper order: given name, family name Sun-Kyung Cho – NOT Cho Sun-Kyung.
So I guess I just have to attribute the misnaming” of Seung-Hui Cho by the news media as just plain ignorance or laziness, or both! I guess that’s no surprise, but still very annoying.
In the online English version of The Chosun Ilbo‘s (The Korean Daily News – South Korea’s largest newspaper) article, Virginia Tech Killer’s E-Mail, Phone Records to be Scrutinized (4/23/07), at the end is an Editor’s Note:
“English.chosun.com has so far used “Cho Seung-hui” for the shooter’s name in the Korean format of the surname followed by the given name. This is also the format initially provided by the local police and school officials earlier last week. But out of respect for the family’s preference for the Americanized format of the given name + surname, as expressed in a statement in AP, we will hereafter use “Seung-hui Cho” instead of “Cho Seung-hui.” “
Even a South Korean newspaper, corrected itself in the English version of its website.
So I hope that in the near future, the news media will correctly identify Cho Seung-Hui as Seung-Hui Cho.
How would you like it if YOUR name, was reversed and reported by the news media? (hopefully for something good, rather than bad!). How would CNN reporters Paula Zahn and Wolf Blitzer like to be called Zahn Paula and Blitzer Wolf? I’m sure Larry King wouldn’t mind being called King Larry, and who the hell knows if Anderson Cooper should be Cooper Anderson (what kind of name is that – sounds foreign to me either way? 
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I just want to add that the expression from Shakespeare that you are drawing upon when you ask, "what's in a name?" is the prelude to explaining that absolutely nothing is in a name. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet... It is the quality of the thing, its heart rather than its name, that matters, says Shakespeare.
I just want to add that the expression from Shakespeare that you are drawing upon when you ask, "what's in a name?" is the prelude to explaining that absolutely nothing is in a name. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet... It is the quality of the thing, its heart rather than its name, that matters, says Shakespeare.
I wondered about this, but frankly I could find no information on how it would be proper to refer to Mr. Cho in my blog. To assume that the mistake arises simply because people are lazy or indifferent is rather self-centered. Navigating cultural and linguistic differences in a society that includes individuals from all over the world is bound to be frought with errors that are not errors of the heart but simple errors in knowledge.
My own last name, which is southern european, was frequently mangled by people in the predominantly Irish-American middle class community I grew up in... even after I would repeatedly correct them. I can't even begin to tell you the mangling of my name I regularly get from Asian immigrants.
In the end, I don't read much of anything into it. There are more important things in this world, such as the quality of a person's heart, to worry about.
I wondered about this, but frankly I could find no information on how it would be proper to refer to Mr. Cho in my blog. To assume that the mistake arises simply because people are lazy or indifferent is rather self-centered. Navigating cultural and linguistic differences in a society that includes individuals from all over the world is bound to be frought with errors that are not errors of the heart but simple errors in knowledge.
My own last name, which is southern european, was frequently mangled by people in the predominantly Irish-American middle class community I grew up in... even after I would repeatedly correct them. I can't even begin to tell you the mangling of my name I regularly get from Asian immigrants.
In the end, I don't read much of anything into it. There are more important things in this world, such as the quality of a person's heart, to worry about.
I noticed that too.
Good thing I went with the Boston Globe's order of Cho's name, which I'm assuming is correct, per your post.
Thanks and be blessed,
PAULA NEAL MOONEY: Was Seung-Hui Cho a Christian? Demon Possessed?
I noticed that too.
Good thing I went with the Boston Globe's order of Cho's name, which I'm assuming is correct, per your post.
Thanks and be blessed,
PAULA NEAL MOONEY: Was Seung-Hui Cho a Christian? Demon Possessed?
We did about 'Cho Seung-Hui' in my R.S class that I just got back from, it was very bad. :-/
Everyone had their facts wrong and were referring him to "as that Chinese" so I got a little annoyed at that and got yelled at for interrupting.
So, although it mayn't be something we should lose sleep over.. it's still a fact. And the fact is that the killer's name isn't Cho Seung-Hui.
.. must be quite annoying for him now that's he dead to be remembered as someone else.
We did about 'Cho Seung-Hui' in my R.S class that I just got back from, it was very bad. :-/
Everyone had their facts wrong and were referring him to "as that Chinese" so I got a little annoyed at that and got yelled at for interrupting.
So, although it mayn't be something we should lose sleep over.. it's still a fact. And the fact is that the killer's name isn't Cho Seung-Hui.
.. must be quite annoying for him now that's he dead to be remembered as someone else.
Well the kid never talked to anyone, supposedly, so he never really let people know what or how he wishes to be called/addressed. His parents probably jus called him Seung-Hui ya. So my affirmation is that as long as Wikipedia calls him correctly (meaning a consistency of name placements among other names), I wouldnu00e2u0080u0099t feel so bugged. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Tech_massacr... and you can check his name too.
I prefer his last name first only because it sounds more Korean and said more naturally than Seung-Hui Cho. Its either Seung Cho or JoSungHui, follow me? Like to say his name choseunghui sounds more naturally said than saying seunghuicho, because seungcho would be more acceptable.
And plus the kid was born and raised initially as a korean. he probably got picked on as a fob. 8 years old when he moved here? thats like what 3rd grade?
http://www.squidoo.com/Cho-Seung-Hui
Obviously his parents would wish for the media to switch it up. How much shame would that bring your family name if your last name was flashed as Cho Did It!. You know all the Chos are feeling a lil weird these days.
Well the kid never talked to anyone, supposedly, so he never really let people know what or how he wishes to be called/addressed. His parents probably jus called him Seung-Hui ya. So my affirmation is that as long as Wikipedia calls him correctly (meaning a consistency of name placements among other names), I wouldnu00e2u0080u0099t feel so bugged. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Tech_massacr... and you can check his name too.
I prefer his last name first only because it sounds more Korean and said more naturally than Seung-Hui Cho. Its either Seung Cho or JoSungHui, follow me? Like to say his name choseunghui sounds more naturally said than saying seunghuicho, because seungcho would be more acceptable.
And plus the kid was born and raised initially as a korean. he probably got picked on as a fob. 8 years old when he moved here? thats like what 3rd grade?
http://www.squidoo.com/Cho-Seung-Hui
Obviously his parents would wish for the media to switch it up. How much shame would that bring your family name if your last name was flashed as Cho Did It!. You know all the Chos are feeling a lil weird these days.
I can understand where your coming from when someone says something in correct in the media that it is annoying. However, it seems kind of unimportant in light of the situation. I am sure it is due to unfamiliarity, and a rush to get something out. Also after a name sticks, it is hard to go back and change everything out of confusion to the listener. Besides I know a lot of people non-asian descent who call each other by their last names. I guess I am saying it is annoying, but not something that you should lose sleep over...
I can understand where your coming from when someone says something in correct in the media that it is annoying. However, it seems kind of unimportant in light of the situation. I am sure it is due to unfamiliarity, and a rush to get something out. Also after a name sticks, it is hard to go back and change everything out of confusion to the listener. Besides I know a lot of people non-asian descent who call each other by their last names. I guess I am saying it is annoying, but not something that you should lose sleep over...
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