The Transition

How We Live

By Robert Ringer

Bully-engendered violence (the focal point of Installments I-XV of The Cho Factor) is just one aspect of a much larger sociological phenomenon that Seung-Hui Cho brought to light in his videotaped manifesto at Virginia Tech. Not surprisingly, I have seen nothing in either the print or visual media that even remotely addresses the underlying meaning of his tirade.

So, from this point on, bullying and school violence will be merged with something much larger and all-encompassing. When I say all-encompassing, it's because what I believe Cho was referring to in his angry rant is an uncomfortable reality that affects just about every aspect of the human experience.

I ended Installment I by saying that the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre is a part of much deeper societal issues — issues that define how we live our lives. I also said that these issues define our perceptions of what is real and what is unreal.

I've thought about writing on this subject for years, but it contains so many landmines that I was never quite sure how to approach it. The landmines I am referring to are loaded with reader anger, and when they explode — which they are guaranteed to do — they will do so with a vengeance.

Chicken Writer Rule No. 1: Never write about religion or politics, because people can't handle opinions or insights that contradict their most cherished beliefs regarding these subjects. It's much safer to write about things like success strategies, positive mental attitude, and perseverance. To be sure, these subjects are important, but they have the added benefit of not detonating anyone's emotions.

On the other hand, exposing flaws in how people live their day-to-day lives has the potential to inflame even more so than opining on politics or religion. Woe unto him who writes about the way the world is rather than the way people would like it to be.

No one is immune here ... least of all me. As I suggested in Installment XIII of this series, the human race may just be an experiment that failed. With all the good people on this planet, and with all the good things that so many people do, the fact remains that humans are a very imperfect species.

And I believe that in parts of Cho's seemingly deranged manifesto, he was alluding to some of those imperfections — flaws that can be linked together under one broad sociological umbrella. Call it the Foundational Flaw of Modern Western Man.

Hint: The foundational flaw I am referring to has given rise to such phenomena as inferior and immoral men and women being elected to the highest offices in the land ... the spread of voodoo economics and the anti-capitalist mentality ... semi-illiterate teachers and unchecked bullying in our schools ... freaks and losers becoming rich and famous as purveyors of nothing more than "shtick" ... rampant drug use and spiraling teenage suicide rates ... political correctness and a clamping down on free speech.

From Woodstock to Rev. Jeremiah Wright ... from the Manson Family to today's corporately controlled Las Vegas ... the Foundational Flaw of Modern Western Man is the common thread. Between now and the next installment of this series, you might want to take a guess at which of Cho's words you think I am referring to — and what the significance of those words is with regard to how we live our lives.

Previous - Part XV, The School Principal/Principle Problem

Next - Part XVII, How to Play the Game

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