Some reactions to the VT shooting from Asian-Americans

I do have some things to say, some posts to write that aren't composed primarily of links, but I'm still working them out in my head, mulling them over.

In the meantime, a few links via New American Media about the Virginia Tech shooting:

1) "Hurt, Sad . . . Koreans React to the Virginia Tech Shootings," Aruna Lee.

2) "He Was Like Me," Autumn Lee. While I do think this article somewhat oversimplifies things, it certainly does make some interesting points about dynamics within and surrounding the Korean community from the perspective of a young, first-generation immigrant.

3) "Let it Be Some Other 'Asian,'" Andrew Lam.

All the articles make this very important point, though I'm going to use Lam's words to highlight it:

“Every time there’s an incident like this, every ethnic group is on pins and needles,” said Khalil Abdullah, an African-American colleague. An Anglo shooter may be an individual, a loner, but God forbid if a person of color goes on a shooting rampage. His whole tribe would be implicated. “I still recall my aunts when President Kennedy was assassinated. They were praying that it wasn’t a Negro.” Many ethnic communities do not feel that they belong to the core of the American fabric, Abdullah added. “The action of an individual can cancel out the good image of an entire group.”

I also find Lam's last paragraph utterly fascinating.

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Edited to add a link to "Asian-Americans dread backlash in wake of Va. Tech carnage," by L. A. Chung, forwarded to me by a friend.