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AOL News has obtained two plays a classmate says were written by Cho Seung-Hui. Ian MacFarlane, the former classmate and current AOL employee, provided us with the plays. A note from Mr. MacFarlane and links to the works appear below.What happened yesterday:
When I first heard about the multiple shootings at Virginia Tech yesterday, my first thought was about my friends, and my second thought was "I bet it was Seung Cho."
Cho was in my playwriting class last fall, and nobody seemed to think much of him at first. He would sit by himself whenever possible, and didn't like talking to anyone. I don't think I've ever actually heard his voice before. He was just so quiet and kept to himself. Looking back, he fit the exact stereotype of what one would typically think of as a "school shooter" – a loner, obsessed with violence, and serious personal problems. Some of us in class tried to talk to him to be nice and get him out of his shell, but he refused talking to anyone. It was like he didn't want to be friends with anybody. One friend of mine tried to offer him some Halloween candy that she still had, but he slowly shook his head, refusing it. He just came to class every day and submitted his work on time, as I understand it.
A major part of the playwriting class was peer reviews. We would write one-act plays and submit them to an online repository called Blackboard for everyone in the class to read and comment about in class the next day. Typically, the students give their opinions about the plays and suggest ways to make it better, the professor gives his insights, then asks the author to comment about the play in class.
When we read Cho's plays, it was like something out of a nightmare. The plays had really twisted, macabre violence that used weapons I wouldn't have even thought of. Before Cho got to class that day, we students were talking to each other with serious worry about whether he could be a school shooter. I was even thinking of scenarios of what I would do in case he did come in with a gun, I was that freaked out about him. When the students gave reviews of his play in class, we were very careful with our words in case he decided to snap. Even the professor didn't pressure him to give closing comments.
After hearing about the mass shootings, I sent one of my friends a Facebook message asking him if he knew anything about Seung Cho and if he could have been involved. He replied: "dude that's EXACTLY what I was thinking! No, I haven't heard anything, but seriously, that was the first thing I thought when I heard he was Asian."
While I "knew" Cho, I always wished there was something I could do for him, but I couldn't think of anything. As far as notifying authorities, there isn't (to my knowledge) any system set up that lets people say "Hey! This guy has some issues! Maybe you should look into this guy!" If there were, I definitely would have tried to get the kid some help. I think that could have had a good chance of averting yesterday's tragedy more than anything.
While I was hesitant at first to release these plays (because I didn't know if there are laws against it), I had to put myself in the shoes of the average person researching this situation. I'd want to know everything I could about the killer to figure out what could drive a person to do something like this and hopefully prevent it in the future. Also, I hope this might help people start caring about others more no matter how weird they might seem, because if this was some kind of cry for attention, then he should have gotten it a long time ago.
As far as the victims go, as I was heading to bed last night, I heard that my good friend Stack (Ryan Clark) was one of the first confirmed dead. I didn't want to believe that I'd never get to talk to him again, and all I could think about was how much I could tell him how much his friendship meant to me. During my junior year, Ryan, another friend and I used to get breakfast on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Shultz Dining Hall, one of the cafeterias on campus, and it was always the highlight of my day. He could talk forever it seemed and always made us laugh. He was a good friend, not just to me, but to a lot of people, and I'll miss him a lot.
Click on the links below the read the plays. WARNING: the plays contain profanity and scenes with disturbing content.
- Read Play #1: 'Richard McBeef'
- Read Play #2: 'Mr. Brownstone'
Reader Comments ( Page 689 of 689)
10321. Unfortunately, this is a story that America is going to keep on seeing in the days to come. The lack of family time, kids being raised by anyone but the parents (in many cases too busy dealing with 2 jobs to keep up with their credit cards), sick and disturbing video games, pornography at your leisure giving birth to a generation of sexual predators that grow in large numbers by the hour, and the worst of all... a time where the name of God is nothing but a reason for laughing. All these, and many more reasons, are dragging kids, like Seung Hui, to a state of isolation and self-destruction that, at the end, leaves them nothing but one door open: the doors of hell. I'm not justifying what he did, I just wonder who or what else is to blame for this tragedy. Could something have been done to prevent this? I deeply believe so. Going through the facts of his life gives us a very clear picture of a disturbed and more than likely sexually abused kid. I'm niether supporting nor justifying his actions. I'm simply saying that this is the result of a generation that has put God's principles on the last row, and evil (of course) has taken the first place. America grew strong as a nation because it had its roots in the word of God...but it's been gradually pulling out away from Him, and the darkness is whipping us now. "America, let's turn our eyes back to God and He's faithfull to take us back like a prodigal son"
(2 Chronicles 7.14)
PS: I respect anybody's spiritual backgrounds and beliefs, please, do so with me as well. But this is the answer.
May the Lord bless America and the whole world.
J. Jaramillo at 5:02AM on May 26th 2007
10322. cho's story expresses so much anger. i wonder why his parents and siblings could not see his odd behavior. are they hiding something? or just want to be blind with what's going on around their household. the VT incident would have been prevented if the family were aware of each others needs. cho's a troubled person, i'm sure a mother would realize that, if she listens to him. . .i'm not blaming her, we all have our troubles but it really pays if we give time to our children . . . a minute with them means a lot. i hope this incident would open our eyes to our children's needs. to the victim's family - all my prayers for you.
Heide at 7:42AM on May 13th 2007
10323. Couple comments.
It's obvious that Cho's writing is disturbing, to say the least. In fairness, it is also poor writing. But I disagree that he was necessarily molested or victimized as a child, though at first I thought so. I used to represent defendant/clients who were abused as kids, but I doubt Cho was, and here's why.
His complaints are so varied and generalized. In "McBeef", notice that he picked the Hamlet theme, AND the Catholic priest molestation (and his family was never Catholic) theme, AND the step-father molestation, and added the "Fat man" problem as a vague anti-Capitalist attack; note the weak mother figure who likes it "doggie style", and the utter lack of dialogue other than what he used while fighting/raging, etc.
Cho's past--His family's home is 10 minutes from my childhood home and where my family still lives. It's upper middle class and he did not do without much as a child, at least in material terms. I have Korean in-laws and though the males seem a bit stoic, there is nothing to suggest any seething rage in their culture.
Cho's parents never divorced, his father is alive, they never knew a Catholic priest, and Cho seems to just identify with victim's in general, using their victimhood as a justification for his own (and perhaps inexplicable) rage.
It is just too cliched, and that's what makes me think he did it for shock value, and as an expression of his rage, and lastly, for reasons beyond our comprehension. Maybe we must accept that some things will never be well understood. All this is so sad, and so weird.
Stop arguing about the writing, or confusing it with a social message of some sort. Let's start deciding what we will do the next time we meet someone like him...
Jeannine Hinman at 2:39PM on May 16th 2007
10324. Bipolar I (a severe case). Treatable. This entire tragedy could have been prevented with proper mental health care.
J at 5:42PM on May 15th 2007
10325. bad man
zhangxuan at 11:33AM on Jun 8th 2007
10326. God.
I read these stories. I don't even know how to explain my hatred of the whole thing.
To a point, I believe Stacy is right- but for the wrong reason. Steven King read these, and I agree with him one hundred percent:
"For most creative people, the imagination serves as an excretory channel for violence: We visualize what we will never actually do (James Patterson, for instance, a nice man who has all too often worked the street that my old friend George used to work). Cho doesn't strike me as in the least creative, however. Dude was crazy. Dude was, in the memorable phrasing of Nikki Giovanni, just mean. Essentially there's no story here, except for a paranoid a--hole who went DEFCON-1. He may have been inspired by Columbine, but only because he was too dim to think up such a scenario on his own.
On the whole, I don't think you can pick these guys out based on their work, unless you look for violence unenlivened by any real talent."
Mike at 5:29PM on Jun 1st 2007
10327. Is it wrong that I laughed at the plays?
Krist at 1:36AM on Jun 2nd 2007
10328. I've read far more disturbing plays than Cho's. Cho has been going through much ridicule from society as a young boy. When he moved to America it was even harder for him to adjust and get used to the culture and lifestyle. Even his peers admitted that there were students who taunted him and bullied him. Let's be careful...no, let's not forget that people are people and that we should learn to respect one another and not shun eachother just because there is a physical difference, mental difference, etc. Cho should not have resorted to shooting, that was very wrong of him. But i hope everyone will be able to sympathize not just for the families that have lost their children, but also for Cho...who was deeply disturbed and deeply hurt. I pray for peace to the families that have lost their children and for Cho's family... Thanks for reading.
katherine at 10:07AM on Jun 2nd 2007
10329. I really think this kid was mentally handicapped. The level of writing really is poor. He's definitly not the introverted genius he made himself out to be in those videos released on NBC. It seems almost as if he tried to copy some really bad Quentin Tarentino movie but made up his own rules for grammar and dialogue.
But on a different note: How exactly could the teacher read these plays and think "hmmm, now there's a nice normal, sane kid, someone who would never dream of hurting another human being." Seriously, if I read the first five lines of either of those plays I would think, "yep this guys crazy, lock him up and put a straight jacket on him."
Ben at 1:26PM on Jun 3rd 2007
10330. Seriously, I think one should NOT look just look at his behaviour, but WHAT caused his behaviour.
I read many comments with stuff like "Oh my, this guy is really sick and twisted" and all of that. But what we really need to understand is WHY or WHAT caused him to do what he did, and not just put a label on him saying "crazy" and not give the matter any further thought.
Look at comment 10301 - that person said that "cho was just a cold heartless blooded person* who meant to walk in and kill anyone in his path".
(*note: that's wrong, it should be cold blooded heartless person)
What we need to do is to find out how to solve the problems the people face. I do not believe that on one day he just ups and decides to kill people. As he said/hinted, SOMETHING pressurized him and caused him to snap. What we need to do it to find out how to remove this SOMETHING from people's lives.
Or, if you want to solve the problem, I guess a bill could be passed about ownership of guns/lethal weapons (after Constitution is amended, of course...) Many cities have stringent laws regarding guns, and from what I know there aren't massacres like this in those countries.
Of course, that isn't really solving the problem to the best of the country's ability... we need to stop people from going down cho's path in the first place, that would be the best course of action IMHO...
LKC at 4:30AM on Jun 8th 2007
10331. I think the plays stinks. Not worth to mention. The kid was just trying to be mancho, kool,... added a lot of violent and dramatic to get attention and better grade like most cocky straight guy. Just bull head! There's no anger to me. Sorry, but the plays are too bull for me to get a feel. These plays are so not worth for mention.
Thanh at 2:30PM on Jun 18th 2007
10332. By the time I saw this, the plays were removed. Anyone know where to read them? It is apparent by the comments and reactions that they should have been a pivot point of action by the authorities and teachers on campus.
Mark at 9:22AM on Jul 8th 2007
10333. I love how quickly everyone jumps to the defense of those plays when "Stacy" comments on how they appeared to be written by a 9th grader.
I especially love this comment;
"You say this sounds like a ninth grader...I see her comments are coming from her heart. What would you have liked her to say...maybe use big words, better vocabulary? Have you ever lost a person close to you...obviously not. If you had, you would talk about it with feeling, if you cared that much about that person. I think it's sad to be you."
Oh. My. God. She must be a complete insensitive jackass who never lost anyone evar!!!
Get over it. That guy killed people, and you are obsessing over his shoddy plays, and a singular comment about them. But sorry, I guess any comments made to this must be made with FEELING :D :D :D
Alas... I troll this far, far, far too late for most of you to even read this.
Oh well.
His plays were garbage, and he was a completely psychotic murderous bastard.
Broken Xeno at 7:33AM on Jul 11th 2007
10334. you guys are all idiots you gotta think about both think about how the guy was treated and think about how the people who died, died they all didnt deserve that an niether did the shooter no body deserves that you kno people make mistakes and its our job to forgive its not that easy but we jus hav to From A 14yr old g
a gurl at 7:24AM on Nov 22nd 2007