Editor,
Beyond Provost Reed Dasenbrock's warning in Thursday's Daily Lobo about a possible "chilling effect" on creative writing, I beg our mourning UNM community to consider that creative writing is often one of very few outlets available to Asian immigrants such as gunman Cho Seung-Hui. Asian culture sees nonabusive venting of feelings - especially among males - as a sign of weakness. It also unduly stigmatizes psychotherapy.
Add to this the cultural and religious misunderstanding faced by Asians on campus. For example, Seung-Hui is reported to have refused to say his name in one class. This may not have been an expression of a sullen loner, but weariness with others possibly mispronouncing his name, maybe even snickering at it from careless arrogance. Witness also the stereotypical references to him as "stoic" and "expressionless" from others on campus. This serves only to alienate his kind further, especially the pejorative, shut-out term "misfit."
By muzzling even art therapy, young students of his type could become like pressure cookers where the valve has been jammed. In looking to prevent further tragedies, a more behaviorist approach is called for, not this excessively existentialist media obsession with the gunman's narcissistic documentation of his daydreams.
Arun Ahuja
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UNM student
