The other play by Cho Seung-Hui

Written by

AOL News has a great piece about Cho Seung-Hui as told by one of his former classmates and has links to the other “play” written by him.

First the ex-classmate and current AOL employee Ian MacFarlane.

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.”

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.”

Now on to the second play by Cho Seung-Hui called “Mr. Brownstone” about two underage kids hanging out in a casino complaining about one of their teachers. It’s not as innocent as it sounds and Cho seems to have some kind of fascination with shit.

I noticed that both of his plays involve teenagers as protagonists. I wonder if he just couldn’t leave his high school life behind.

Comments

31 responses to “The other play by Cho Seung-Hui”

April 17, 2007

jim

Mr Brownstone is a reference to heroin. Cant these stupid kids get anything right ?

Reply
April 18, 2007

D.P.

Uh, yeah. Hope someone is running a check on this guy’s childhood…he’s definitely got a (mc) beef about old guys ass raping kids. Shit.

Reply
April 18, 2007

Brianne

Isn’t that what they said? Or are you talking about different kids? The play says his name reminds them of the song by GnR which is about their [GnR] heroin addiction. I would take that to mean the same thing. Not being anal, just wondering if I’m taking your statement correctly 🙂

Reply
April 18, 2007

jim

you may be right, I missed the reference to GnR. I just saw a character named “Mr Brownstone” and decided that it was something to pick on. 😎

Reply
April 18, 2007

Victor

Boo hoo! Big deal! So what this idiot used to write some macabre shit!

This McFarlane and all the classmates were disturbed by maniac Cho’s plays? Big deal! So they are not appalled by “Silent Hill”, “Dawn of the Zombies”, “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, “The Hills Have Eyes”and all other slasher films. I bet they think that they are “cult” films. But they were worried about his plays! Give me a break!

The VT shootings were perpetrated by the deranged graphoman, but also it is the result of gun wielding American cowboy culture and MTV slasher gore movies!

Ban the guns and MTV.

Reply
April 18, 2007

jim

There is a difference between someone who writes macabre stories and a guy who has some twisted writing and scares the people who have been around him.

lets also not forget that this kid couldn’t write to save his life. His stories were dull, his dialog was awful and all his characters were instigating children and victimized adults. In hind site we can tell that this kid was not just writing stories, he was putting to text his actual feelings. His peers had every right to be afraid of him and it turns out… their fears were warranted.

Reply
April 18, 2007

Celeste

I read the plays and I agree that they were pretty disjointed and didn’t make much sense except for the teenagers feeling hatred for older men… but when you say his writing was shit, I think about the interview with his English teacher who said he was “very intelligent”. Maybe the plays weren’t his best work? I don’t know…I think that the plays were disturbing BECAUSE they didn’t make much sense other than the malice behind them.
I almost wish I could understand that kind of thought.. would you have to be insane to understand? It’s all so terrible… 🙁

Reply
April 19, 2007

Stalin’s Pupil

This CHO is my new hero. He’s as heroic as CHE. Even greater, because CHE didn’t kill so many amers with his own hands. I start translating these plays in Russian right now.

Reply
April 19, 2007

Kaltenbrunner (Austrian)

Cho Seung-Hui – is the Hero! That kid is good. Real Asian Fascist!

Reply
April 19, 2007

jim

but that is all they were… angry kids trying to get back at the adults. The one with them in the casino was pathetic and the dialog was awful. I had to go back a read it because I was bored the first time. He actually typed out (almost) the whole GnR song… no creativity what-so-ever. The one with the stepfather was just as bad as far as a story goes, and the dialog was the worst drivel I ever forced upon myself.

Reply
April 19, 2007

jim

Stalin’s Pupil and Kaltenbrunner are retards.

Reply
April 20, 2007

christopher

I feel for the victims and their families, and I also feel for Cho and his family. After reading his plays and seeing the material sent to NBC I can’t help but feel great sympathy for him. It is obvious he was very disturbed and it is sad that no one could reach him. I hate that he lived in such pain and torment. Everyone is putting him down but his life was just as important as those killed. I am a teacher myself and I hope that everyone will wake up and start noticing warning signs of troubled students so that we can prevent this from happening again.

Reply
April 20, 2007

Aoife

Cho ‘god rest his soul’ needed to loosen up, he needed to have a laugh, ecstacy would have sorted out his depression.
He also needed to stop trying to be white/capitalist/american/rich/competitive and instead socialise with accepting easy going, non judgmental but poor, black/mixed race/communist/oriental type people who would’ve not been so nasty to him, and with whom he could relax and have a good time.

Reply
April 20, 2007

penny

Cho’s plays were tongue in cheek comedies, they tackle serious subjects such as child abuse in a comical slapstick manner, he would have been a good comedic writer if he hadn’t lost it.

Reply
April 20, 2007

jim

you missed his videos, didn’t you ? he wasn’t mad at people for being mean to him. he was mad at people for being better than him.

Let me also inform you, in case you didn’t know (and your post seems to prove your ignorance), “poor, black/mixed race/communist/oriental type people” are just as bad as the “white /capitalist/American/rich/competitive”

Being a racist yourself, does not prove racism in others.

Oh and extacy does not help depression. it depletes serotonin in the brain and makes you more depressed when it wears off.

Reply
April 20, 2007

jim

except they weren’t funny, they weren’t intelligent and they didn’t actually tackle subjects like child abuse they dealt in harsh accusations and teenagers battling adults they don’t like.

in essence… they were stupid.

Reply
April 24, 2007

BlackMafia

Cho Seung-Hui is a national hero for calling attention to the plight of the downtrodden. Here’s just one example: early on in the coverage, the national media said that Cho’s parents owned their own dry-cleaning business. This wasn’t true. In actual fact, Cho’s father only WORKED in dry-cleaning for many years, never owned it.

I wonder why Cho hated rich kids?

Also, how many people will have to die before America decides that human life is more important than feeling good about yourself all the time and making more money? If not for Cho and people like him, we might never even talk about these things. He’s going to be a part of history now, like Eric and Dylan.

For a final challenge, please remember off the top of your head one victim’s name from Columbine (no fair looking this up!)

You can’t do it, can you?

Reply
April 24, 2007

Trench

Just off the top of my head, Rachel Scott, Richard Castaldo, Pat Ireland, Isaiah Sholes.

I wonder why Cho hated rich kids?

Simple. He wanted to be them but couldn’t since he was such an anti-social loser.

Reply
April 24, 2007

jim

Cho Seung-Hui is a national hero for calling attention to the plight of the downtrodden.

*is that were kids decide to be anti social and refuse to make friends with people and then blame the people they avoided for not being their bff ?*

Here’s just one example: early on in the coverage, the national media said that Cho’s parents owned their own dry-cleaning business. This wasn’t true. In actual fact, Cho’s father only WORKED in dry-cleaning for many years, never owned it.

*on 9/11 the media thought that there were almost 10 planes hijacked… sometimes they get their info wrong at first, thats what happens when humans tell the news.*

I wonder why Cho hated rich kids?

*same reason Boston Red Sox fans hate the Yankees… jealousy*

Also, how many people will have to die before America decides that human life is more important than feeling good about yourself all the time and making more money?

*that statement goes against your whole argument, stupid.*

If not for Cho and people like him, we might never even talk about these things.

*not true, normal people talk about their feelings and the ones who have a harder time coping with those feelings see a shrink… Cho was just a selfish cunt.*

He’s going to be a part of history now, like Eric and Dylan.

*true, but not as a person who made change, just as the murderous pussy that he was. There are thousands of ways he could have become famous and made a difference without murdering people. Now when you sorry little bitches are complaining about how the schools treat you like animals and dot trust you, thank Cho, Eric, Dylan, Jeff Weise and all the others who only managed to commit murder and become hated by all of America.*

For a final challenge, please remember off the top of your head one victim’s name from Columbine (no fair looking this up!)

*Rachel Joy Scott & Cassie Bernall(the girls I mentioned in another thread)*

You can’t do it, can you?

*whats your point faggot?*

Reply
April 25, 2007

BlackMafia

I made my point without calling names.

I find it’s important to enrage people who already tend to be volatile instead of trying to reason with them. That way, it’s sure to make them do something that everyone will regret. I know that you, Jim, totally agree with this as I can see by your tone.

Bullies name call and I’m not going to sink to that level. Please grow up and realize that angering people who are already disaffected will only increase the chance they will do something.

Most of America is going to forget about this in a few months anyway, or as soon as the presidential election heats up.

Despite the responses, I stand by what I originally posted and have nothing more to say.

Reply
April 25, 2007

jim

I made my point without calling names.

*The only point you made was proving that you are dead fucking wrong. The fact that you did so and avoided being confrontational only proves that you further think that if you TRY to sound intelligent, someone might believe you are at the very least believe that you believe the crap coming out of your mouth. I, for one, am not buying your phony attempt at a debate.*

I find it’s important to enrage people who already tend to be volatile instead of trying to reason with them. That way, it’s sure to make them do something that everyone will regret. I know that you, Jim, totally agree with this as I can see by your tone.

*you are right, but unlike you I don’t try to avoid reason by reasoning. I give you everything right up front instead of holding a phony argument and attempting to turn the anger of the people I argue with against them. It like flaming a person for typos and making excuses for your own.*

Bullies name call

*do they ?*

and I’m not going to sink to that level.

*how grown up of you*

Please grow up and realize that angering people who are already disaffected will only increase the chance they will do something.

*is that another of your half assed arguments with a half witted attempt at a threat ? *

Most of America is going to forget about this in a few months anyway, or as soon as the presidential election heats up.

*you really think so ? funny, because Columbine is still a fear in the hearts of kids who are trying to get an education in this country. Those fucks only killed 13 people. This asshole killed 32… this is not going to slip into the backdrop of America because people don’t know who they want to complain about for the next 4 years.*

Despite the responses, I stand by what I originally posted and have nothing more to say.

*of course you do and I stand by my response. I believe that you are not smart enough to debate with the adults. Go back to the kiddie table and eat your veggies. Maybe one day you can come here with an understanding of what is going on in the real world and contribute something to the discussion.*

Reply
December 7, 2007

Anonymous

Oh come on! Everybody likes violence. That’s why we’re over in Iraq, isn’t it? To kill us some A-rabs, YEEHAAWW!! That’s why we did Vietnam, amirite? To fuck up some “evildoers,” right?

Cho Seung Hui was merely emulating the time-honored European tradition of slaughtering large numbers of human beings. I mean, how do you think the West was won? Through diplomacy and rational discourse? FUCK NO! By slaughtering them Injuns, I tells you what! Hell, even back in the medieval ages, our forebears was slaughtering each other with more primitive implements, like swords and maces.

Cho Seung Hui IS the perfect model of what it means to be a descendant of a European culture. You’re not gonna let some foreigner be a better European than you, are’s ya? Ya better get out there and beat his record so the Europeans can reclaim the the title of best killers.

Reply
December 7, 2007

Trench

For someone who is posting from MIT you sure are stupid.

Reply
December 7, 2007

Anonymous

I guess I must have missed the rule that declared this comments section to be an IQ contest.

Reply
December 7, 2007

Jim

you sure did in all the examples you gave, none of them included a time where killing people in the private sector was ok. even the most primitive societies do not endorse random people killing random people.

I am not surprised at you though. the world has been loaded with wanna-be liberal douchebags who parrot hardcore liberal douchebags, all of which are either ignorant, full of shit or both.

“The government is out to get us, maaaaaaaan”
“cover your head with tin foil, maaaaaaaan”

Reply
December 8, 2007

Anonymous

Because it’s not murder unless the victim is in the “private sector”.

Reply
December 8, 2007

Jim

no, it is murder when a person in the private sector kills another in the private sector. War is not the same thing and you know it, you just want to confuse the two so you can continue your reasonless debate.

Reply
December 8, 2007

Anonymous

I disagree. There is no divine justification which elevates war above common murder. A war might be fought for what one side believes is a just cause, just like an individual murderer might kill for what HE believes is a just cause. The fact that more people believe the war is justified (or give it their implicit support by not voicing opposition) does not make it more just than the murder.

Reply
December 8, 2007

Jim

There is no divine justification which elevates war above common murder.

*you better re-read your bible*

The fact that more people believe the war is justified

I knew the truth would come out eventually. See you are not here to debate the difference between a kid shooting up his school and war, you are here to try and practice what you learned in your liberal bias chat rooms in a non conformed social setting. You want to be able to debate about “THE” war and you figured that since there is no threads about it right now, you would pick one that you could attempt a relation.

Well son, I am not going to feed you and change the topic. If you want learn to why seeing only one side of the argument is ignorant, find a forum that is made for the topic. In the meantime, you better study history a bit more because arguing about the here and now, without a clear historic vision, will only help prove your ignorance.

Reply
December 8, 2007

Anonymous

Fine, I’m open to your suggestion. Can you recommend any history books or topics that I should study that you believe will change my opinion?

Reply
December 8, 2007

Jim

(pssst … topic)

Reply