Eugene Cho

weeks have now passed. perhaps, it’s become an afterthought for many. personally, a day hasn’t gone by without some thoughts of the virginia tech tragedy.  the tragedy exposed a great deal – it exposed what we all already know:  we live in a broken and fallen word.  it was never meant to be like this.  i say that not for it to be an easy exit or answer but to illuminate the deep nature of jesus’ redemptive live, death, and resurrection.  it also exposed the reality that “race matters” and that race is something the human collective will never fully understand, grasp, and elevate.

in addition, i was exposed.  one poorly written post attracted about 16,000 hits in a span of two days.  it wasn’t the kind of notoriety i was hoping for but this blog became one of the most visited wordpress blogs during that span.  local papers called [eventually had a chance to write a guest column for the seattle pi].  churchgoers called.  friends around the country emailed.  and like many, i found myself glued to the TV until i had to just pull the plug.  because of the high traffic through the blog, i received my share of some interesting emails – those that were thought provoking and those that were downright scary.  i sort of freaked out because of some of the emails which prompted me to go through the blog and delete all pics of the family and kids.

it also exposed my depravity.  this was a snapshot of the progression of some of my thoughts:

“wow, how could this have happened?  what a tragedy.  i must pray for these folks.”

“what?  they think an asian man did it?  that’s impossible.  asians don’t do stuff like that.  but just in case, i hope it’s not a korean person.” Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: asian-american, culture

With permission, I am posting an article submitted to a publication of Seattle Pacific University.  This thought provoking article is written by Dr. Bo Lim, Old Testament Professor at SPU.  He also attends Quest with his family and to prove how small the world has become, is a high school friend from Lowell High School in San Fran.  Feel free to share your thoughts here and Bo will respond directly to any dialogue.

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           Because race is probably among the topics which produce the most misunderstanding, allow me to provide some initial remarks. First, I want to acknowledge that I am not a victim of the VA Tech massacre. The community of Blacksburg is the victim.  Those who were shot or are the loved ones of such people, they are the victims. So focus should be placed on supporting this community during their tragic loss. But because of the speed of the media, questions are already being raised in regard to school security, gun control, and mental illness. Yet oddly the topic of Cho’s race seems to be largely unexplored. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: asian-american, culture

i am proud to introduce the first of a handful of lists i will share in the next 10 years entitled, “10 Best…”  I begin today by sharing a list inspired by a question someone asked in a community group i visited last night: ‘know any good korean films?’  well, i’m glad that you asked to see my 10 Best [Korean] films.  i make these recommendations not simply because i’m korean-american and have a healthy level of pride in korean art & culture but because anyone that knows anything about film can attest how the korean film industry is making some serious waves around the world.  each year, you will see an increasing number of films being entered into international film festivals (and some that have walked away with notable prizes such as oldboy in the 2004 cannes film festival).  with the emergence of asian film festivals in growing urban cities around the world,  you’ll be learning more and more about korean actors, actresses, directors, and films. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: asian-american, culture