And here comes the inevitable "it's all the media's fault": Among the many disturbing images included in the "manifesto" Cho Seung-Hui sent to NBC is a photo of the Virginia Tech killer wielding a hammer in a manner somewhat similar to a scene from Oldboy, the ultraviolent revenge film from South Korean director Chan-woo Park. Or so says VT professor Paul Harris, whose hypothesis was soon picked up by the London's Evening Standard and repeated all around the world, with some commenters in online forums going so far as to say Cho's entire massacre was based on the film.
Of course, this method of tackling pop culture straw men is inevitable when it comes to notorious killers. (Perhaps you recall the way Marilyn Manson was frequently mentioned in the same breath as Columbine killers Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold?) All of which begs the question: When are Collective Soul—authors of Cho's favorite song "Shine"—going to step forward and accept some responsibility?