The first case is damn sad.

The second one is just, ew.

 

I think the privacy laws should be better defined and harsher. Someone shouldn't be able to tape you in you own "home" without your knowledge and broadcast it without your consent.

 

The anonymity of the internet (at least the potential for it) can make enforcement difficult.

At any rate, both of these cases are sad.

 

In the long run, I don't believe that law changes would have much of an effect beyond helping build the perception that its not okay to bully someone b/c of their sexual orientation.

 

five years is harsh enough. keep things in perspective.

 

I'm more concerned with changing social perceptions, if there is a way.

Punishment for stuff like this might be a deterrent for some, but let's face it: how often has prison or the threat of capture actually stopped people from doing something? How about something along the lines of "harassment levels that lead to suicide" are worthy of some misdemeanor charge? Might be harsh, but let's be fair - you really shouldn't be harassing anybody, anywhere, for any reason.

Really, really sad. Nothing wrong with being homosexual. As soon as homophobic assh*les figure that out, we'll all be better off.

 

Schools still don't take bullying seriously....

I also read on Yahoo that some kids broke a kids arm because he was a male cheerleader and would keep at it unless he quit.

 

That's messed up on so many levels. Just horrible. Hope those kids get their asses handed to.

 

5 years is a hell of a long time. trust me, thats more than enough deterrence. lets not get psycho with locking up people for half their lives for this

 

I suggest therapy. A firm kick in the nuts at least 5 times a day and in between meals should suffice.

 

Psycho? We could "stone" them to death using only dominoes or scrabble tiles.

 

I think you both have points here.

5 years IS a long time for something like harassment and/or illegal taping/filming. The issue is you never see or hear of these sentences being handed out to people for committing those crimes, so the visibility of that deterrent isn't there.

Of course the flipside is 5 years of prison (which most likely turns into 2 years after "good behavior" and then parole) is nowhere near as much torture as the person who has to live with the embarassment or ridicule for their entire lives. especially if we're talking about footage shared on youtube.

 

:lol: now you're talking my language

 

I don't believe that prison terms are effective as a deterrent for a majority. If they were drug use would have decreased as terms increased.

I do agree that the bully should face more punishment. The theory would be akin to the "egg shell skull" rule. If I punch somebody with the amount of force that would cause most people little damage, but the somebody I hit happened to have a thin skull and the result is that I killed him than I'm liable for the damage I actually caused.

 

We're talking about America, not Mexico.





Oh wait. :lol:

 

The reason you could use most any example is because they rarely act as a deterrent. There have been many studies that have concluded this. I have never read a study that found laws to have any more than a small or marginal deterrent effect.

 

My nephew us a sophomore at RU and he says I would be disgusted with how many students on campus are actually defending this scum.

I wouldn't be surprise to find out this was mostly the guy doing this, she was probably just standing by while this assclown was checking out his roommate on her computer and putting it up for everyone to see.

One thing I have learned from women they do respect other peoples privacy, unless they are your mom or a jealous girlfriend.

 

As I understand this, the MIQ asked for usage of the dorm room.

Which one would think is not that out of place in a college dorm, the same thing was used as a gag in the first American Pie film iirc.

I do think the student who streamed the video showed bad judgment:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100930/ap_on_re_us/us_student_taped_sex

The young man leaping to his death is unspeakably sad though.

 

What they use is comparative crime rates from before and after terms have been increased. It basically has no effect. The primary reason seems to be that people who are committing most crimes are acting in the moment and aren't thinking far ahead. Basically, its rare for a car thief to think, "they just increased the penalty from 5 years to 10 years, so I will switch to another type of crime with lower penalties."

 

Its also happening at University of Michigan with an ex Alum going after the Student Body president claiming he has a gay agenda.

 

The thing is that it wasn't one study. Over the years there have probably been hundreds. I know I've personally seen dozens over the years. I've yet to even hear about one that found that laws have a deterrent effect. Not even one. I'm not saying we shouldn't have laws or anything crazy like that. I'm saying that for most crimes people aren't even considering what the potential penalty may be at the time of commission so the deterrent effect is very small.

 

Definitely sad circumstances. There really isn't much else to say about it. Bullying has been around forever and for different reasons. 25% of the moves in Hollywood have probably been about bullying whether in drama or comedic fashion.

How do we stop it though? Can it be stopped?

 

Takes a ton of initiative and courage on the part of the victim. People (around me) say you have to stand up to a bully or even smash his/her nose in; and sometimes they're right on the money. Not intending to perpetuate violence, but some kids just don't know what it's like until you (the "victim") are forced to show them yourself, even if it means being the aggressor for a change.

It's the Golden Rule.

The recommended route however, is to tell an administrator and the kid gets a figurative slap on the wrist. The psychology of aggression is still there, however suppressed. This is not to say most would-be bullies don't show an honest change in behavior through this method.

The phenomenon of bullying as a whole? No, it can't. I think it's our nature. Blame falls on our Reptilian Brain.

 

do you really think this kid committed suicide because of one act? this kid had far more serious problems then having himself taped. he was a suicide waiting to happen regardless. he hated himself for who he was and he decided to kill himself rather than face up to it. if it wasnt now it wouldve happened later.

 

true, it was the straw that broke the camels back..... probably a life time of rejection.i m sure its not the first time hes been harassed for who he is, and it was probably the harassment that followed the posting


its sad, that this kid felt there was no alternative

 

agreed. it was the straw that broke the camel's back. I also find it ironic and sad that he committed suicide after a video of him was released into the public. How many people saw it? 100? 1000? He commits suicide because he cant bare the shame supposedly. And what does the media do? Makes him a national headline where now instead of a 100 or a 1000 people knowing 100 million know about him. Common decency is dead in America. You would think if a single shred of compassion were alive in the media, they would have kept his name out of it and allowed him the anominity he desired

 

the media hasn't been about the news in over 30 years, its about sensationalism and profits. its too bad, because the news is just a reflection of our society.....

but the question remains, was the posting criminal, you can argue that his civil rights were violated, but something tells me its more than just the video posting that drove him to the edge

 

agreed. although i dont view it as a reflection of society but rather a manipulation of society. most people are decent but they wont spend money or time on good news. they will watch the accident so to speak. why is the question but i think its a kind of feel good medicine for people. no matter how bad my life is it could be worse so i'll be more drawn to the disasters and thank my lucky stars it isnt me

as to his motiviation, i agree, but i dont think we can ever really know. he took that knowledge to his grave

 

i tend to believe even thought most people are good people (except jets fans- :)), that voyeurism is alive and well in our society, and we have that must know a secret mentality, not that our intents are ill-willed. Put it this way, how many times have you heard about the neighbor always looking out the window, or that family member that tries to get into your business, or the family friend that snoops around your medicine cabinet

unfortunately, like i said, we americans have this problem of not knowing when to mind our own business

 

in new york everyone minds their business so maybe its a regional thing :lol: to the other extreme. people will walk by dead bodies on the street as if its nothing more than a empty bottle. i

 

i fixed it for you

:lol: