Star Wars Kid Cuts a Deal With His Tormentors

An anonymous reader writes "Ghyslain Raza, who gained instant online fame as the 'Star Wars Kid' settled this week with the families of the three classmates who posted his two minute Lucasfilm screen test on the Internet. No details were released but the suit sought damages of $351,000. A victory for the victims of cyber-bullying, or missed chance by thin-skinned Ghyslain to cash-in as the next William 'She Bangs' Hung?"

Comments

It doesn't sound so funny..

[EraseEraseMe]

When you hear what his life was like after the fact. I doubt some of the more mal-adjusted /.ers would have a different reaction to being harassed 24/7 for something you didn't really want anyone to see. Let's not forget he's a kid; a nerdy, overweight kid (Much like many of us were). It's hard to live with that kind of notoriety so soon in life.

For the record:
He had to drop out of school due to harassment.
He still gets approached by people on the streets about it.
His parents had to hire a private tutor for him.
He ended up on anti-depression medication.

It's not funny, don't laugh.

Re:It doesn't sound so funny..

[Elminst]

Obviously these families are fucked for life because of this incredible debt. Who has 100k to laying around?

Didn't read the whole article did ya...?

At the bottom you find-
Mr. Laflamme says in his examination that his father had savings of $500,000 from an inheritance.

So at least one of them will barely be affected.

Re:First I've Heard About This Kid

[TubeSteak]

Lazy /.ers are the worst

http://www.google.com/search?q=star+wars+kid
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_wars_kid

But don't go to hxtp://wvw.starwarskid.com/
It's a college diploma mill (very sketchy)

Re:Hindsight is 20/20

[thefirelane]

nit pick: Schadenfreude doesn't imply the joy is from learning from their mistakes, but taking joy in the fact that the mistake happened.

Re:His parents named him Ghyslain

[Pig Hogger]

He never really had a chance. Note to parents: Start with Bill or George or Steve when naming a son.

Ghyslain is a pretty common french name.

It's no worse than Nigel, Alastair, Douglas or Trevor...

Hang On a Second...

[canfirman]

A victory for the victims of cyber-bullying, or missed chance by thin-skinned Ghyslain to cash-in as the next William 'She Bangs' Hung?

If it was a case where the video was taken at face value, then I'd say he missed out on an opportunity. But remember what happened to this video: the kids who put it on the net edited the video to add flactulence when he moved and the words, "Boy - we're screwed". It was edited and put out there to be nothing but embarrasing. He was made fun of his size and his lack of agility for something that, according to the family, should have never gotten into the public domain.

I know that bullying will never stop, and "cyber-bullying" is still bullying using a different medium. However, I'm glad this was dealt with the way it was. When you're made fun of because of your weight/looks/personality, is shouldn't be tollerated at all.

Oh, and whoever says (as another /.er mentioned) that, "...if he's overweight, he should work out..." knows nothing about genetics or his lifestyle.

Re:Please clairfy

[nqz]

If you *really* had RTFA, you would have noticed this towards the bottom:

"No one would comment yesterday about the settlement, including whether it included monetary compensation."

In case you didn't laugh enough the first time -

[mlrtime]

Watch it again and laugh

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=star+wars+ki d

Re:Hindsight is 20/20

[TopShelf]

Wow, I didn't know David Spade posted here...

And by the way, before you get all puffed up, you've got your ratio backwards. 1 Canadian Dollar = 0.87 US Dollars.

Re:what, no url?

[tazochai]

oh wait... the one with the lightsaber effects!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=26B-Ia0Dvu0&search=star %20wars%20kid

Re:Obligatory informative Simpsons quote

[Kymermosst]

Lisa: It's a German term for `shameful joy', taking pleasure in the suffering of others.

Really, it means "damage joy" (Schaden = damage, Freude = joy). I get a little bit of it every time I see this episode, because they screwed it up on syndicated TV. The word 'Schadenfreude' doesn't really connote a judgment on the feeling itself.

And speaking of that, not too long ago at the U, I saw some poor business major (guessed - he was going into the business school) catch the strap of his bag on the handle of the door he had just pushed open. Full speed, he swung around when the strap tightened up, and went face-first into the other side of the door. I discovered at that moment that transparent glass doors have distinct advantages over opaque doors.

I had to suppress laughter for about three hours afterwards.

Ahh, sweet Schadenfreude.