Slashdot Mirror
Dharun Ravi Trial: Hate Crime Or Stupidity?
theodp writes "After a 17-month wait, 20-year-old Dharun Ravi went on trial Friday for using a remote webcam to spy on an encounter between his roommate and another man in their Rutgers dorm room. The roommate, Tyler Clementi, killed himself days later, jumping off the George Washington Bridge and igniting a national conversation on cyberbullying and gay teen suicide. Ravi is charged with multiple counts of bias intimidation as a hate crime, invasion of privacy and hindering apprehension; he faces up to 10 years in prison and deportation. Defense lawyers on Friday argued that Ravi's actions were the mark of an ignorant teenager, not a hateful homophobe. 'He may be stupid at times,' said Ravi's lawyer. 'He's an 18-year-old boy, but he's certainly not a criminal.' The New Yorker recently offered an in-depth look at the case and the questions it raises. BTW, this might be a good time for Microsoft to retire that Hallway commercial ('Jason gets stranded in the hallway when his roommate is 'tutoring' lady friends in their dorm room. Luckily, with Windows 7, his laptop can now work like an HD DVR. So Jason can entertain himself while waiting. And waiting. Aaand waiting some more.')."
The funny thing is, all crimes against another person are hate crimes. Putting a special label on them is stupid and obtuse. But you've got to make the hug and run liberal establishment feel better over it, feelings have to be considered and guilt reconciled. Instead of treating a terrible criminal act, as a terrible criminal act and applying a harsh penalty.
Om, nomnomnom...
I cannot dispute that this guy is a complete asshole and should certainly be punished in someway. Deported at a minimum. Not so sure about prison though. I have a hard time believing he envisioned the room mate killing himself. Either way, he gets to live with that.
For me, the real question is fundamental. Why, in the modern "free" world does being outed as a homosexual cause one to prefer suicide rather than live with the shame?
As a society, would it not be better to address such a fundamental social problem than to simply treat the symptoms?
because it would be cruel to put blame on the parents and educators of the teen who killed himself. apparently.
world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
I'm more influenzaphobe than I am homophobe. Actually, I'm not very phobic at all, just trying to put things in perspective here. I ain't scared of the flu, but I don't want to catch it. I ain't scared of homos, but I don't want them around me. Now, tell us about your phobias, alright?
"Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
While you are completely right, there are people who will hate you for saying that. And they will persecute (and maybe prosecute) you for thinking you have the freedom of speech to even say it. And their actions will not be called hate crimes.
I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.