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Oxford Student’s Tragic Death Sparks Inquiry into the Impact of Cancel Culture


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Posted

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An Oxford University student, Alexander Rogers, took his own life after facing a wave of social isolation and backlash following an allegation, an inquest at Oxford Coroner’s Court revealed. The 20-year-old’s body was discovered in the Thames in January, and his death has since raised questions about the impact of “cancel culture” on mental health within academic communities. At the inquest on Wednesday, Coroner Nicholas Graham concluded that the allegation and subsequent social exclusion led Rogers to decide to end his life.

 

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Days before his death, Rogers, a student at Corpus Christi College, faced an accusation from a former relationship partner, which led many of his friends and peers to sever ties with him. This sudden isolation left Rogers “distraught,” the court heard, as he faced ostracism from a community he had once been close to. According to Dr. Dominique Thompson, an independent consultant who examined the events surrounding his death, Rogers became a target of a “pile-on” effect among students who felt an “unwritten” obligation to “do the right thing.” She remarked on the severity of his isolation, stating, “It was shocking to hear that students were treating each other in this way, but I was not surprised by this pattern of behavior.”

 

The incident unfolded just as Rogers had been looking forward to returning to his studies after winter break. Instead, he became socially isolated, which had a devastating impact on his mental health. Rogers was reported missing by a concerned friend on January 15, and his body was recovered by police and fire crews later that day. The cause of death was determined to be a severe head injury.

 

The student’s family expressed their grief in a statement shared by the coroner, describing the profound toll the events took on their son’s mental state. They said, “For the student, the rational became the irrational, and he ended what could have been a beautiful life.”

 

Rogers’s friends remembered him as the “epitome of what is good in this world,” commemorating his life with a fundraising marathon for a suicide prevention charity. Coroner Graham extended his condolences to the family, noting, “Alexander was an extremely able and popular young man, and his passing is sad indeed.”

 

In response to Rogers’s death, a spokesperson for Oxford University and Corpus Christi College offered their sympathies to his family, emphasizing their commitment to student welfare. “The college commissioned an independent review to identify all learning in this case with the aim of minimizing the chance of such a tragic loss happening again. The wellbeing of our students remains our absolute priority, and we are committed to maintaining the safety of all those within our university and college community.”

 

The college added that Rogers was known for his “vibrant presence” across campus, noting his involvement in the Junior Common Room, the boat club, and his cohort in Materials Science. “Whilst the loss of any young life is tragic, we have felt Alexander’s death particularly keenly.”

 

Based on a report by Daily Telegraph 2024-11-09

 

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Posted

I assume the "personal relationship" mentioned was a homosexual one. That's not mentioned anywhere in the article that I could find. 

And, yes, "cancel culture" is alive and well everywhere, especially in my home country, the USA, and I'm sure that it will become even more of a problem now that Trump has been elected president again. 

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Posted
10 minutes ago, nauseus said:

 

This topic concerns the sad death of a young man. Nothing to do with Trump.

 

Why can't you just leave this poor kid alone? 

This topic, "cancel culture," certainly does have something to do with Trump and people like him who encourage such actions. 

This poor kid is dead. He killed himself because he was publically humiliated by his fellow students because, I think, he was accused of being gay. I'm sure nothing I post here will affect him, but I hope my posts will affect some others who read them.

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Posted
17 minutes ago, nauseus said:

 

Foolish and irresponsible comment. There are historical examples of ostracization of individuals in peer groups, everywhere.

 

This is a famous old British university and what goes on there will have roots far beyond Trump and has nothing to do with him.

I've never said Trump had something to do with this incident, but he has has a lot to do with similar incidents in the USA.

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Posted
1 hour ago, WDSmart said:

I've never said Trump had something to do with this incident, but he has has a lot to do with similar incidents in the USA.

 

Then go post on the similar incidents page.

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Posted
5 hours ago, WDSmart said:

I assume the "personal relationship" mentioned was a homosexual one. That's not mentioned anywhere in the article that I could find. 

And, yes, "cancel culture" is alive and well everywhere, especially in my home country, the USA, and I'm sure that it will become even more of a problem now that Trump has been elected president again. 

I doubt that anyone would be ostracised by Oxford students for just being homosexual. There must be something else but there is no news about it, just that his ex-partner related an "incident".

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Posted
7 minutes ago, candide said:

I doubt that anyone would be ostracised by Oxford students for just being homosexual. There must be something else but there is no news about it, just that his ex-partner related an "incident".

Yes, I was also surprised that this "cancel culture" happened at Oxford. The "incident" is not explained in detail, and that is why I opined it was a homosexual relationship. Cancel culture, at least in my home country, the USA, is notorious for targeting homosexuals and trans people.

Posted

It took a while to find details, but here is some more info

 

Alexander Rogers, 20, found himself frozen out by his friends after he had sex with a female friend who then told other male students at Corpus Christi College that she felt 'discomfort' about the encounter, the coroner heard.

 

Although the girl had no intention of reporting the incident formally, 'her disclosures led to a growing sense of animosity toward Alexander in his social circle,' the Coroner observed.


 

Posted

I'm sorry but a person's actions are not the fault of others. 

"Cancel Culture made him kill himself."  Bunk!

No - mental issues made him kill himself as well as an inability to shrug off what others thought about him and re-integrate into a different social network.  Lessons learned:  your social groups and social standing are not so important that its worth killing yourself, and if you think it is - get professional help. 

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Posted
17 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Yes, it is sad, but our youth these days seem extremely fragile

No kidding.  Thin-skinned and overly fragile. 

Posted
On 11/9/2024 at 7:18 AM, WDSmart said:

This topic, "cancel culture," certainly does have something to do with Trump and people like him who encourage such actions. 

This poor kid is dead. He killed himself because he was publically humiliated by his fellow students because, I think, he was accused of being gay. I'm sure nothing I post here will affect him, but I hope my posts will affect some others who read them.

I don't think in this day and age the students of an entire school would consider canceling someone for being gay as "doing the right thing!" It sounds way more like he did something to the other person that could be considered inappropriate and that's why they cancelled him. Either way, I'll never understand why he didn't just change schools instead of offing himself. 

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