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

[Social Media]

 

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.

 

 

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

 

 

 

[WDSmart]

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. 

[Chomper Higgot]

RIP Alexander but a rather thin link to cancel culture.

 

People being ostracized for their behavior, alleged or confirmed, has a long history, it’s not ‘cancel culture’.

 

Again, RIP Alexander.

 

[nauseus]

1 hour 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. 

 

Trump! You just can't help yourself. Can you????

[WDSmart]

8 minutes ago, nauseus said:

 

Trump! You just can't help yourself. Can you????

I admit that Trump's election has had a very troubling effect on me. I am troubled mostly to find out that a majority of US voters would even think of voting for Trump. But after more reflection, I realize I have lived in Thailand for over 20 years, so I am not really aware of what conditions are like in the US now. I'm living comfortably here, so I cannot fully appreciate how anyone could even consider voting for someone like Trump.

Anyway, we'll all find out just what a second presidency with Trump will be like soon. He'll be sworn in at the end of January, and he's promised to start implementing his policies on day one. I think by the end of February, we'll begin to know better just how things are going to go over the next four years.


 

[nauseus]

Just now, WDSmart said:

I admit that Trump's election has had a very troubling effect on me. I am troubled mostly to find out that a majority of US voters would even think of voting for Trump. But after more reflection, I realize I have lived in Thailand for over 20 years, so I am not really aware of what conditions are like in the US now. I'm living comfortably here, so I cannot fully appreciate how anyone could even consider voting for someone like Trump.

Anyway, we'll all find out just what a second presidency with Trump will be like soon. He'll be sworn in at the end of January, and he's promised to start implementing his policies on day one. I think by the end of February, we'll begin to know better just how things are going to go over the next four years.


 

 

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? 

[WDSmart]

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.

[Nick Carter icp]

Give it a rest about Trump and show some respect.

Behave yourselves .

[nauseus]

1 hour ago, 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.

 

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.

[Donga]

1 hour ago, WDSmart said:

I admit that Trump's election has had a very troubling effect on me. I am troubled mostly to find out that a majority of US voters would even think of voting for Trump. But after more reflection, I realize I have lived in Thailand for over 20 years, so I am not really aware of what conditions are like in the US now. I'm living comfortably here, so I cannot fully appreciate how anyone could even consider voting for someone like Trump.

Anyway, we'll all find out just what a second presidency with Trump will be like soon. He'll be sworn in at the end of January, and he's promised to start implementing his policies on day one. I think by the end of February, we'll begin to know better just how things are going to go over the next four years.


 

Think you need to consider the Left went too far, which Trump could see along with the impact on the economy and workers' lives.

People who really care about the tenets of the left should look closely as to why the Democrats now represent the urban professional class - lawyers, professors, activists, public servants and care about "progressive" issues more than the economic realities, with their righteous posture, e.g. DEI and associated tokenism, environmental extremism, anti-west sentiments etc.

Tend to find cancel culture more pronounced when trying to discuss issues with people who are stuck in their "left" mindset - they often can't articulate, is something they glean from various headlines and protest movements. No matter what their education, and as an old Leftie, I find them increasingly shallow, devoid of contextual history (e.g. western colonialism & slavery, where the West were late in the  trade and the first to ban it) but above all seem to think they hold some moral or intellectual high ground.

The Republicans now stand for the workers and Trump was able to achieve that despite being hounded and villified by most mainstream media. He's turned into a hero despite his obvious character shortcomings, which media highlight ad nauseam.

[WDSmart]

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.

[WDSmart]

5 minutes ago, Donga said:

Think you need to consider the Left went too far, which Trump could see along with the impact on the economy and workers' lives.

People who really care about the tenets of the left should look closely as to why the Democrats now represent the urban professional class - lawyers, professors, activists, public servants and care about "progressive" issues more than the economic realities, with their righteous posture, e.g. DEI and associated tokenism, environmental extremism, anti-west sentiments etc.

Tend to find cancel culture more pronounced when trying to discuss issues with people who are stuck in their "left" mindset - they often can't articulate, is something they glean from various headlines and protest movements. No matter what their education, and as an old Leftie, I find them increasingly shallow, devoid of contextual history (e.g. western colonialism & slavery, where the West were late in the  trade and the first to ban it) but above all seem to think they hold some moral or intellectual high ground.

The Republicans now stand for the workers and Trump was able to achieve that despite being hounded and villified by most mainstream media. He's turned into a hero despite his obvious character shortcomings, which media highlight ad nauseam.

I agree with most of what you say above, but that will not change my position. The Democrats may have leaned too far left for the majority of the voters this time, but not too far left for me. In fact, they are not far enough. I am a dedicated socialist and very supportive of what you refer to as DEI, tokenism, environmental extremism (I wrote a book on this topic, The Icarus Syndrome), and one you didn't mention, the rejection and demeaning of asylum-seeking immigrants.

[nauseus]

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.

[RichardColeman]

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

[candide]

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".

[WDSmart]

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.

[candide]

1 hour ago, WDSmart said:

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.

I think it's the same in U.S. Universities. It's usually not University students who target homosexuals and trans, It's other people (as you know).

[Freddy42OZ]

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.

 

[connda]

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. 

[connda]

17 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

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

No kidding.  Thin-skinned and overly fragile. 

[Woke to Sounds of Horking]

22 hours ago, WDSmart said:

and I'm sure that it will become even more of a problem now that Trump has been elected president again. 

What on earth are you smoking, brother? The extreme woke leftist commies created cancel culture. Wake up!

 

[billd766]

22 hours ago, nauseus said:

 

Trump! You just can't help yourself. Can you????

And neither can you.

[pacovl46]

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.