Tyler Clementi Hate Verdict, What Do You Think?

[Ulysses G.]

Dharun Ravi was convicted of a hate crime and could be sentenced to ten years in prison and deportation,but had no serious history of targeting or hating gays that I have heard of. Personally, I think what he did was wrong, but that he does not deserve this conviction or to serve time or be deported. It was just a stupid, juvenile prank that went very wrong.

http://www.thedailyb...menti-died.html

Edited March 17, 2012 by Ulysses G.

[Jingthing]

Good topic, UG, but it is a DUPE of the same topic started today. Scary that we both started the same topic and basically agree about it!

http://www.thaivisa....ase-conviction/

Edited March 17, 2012 by Jingthing

[Ulysses G.]

Sorry. I did not get the reference to the university and was interested in other people's reaction to this story. The mods can delete this thread if they like.

[Suradit69]

Sorry. I did not get the reference to the university and was interested in other people's reaction to this story. The mods can delete this thread if they like.

it’s been abundantly clear that Ravi’s homophobia is of the casual, locker-room variety. Yes, it’s there, but it’s also everywhere.

The fact that it's everywhere, that it can be relentless from the perspective of the person being verbally bullied, and that it does drive some people to commit suicide means that the consequences may be devastating. Placing the blame on an individual or on a single comment is like blaming the collapse of the proverbial camel on the last bit of straw placed on his back.

On the other hand, describing the verbal bullying as "casual" and dismissing it because it's "everywhere" is absurd. The person who wrote that provides all the Ravis with an excuse and empowers them because they can rationalize that everyone does it.

10 years in prison and deportation sounds excessive. Had the other student reacted by dropping out of college or transferring colleges or changing dorms instead of committing suicide, what Ravi did would probably have gone unnoticed. People like Rick Santorum make hate seem acceptable and they probably encourage even worse behavior by making it seem legitimate. Attributing suicides to him might be a stretch even if he is a hate facilitator.

Deciding on an appropriate punishment for Ravi is pointless. The media reports may or may not present all the important information and to assume that we can reach a better decision than the courts implies that justice is better dispensed from an ill-informed message board.

Maybe a few more donations to the It Gets Better Project would be more meaningful in the long run.

[Ijustwannateach]

There is a certain value in making an example of someone. That's certainly apparently what Ravi intended to do with his roommate, and in that sense this verdict is POETIC justice. There's no way there could be a happy ending to this, but perhaps if he got a suspended sentence and was made to do community service- perhaps at gay-related community centers, or for some kind of anti-bullying projects- for the next ten years- that would be appropriate and not overly punitive. But if it sends out the message that bullying is taken seriously, particularly when there is an element of outing someone and potentially changing all of his family relationships, for example- that's not such a bad message to send. And the deportation issue perhaps lets citizens of other countries know that we are serious about protecting our gay citizens and they should know that when they go stay there.

Considering that it's unlikely that most of the sentence will be served, I don't consider it so harsh. He was responsible for an event leading to a death; in a sense, a hate crime resulting in a manslaughter. Not his intention, but that's what manslaughter means.

[metisdead]

As noted by JT, topic already running.

CLOSED