Just reading the last few posts... I don't really think we should put them in jail. What constitutes bullying? Saying anything mean? No more free speech!
I'm sorry if none you guys felt the sarcasm in my post. I guess calling for their deaths really isn't that farfetched for some... =/ That's fucked up. I more or less agree with Austin ^
I was suicidal for such a long time, seeing these kinds of news stories is a sore subject for me. As someone who has been through the intense desire for death and come out whole on the other side, it is hard for me to read about people who couldn't last long enough to see that it really does get better. I don't think people who cause this should die for it. I think anyone who is rightfully convicted of bullying someone to death should have to stand on the side of a busy intersection for several weeks in their hometown and hold up a sign that says, "I am a killer." One thing that I think will help this situation more than anything else is getting gay youth out of the closet. If they can find each other, they can watch each other's backs. Whether that means protection through solidarity..or intimidation. Gay gangs FTW.
I agree that they should probably do something.... but, to me it seems unpredictable if someone will commit suicide or not. (The only thing I can think of comparing this to is, if you accidentally kill someone in a car crash it's considered man slaughter right?) But why should some get convicted just because the person wasn't as strong as others who committed suicide? But other bullies, who do the same thing, don't get convicted since the person didn't kill themselves. And how would you know? Everyone says mean things sometimes... what if the person kills themselves after for unrelated reasons? Also I would see this becoming a revenge method for those severely depressed enough and feeling powerless to get back at someone who has made their life (well, a very short period of their life) miserable.
My scenario would pretty much only apply to things like cyber-bullying or bullying which is backed by witness testimony, acts of malice that can be defined and quantified in a court of law. As far as other situations, education, support and prevention are pretty much the only things you can do. People probably won't start taking gay bullying seriously until bullied gay kids start fighting back, lethally or not.
I'm sorry if I offend anybody with this, maybe I'm making too much of a generalization here. When I viewed the video, I was left with the impression of a group of people who despite being supportive and well-intentioned, seem rather backwards and uneducated. I mean, the boy was gay and that was, "... his choice"? (coming from his parents.) Come on now! Even the grieving friends, who although their pain seemed heartfelt, didn't seem to be able to string words together very well. If what I saw was an indication of the average person in that community, there's a lot of work to do there. Are the words, "Small-minded," too harsh? Maybe I'm being a bit cruel. I don't know. I just get the feeling that even if you WERE to get the bullies (or anyone else) into a room and made an empassioned plea like that, it wouldn't have much of an impact. Maybe that's part of the reason why Tennessee is having so much difficulty enacting anti-bullying laws.
This is why I have no hope for the human race. It's rather horrid. *sigh* I seriously think people who bully need to go to jail. I mean, adults go to jail for getting into fights and stuff. Teenagers and adolescents are certainly old enough to know better than that.
I don't envy the lawmakers who have to write the anti-bullying laws. It might be very hard to write them in such a way that people don't take advantage, and innocent people aren't penalized for stupid things that are twisted to seem like bullying. It's really sad when you have to go so far as to legislate common sense.
