The body of an 18-year-old college student was found floating in the Hudson River on September 22. Authorities are ruling the death a suicide. Rutgers University freshman Tyler Clementi jumped from the George Washington bridge days after his roommate and a classmate secretly taped and broadcast him having a sexual encounter with another man over the internet.The young man's suicide is the latest tragedy in an epidemic of cyber bullying on school campuses. Those who knew Mr. Clementi said he was an accomplished violinist and shy person.
The tragic news comes just days after Rutgers launched a campus-wide to teach the importance of civility, especially when it comes to the internet. Sure, school nationwide should be doing more to combat bullying. Still, the burden of teaching our young people respect for their fellow classmate and other individuals is at home and in the media. The cost of free speech and mediums such as the internet, which lets any voice travel thousands of miles and back again, is the prevalence of hate speech that reinforces inappropriate behavior. Our youth are impressionable and today those impressions have no filters. I'm not an advocate for censorship, but I am a fan of personal responsibility that starts at home and is reinforced in school and the environment.
Tyler Clementi's roommate, Dharun Ravi, 18, and classmate, Molly Wei, 18, should know better, regardless of any school program.
Take a look:
How To Help a Suicidal Friend
How To Break Free of Post Coming Out Depression
Coping With Feelings Of Loneliness
Comments
No comments yet. Leave a Comment