Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/59877
THIS WEEK WITH MARGARET by MARGARET DICKSON Nothing grabs and rivets my attention quite like a criminal trial steeped in human drama, and I simply cannot get a recent one out of my mind. It has the elements that wring the heart — impulsive and wanton youth, sex, betrayal and death — and leaves us speechless with the senselessness of the whole thing. The facts, which were not disputed by the defense, are these: On the evening of Sept. 19, 2010, Dharun Ravi, a freshman at Rutgers University in New Jersey, set up a webcam on a computer and viewed and taped his roommate, Tyler Clementi, kissing another man in the dorm room Ravi and Clementi shared. Ravi did the same thing two nights later, although the second session was not taped. On both occasions, he texted and tweeted other students to view the video of Clementi and his guest. On Sept. 22, 2010, Tyler Clementi, 18 years old and a gifted violinist, posted a fi nal update from his cell phone to Facebook which read, "Jumping off the GW Bridge, sorry." His body was recovered on Sept. 29 in the Hudson River, a few miles north of the George Washington Bridge. Ravi was charged with 15 criminal counts, including invasion of privacy, bias intimidation and tampering with evidence and witnesses for his attempts at erasing his incriminating texts and tweets. Another student was also charged in the case, but those charges were dropped when she agreed to testify at Ravi's trial. Ravi was convicted of all 15 counts earlier this month, and, at 20 years old, he faces up to 10 years in prison and possible deportation to India even though he has been a legal resident of the United States since he was a small child. The suicide of an 18-year-old with life spread open before him is an obvious and profoundly sad tragedy for those who love him, but this case raises questions for the rest of us as well. adulthood. Most of us, however, have little experience in or understanding of the viciousness technological advancements have brought to this base human behavior. Technology allows bullying to continue 24/7, giving no respite to its victims. There is no down time at home as bullying now wings in from sources known and unknown by cell phone and Internet, giving its victims nowhere to fi nd a moment's peace. Perhaps this is what Tyler Clementi and other young people who have made the choice he did saw ahead of them, and it is among the many reasons that as a member of the North Carolina General Assembly, I supported North Carolina's anti-bullying and anti-cyber bullying legislation. I see no way the law can ever keep up with the pace of technological change, which means that we must create a social sea of change. Just as treating women and children like chattel, just as working young children like adults, just as discrimination on the basis of race, gender, nationality and religion became socially unacceptable, so must bullying. Technology allows bullying to continue 24/7, giving no respite to its victims. There is no down time at home as bullying now wings in from sources known and unknown by cell phone and Internet, giving its victims nowhere to fi nd a moment's peace. Why do so many of us continue to believe that bullying is "just another part of growing up" for both the bullied and the bullies? How do we handle bullying that is no longer a playground phenomenon but one which technology can instantly and anonymously expand to countless others who may know neither the bully nor his victim? Can our legal system ever keep up with hate crimes perpetrated through technology? What are the implications of such technology in the hands of young people who are of legal age, but who clearly lack the maturity, empathy and judgment that develop over time? We have all seen bullying. Some of us, much to our shame, have participated in it, and some of us have been victims of it and may have carried its scars into Those of us who understand that bullying is not a natural step in growing up but rather cruel and unacceptable behavior must work to create a social stigma against those who engage in this behavior. Only then will the anti-bullying laws now on the books and those which will be enacted have meaning and impact. Finally, perhaps we remember our own youthful impulsiveness and maybe as parents we have learned that young adults loosely defi ned as those 18 to 25 are not thoroughly "baked" as we say in our household. While many young adults make responsible decisions and ease through the transition to maturity gracefully, others struggle with impulsive control and lack understanding of the permanent consequences of their actions. There is no automatic and obvious marker of adulthood. Joe Clementi, Tyler's grieving father, put it this way at the New Jersey courthouse following Ravi's conviction. Speaking to his son's generation, Clementi said, "You're going to meet a lot of people in your life. Some of these people you may not like. Just because you don't like them doesn't mean you have to work against them." Amen. Margaret Dickson, Columnist, Up & Coming Weekly. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly.com. Ytrvurvvbvuvurru vvyryrvx 484-6200 www.upandcomingweekly.com EASTER SUNDAY SPECIAL sta ting at $6.99 EASTER Easter Sunday Serving: 7 a.m. - 3 p.m..m. 6 UCW MARCH 28 - APRIL 3, 2012 starting at $6.9 g S DAY SPECIALS 99 Serving Fayetteville 484-0261 1304 Morganton Rd. vill Over 50 Years! 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