Galt's Gulch

Felony Charges for Being a Complete Loser/Jerk

Posted by CircuitGuy 11 years ago to Culture
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Two girls told Rebecca Sedwick "nobody" liked her and she should go "kill herself". She committed suicide, and one of the jerks is facing felony charges. Police criticized the parents for not policing their kids and taking away all modern communications, presumably allowing pencil and paper still, if they were jerks. They criticize the parents for defending their kids when they're charged with two felonies.

This is certainly not part of any gov't conspiracy. It is a bellweather that shows at least in this one community many people think being a total royal jerk and loser is a felony.

I often use the phrase "being a stupid [or a jerk] is not illegal" in situations when someone's being so daft it feels like men with guns ought to come make them stop for their own good and for everyone's goods. (It came up last week in connection to someone in my life who insists on ignoring doctors' advice.) That feeling is wrong, hence this expression and the old saying from the 80s "it's a free country".

We may have to retire the expressions. When I'm an old man maybe I'll say, "I can remember when being a jerk wasn't illegal b/c it was a free country."
SOURCE URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/16/us/felony-charges-for-2-girls-in-suicide-of-bullied-12-year-old-rebecca-sedwick.html

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  • Posted by khalling 11 years ago
    this is a tale as old as time. Parents need to be more involved in their children's social media habits. I don't know the facts, but the school bears some responsibility for not knowing what was going on on their campus. It is terrible when anybody commits suicide, but mean texts and tweets are not a weapon. I think the larger question here should be-why aren't our children being educated that although social media can be powerful-real, personal achievement with your own moral goals should be your focus-not a bunch of lippy, mean-spirited stupid-heads who likely will accomplish nothing of import in this world.
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    • Posted by ObjectiveAnalyst 11 years ago
      "mean-spirited stupid-heads" totally appropriate...
      I was brought up hearing "Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me." That said; with the advent of social media and the ability to harass and humiliate publicly world wide, I wonder how justice will be done. What was wrong, that this girl couldn't get some help? Who was supporting her? What other problems did she have, if any? There are many unanswered questions. Suicide is no solution… sad…
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  • Posted by $ Maphesdus 11 years ago
    Aggravated stalking actually sounds like an appropriate charge for this case. Being a jerk may not be a crime, but aggravated stalking certainly is. Though given that the two girls in question are minors (12 and 14), it's unlikely that this will have any serious impact the rest of the their lives. At most they'll probably have to do some community service or something, which is perfectly appropriate considering what they did.
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    • Posted by CircuitGuy 11 years ago
      I'm not knowledgeable what constitutes stalking. The first time you tell someone "nobody likes you", that's your right. They did it repeatedly. That still doesn't sound like a crime to me. I feel like someone could send me a snail mail letter daily saying they hate me, and it wouldn't be a crime. At what point does it become "aggravated stalking".
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      • Posted by $ Maphesdus 11 years ago
        The girls actions constituted more than just saying they hated her. They engaged in frequent bullying of her and anyone who tried to be her friend. They made her life a living hell, so much so that she ended up taking her own life. The girls deserve punishment.

        And yes, constantly sending threatening and harassing letters to someone is most certainly a crime.
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        • Posted by CircuitGuy 11 years ago
          What does the word bullying mean when you used it above? In the article, it doesn't mention specific threats. It does they want to "fight", but it's unclear that it's physical.

          In my hypothetical snail mail scenario, they're just saying they "hate" the person, not making threats.

          I used to think bullying was pushing someone around. Its meaning seems to have changed to include making rude comments. I honestly don't understand what bullying means anymore.
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          • Posted by $ Maphesdus 11 years ago
            Even if there are no threats in the letter, and it's just insults, that still qualifies as harassment, and is still illegal.

            http://www.ask.com/question/is-harassmen...
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            • Posted by CircuitGuy 11 years ago
              The link only refers to harassment at work that interferes with work, or harassment based on race, religion, national origin, etc. Maybe I don't understand what harassment is. It just sounds like it's being a jerk. I really don't like people being unkind, but making it illegal invites abuse.
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              • Posted by $ Maphesdus 11 years ago
                Uh, no, that link refers to harassment in general, not just harassment in the workplace.

                And don't you think that bullying a girl at school to the point that she commits suicide is abusive? Don't you think that sending hate mail to someone's private address is abusive? Come on...

                And just being a jerk to someone one time is NOT the same as continued, sustained abuse. I think that's the part you're really missing, here...
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                • Posted by CircuitGuy 11 years ago
                  There's a difference between whether I approve or accept bullying/abuse and whether I think it should be a felony. Giving the gov't power to jail people for being abusive by paper or electronic mail opens the door to the gov't abusing that power.

                  I just can't see giving the gov't authority to jail someone for repeatedly expressing negative opinions.
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        • Posted by Hiraghm 11 years ago
          Did they place death threats in her locker? Did she get her head slammed into the hard tile of the locker room? Between every class, every day, did she get to look forward to having every single passing upperclassman smack her on the back of the head with his turned-around class ring? Was her every comment analyzed by her fellows seeking any excuse to belittle and/or humiliate her?

          Kids are bullied every day. They either learn to stand up to the bullies or to live with being submissive... or to recognize that the opinions of others have nothing to do with who they are.

          They don't commit suicide unless there's something else bothering them.
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  • Posted by Hiraghm 11 years ago
    Something smells about the whole setup.
    The part where she started cutting herself was a clue to me that she had emotional problems that went beyond being bullied.
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