Politics, open government, and safe streets. And the constant incursion of cycling.

An Issue of Fundamental Decency

Ellen talks about our duty to make this world a safer place for teens like Tyler Clementi:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Br7nbQSIyhg[/youtube]

(If it doesn’t play, click through)

It wouldn’t really take much to change things.  A little understanding goes a long way.

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3 Comments

  1. This is a red herring.

    We need to find out what is behind the recent hysteria over so-called, “bullying.” It certainly is not an, “epidemic” nor will handing over more of our civil liberties, or the establishment of speech codes, going to keep suicidal people from killing themselves.

    Teen suicides, like all suicides, are difficult matters, but their cause remains elusive. Factors such as role models, home values, drug use, and perhaps even genetic factors can play a role.

    What should be asked is why all of the push in the media over this supposed bullying issue? I think that what is afoot is a maneuver to create a banned word list and to formally restrict open criticism of minority groups.

    America does not need protected classes of citizens. We need to have equal treatment under the law.

    We already have too many laws in place that try to govern our behavior, but there are certainly enough statutory and case law to provide remedy for any real assault, including verbal assault that may occur.

  2. tx2vadem

    JTB,

    In the four cases that have been in the media, they have all had to do with someone being bullied for being gay or being bullied using gay epithets. Suicides can be triggered by traumatic events. And in each of these reported cases, we have seen this. Given that, I fail to see how this is a red herring.

    I’m also not really understanding what you are getting at in your reply. Are you saying that people have no liability for creating such mental distress that it causes grave harm to an individual up to and including suicide? Are you saying that the individuals who bullied these teens have no responsibility for what occurred?

    What is wrong with applying the same societal pressure that prevents most people from using racial epithets in polite society here? Do you find yourself regularly using gay epithets in public and wish to not be shamed for this?

  3. I don’t generally respond to idiotic posts by people hiding behind fake names, but since you don’t get it, perhaps others don’t see the potential underlying issue in play.

    First, there has not been a statistically significant increase in teen suicides. The last data that I read, earlier this year, indicated that suicides in general, were down.

    So, we should examine why the sudden hysteria, and why so many of the usual media talking heads are using the same talking points?

    We already have very strong laws concerning assault, and we also have significant amounts of case law (see Fighting Words) that provides guidance regarding actionable threats, as compared to protected freedoms of expression.

    Perhaps you don’t understand the term, Red Herring. The term is used to describe a false issue that is raised in order to advance some unspoken issue, or to substitute for the real issue.

    The real issue is that there are some who want to create additional protected classes of citizens. They are not interested in “equal justice under the law” but are trying to create special protected status for a few segments of society, so that it shall constitute a crime to criticize or even question the actions or behaviors of the protected classes.

    This is unconstitutional, but that has never stopped such groups in the past.

    The reality is that anyone in today’s society who is threatened, or physically abused has legal remedies already in place.

    Those remedies apply to all citizens, and there is no legitimate reason to extend special protected status to any segment of our population, since to do so, violates the equal protection clause.

    If one feels that the current legal protections are insufficient, one can always take a training course and apply for a Concealed Carry Permit, or just move to a more civilized part of the country.

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