"Star Wars Kid" settles out of court [Archive]

nbs2

Apr 8, 2006, 11:15 AM

So he left this tape out for anyone to get their hands on?
When your intent is to cause emotional or psychological harm, especially with material that belongs to the victim and has not been truly abandoned, you are setting yourself up for a lawsuit. With the common law background of the anglo nations and the more liberal tendencies of the Canadians, I'd imagine that their intentional infliction of emotional distress has a much lower standard than the American. Add in that they used his material to do so - you are just asking to get nailed.

Was it stupid to leave it out there? Yes. But, it was much dumber to digitize and then post it on the internet. As the reach of bullying is extended, the punishment is going to get harsher. If you don't nip this early, you create a lot of angry kids with angry futures...

mrzeve

Apr 8, 2006, 11:25 AM

For those who havent seen it,

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/starwarskidv.html

kretzy

Apr 8, 2006, 11:32 AM

Aw, I feel sorry for him. It's not fair for him to get bullied just because he wants to be a Jedi (or Sith, depending on whether he falls to the dark side) when he grows up. Plus he gots da moves!

mcarnes

Apr 8, 2006, 11:36 AM

More versions here:

http://www.screamingpickle.com/humor/legends/StarWarsKid/

If you Google it, there are actually some serious movie reviews about it!

CorvusCamenarum

Apr 8, 2006, 11:46 AM

When your intent is to cause emotional or psychological harm, especially with material that belongs to the victim and has not been truly abandoned, you are setting yourself up for a lawsuit.
Do you really think it would have made any difference had they found the tape in the garbage? I don't.

With the common law background of the anglo nations and the more liberal tendencies of the Canadians, I'd imagine that their intentional infliction of emotional distress has a much lower standard than the American. Add in that they used his material to do so - you are just asking to get nailed.
Agreed, but on the flip side, when you do things like making dorky tapes of yourself and leave them lying about, you're inviting ridicule on yourself. If he was so concerned he should have taken the tape home or erased it.

Was it stupid to leave it out there? Yes. But, it was much dumber to digitize and then post it on the internet. As the reach of bullying is extended, the punishment is going to get harsher. If you don't nip this early, you create a lot of angry kids with angry futures...
Children tease. It's a fact of growing up, and no amount of liberal everyone's-a-winner-ism is going to change that. The whole matter probably would have died out on its own if this kid didn't have to draw so much extra attention to himself.

For the record, I was one of the overweight, outsider kids who got teased a lot. But I learned to let it go, and that eventually no one would care about the nickname or whatever the tease of the moment happened to be. I didn't go shoot up any schools or sue anyone over it either.

madoka

Apr 8, 2006, 11:55 AM

Any way you look at it, I'm kind of proud of this kid. He was getting screwed with, and rather than just taking it, he struck back hard. Anybody who has a problem with lawsuit has two other options that I can think of - 1) the kid suffers through it, but I can think of no justification why or 2) he shoots the school up, to make the tormentors stop. I think the lawsuit keeps looking better and better. I hope he destroyed those kids lives as much as they destroyed his.

3. He plays along and becomes a net celebrity. Instead, he's a jerk for filing the lawsuit.

Seriously when this first appeared, people were taking up collections to give him stuff. I remember one website got up to $10,000 in donations that were to be used to get him ipods, star wars stuff, cash, etc. Instead, he and his parents acts like a weiner and files a frivious lawsuit. All of a sudden, no one empathizes with him.

And no, it wasn't intentional infliction, at best negligent and good luck trying to prove that in court. All the lawsuit did was cause the parents of each of the families to shell out attorney fees.

nbs2

Apr 8, 2006, 11:59 AM

Do you really think it would have made any difference had they found the tape in the garbage? I don't.
Yes. The difference is not the actual case, but damages. If they found it in the garbage, I think SWK would have had a harder time collecting much. It just made the situation a bit worse.

when you do things like making dorky tapes of yourself and leave them lying about, you're inviting ridicule on yourself. If he was so concerned he should have taken the tape home or erased it.
I agree with you. But, the fact that he didn't doesn't change anything. They did wrong. His mistake doesn't justify their actions.

Children tease. It's a fact of growing up, and no amount of liberal everyone's-a-winner-ism is going to change that. The whole matter probably would have died out on its own if this kid didn't have to draw so much extra attention to himself.

For the record, I was one of the overweight, outsider kids who got teased a lot. But I learned to let it go, and that eventually no one would care about the nickname or whatever the tease of the moment happened to be. I didn't go shoot up any schools or sue anyone over it either.
The problem is I don't see how he tried to draw extra attention to himself. From what it sounds like, the blog interview was an attempt to do that - play it down so it would die down. But it didn't.

The difference between your situation and that of this kid is about 100 million people. If those hits to the blogs were unique, there are over 70m from just those two sites. I'm sure there are at least 30m more. Anyway, he may have been able to let it slide in school, but when people everywhere think they have a funny new comment - that's another level. Do I support lawsuits for fat kids when classmates make fun of them? No. But this is something else - by posting it on the internet, it is much more vile.

OutThere

Apr 8, 2006, 12:08 PM

Without seeing the video myself, it seems like the article says that he's chubby... And these days, anyone even a bit overweight gets a lot of heat...

Obviously not enough, otherwise 31% of the country wouldn't be obese...and another 30% overweight. :rolleyes:

No offense meant to people who are overweight, but in the majority of cases, losing weight (or not getting there in the first place), isn't rocket science...

nbs2

Apr 8, 2006, 12:08 PM

3. He plays along and becomes a net celebrity. Instead, he's a jerk for filing the lawsuit.

Seriously when this first appeared, people were taking up collections to give him stuff. I remember one website got up to $10,000 in donations that were to be used to get him ipods, star wars stuff, cash, etc. Instead, he and his parents acts like a weiner and files a frivious lawsuit. All of a sudden, no one empathizes with him.

And no, it wasn't intentional infliction, at best negligent and good luck trying to prove that in court. All the lawsuit did was cause the parents of each of the families to shell out attorney fees.
I hadn't though of that option (I really have no idea what this kid is all about - just what I read about the case. But, if that's right, then he he really could have come out ahead with embracing his celebrity. So, taking your facts as correct - you're right and I was wrong. (how often do you hear that on MR :))

As for being intentional infliction - I think you could make the argument that it was posted in order to humiliate and not to promote his celebrity cause. The kid's comment to the principal about how things weren't supposed to get this out of hand leans more towards malice than promotion. While I don't know the IIED standard in Canada, I imagine that in the US he would struggle but I think he would be able to push some of what he ended up doing as physical manifestation of emotional distress. A more liberal friendly Canada, I'm guessing, would have a lower standard - or at least the argument would be easier to make.

zap2

Apr 8, 2006, 12:11 PM

i think 351,000 is a little over board for being made fun of. Not to say i don't feel for him but if everyone got 351,000 when they got made fun of everyone would be rich!!

nbs2

Apr 8, 2006, 12:22 PM

i think 351,000 is a little over board for being made fun of. Not to say i don't feel for him but if everyone got 351,000 when they got made fun of everyone would be rich!!
Again, not knowing Canadian justice, you always aim high (but not too high). You never know what the case will bring out ("I wanted SWK to kill himself") and in settling, negotiations are going to go better for you if you ask for more than if you ask for less. But, always be careful not to ask for too much...

thedude110

Apr 8, 2006, 03:08 PM

Children tease. It's a fact of growing up, and no amount of liberal everyone's-a-winner-ism is going to change that. The whole matter probably would have died out on its own if this kid didn't have to draw so much extra attention to himself.

There are degrees of teasing. Is hazing teasing? What about hazing that leaves kids dead? Is that teasing? No one is dead here. Fine. But let's not pretend that what happened to this kid did not equate to signficant suffering.

If the teasing was limited to the school, consequences would be easy to mete out. But when the teasing moves itself to the public realm, he seems within his rights to seek jurisprudence.

I think an equally interesting question is: What was the motivation for the kids who released/published the tape? How much attention did they need, and what was missing in their lives that they needed to act as such toward the "fat geek"?

We're all beautifully and horribly vulnerable, and we're all working awfully hard to pretend we're not ...

CorvusCamenarum

Apr 8, 2006, 05:16 PM

There are degrees of teasing. Is hazing teasing? What about hazing that leaves kids dead? Is that teasing? No one is dead here. Fine. But let's not pretend that what happened to this kid did not equate to signficant suffering.
He was being teased, not bullied. When it becomes physical, then it is bullying, and that's a different can of worms.

If the teasing was limited to the school, consequences would be easy to mete out. But when the teasing moves itself to the public realm, he seems within his rights to seek jurisprudence.
I suppose you'll next say that William Hung has the right to sue everyone who made fun of him if he claims it hurt his feelings and made him go to therapy. The point is this kid made a tape of himself acting like a goofball and didn't think enough to protect himself from the obvious result if anyone saw it.

I think an equally interesting question is: What was the motivation for the kids who released/published the tape? How much attention did they need, and what was missing in their lives that they needed to act as such toward the "fat geek"?
They're children. Teenagers, but still children. Who says they need motivation?

We're all beautifully and horribly vulnerable, and we're all working awfully hard to pretend we're not ...
We're also apparently raising a generation of victimized tattlers who keep climbing Mt. Molehill.

maxterpiece

Apr 8, 2006, 05:35 PM

I mean he's clearly goofing around. And none of the spoofs are too abusive. I think in a few years he'll look back at the whole event and think it's funny.

CanadaRAM

Apr 8, 2006, 05:42 PM

I suppose you'll next say that William Hung has the right to sue everyone who made fun of him if he claims it hurt his feelings and made him go to therapy. The point is this kid made a tape of himself acting like a goofball and didn't think enough to protect himself from the obvious result if anyone saw it.
No, you are quite wrong on the salient point -- William Hung consented to his performance being publicized.

Consent is the first test here. Clearly the plaintiff never consented to publication, and the defendants broke several laws in misappropriating, copying and then publishing the material.

That is completely aside from whether the result was embarrassing or caused injury (emotional or economic) to the plaintiff.

CorvusCamenarum

Apr 8, 2006, 07:04 PM

No, you are quite wrong on the salient point -- William Hung consented to his performance being publicized.

Consent is the first test here. Clearly the plaintiff never consented to publication, and the defendants broke several laws in misappropriating, copying and then publishing the material.
I'll concede, but I still maintain there is a parallel.

Under questioning, Mr. Laflamme and Mr. Rheault conceded their role in spreading a video that Mr. Raza, then 15, had made of himself and left on a shelf in the school TV studio.

Mr. Laflamme said he discovered the tape in April of 2003, when he took school equipment to film a varsity football game.
This makes it sound as though it was never the kid's tape in the first place. If, as the article implies, the camera & tape were school property, then common sense would dictate he had no expectation of privacy. The malefactors didn't film him unknowingly, break into his house, or mug him, they came upon the tape by happenstance.

That is completely aside from whether the result was embarrassing or caused injury (emotional or economic) to the plaintiff. Also agreed, but I fail to see how being embarassed is grounds for a lawsuit.

jessica.

Apr 8, 2006, 07:50 PM

Well good for him. I am proud that he won.

pseudobrit

Apr 8, 2006, 07:51 PM

The real world is going to totally wreck this kid. I predict suicide.

devilot

Apr 8, 2006, 08:07 PM

The real world is going to totally wreck this kid. I predict suicide.But I don't think that's really fair to say-- none of us have had the exact, unique experiences that he has had.

LethalWolfe

Apr 8, 2006, 08:39 PM

No, you are quite wrong on the salient point -- William Hung consented to his performance being publicized.

Consent is the first test here. Clearly the plaintiff never consented to publication, and the defendants broke several laws in misappropriating, copying and then publishing the material.

That is completely aside from whether the result was embarrassing or caused injury (emotional or economic) to the plaintiff.

The plaintiff used school equipment on school property to knowingly record himself goofing around. He then left the school's tape in the school's camera where it would obviously be found and viewed by someone else at the school. Expectation of privacy is where...? No one stole his camera w/happened to have the tape w/the footage on it. No one secretly taped him. He knowing taped himself and knowing left the tape where it would inevitably be discovered.

If I use the office copy machine to photocopy my butt, and I leave a copy of my photocopied butt in the machine, and said copy of my butt ends up all over the office (or on the internet) it's not my fault, but someone else's?

I agree that the nice thing to do would have been to erase the tape, but I disagree that the classmates should be held legally accountable. Not being nice shouldn't be a criminal act, IMO.

Lethal

MacsomJRR

Apr 9, 2006, 12:16 AM

Didn't he have some sort of role in Episode III or was that a joke too?

MacsomJRR

Apr 9, 2006, 12:17 AM

The plaintiff used school equipment on school property to knowingly record himself goofing around. He then left the school's tape in the school's camera where it would obviously be found and viewed by someone else at the school. Expectation of privacy is where...? No one stole his camera w/happened to have the tape w/the footage on it. No one secretly taped him. He knowing taped himself and knowing left the tape where it would inevitably be discovered.

If I use the office copy machine to photocopy my butt, and I leave a copy of my photocopied butt in the machine, and said copy of my butt ends up all over the office (or on the internet) it's not my fault, but someone else's?

I agree that the nice thing to do would have been to erase the tape, but I disagree that the classmates should be held legally accountable. Not being nice shouldn't be a criminal act, IMO.

Lethal

Amen brother Lethal

OutThere

Apr 9, 2006, 12:38 AM

We're also apparently raising a generation of victimized tattlers who keep climbing Mt. Molehill.

This is too true...

The thousands of frivolous lawsuits and idiocy are making it seem, at least to kids, like any time you're bothered, embarrassed, scared or hurt, it's someone else's fault, and they should compensate you.

Kids don't settle their differences any more...they tattle to the teacher and get the other kid in trouble. I remember a time when someone who tattled to the teacher was seen as the ultimate traitor. Lawsuits are just the next step up.

Sometimes the whole "everyone's a winner" mentality really pisses me off. Self motivated, intelligent, curious kids are no longer rewarded...now everyone is brought to the lowest common denominator, because he has to be a winner too....even if he doesn't do sh**, he's just as much of a winner as those who really deserve to be recognized. :rolleyes:

</rant>

MacsomJRR

Apr 9, 2006, 12:42 AM

nice helmet nerd.

LethalWolfe

Apr 9, 2006, 12:43 AM

CorvusCamenarum

Apr 9, 2006, 01:11 AM

Sometimes the whole "everyone's a winner" mentality really pisses me off. Self motivated, intelligent, curious kids are no longer rewarded...now everyone is brought to the lowest common denominator, because he has to be a winner too....even if he doesn't do sh**, he's just as much of a winner as those who really deserve to be recognized. :rolleyes:

</rant>

As much as I think we should be trying to help eveyone pull themselves up instead of pushing everyone down, I think this fits pretty well:

http://images.despair.com/products/demotivators/potential.jpg

iBlue

Apr 9, 2006, 01:12 AM

nice helmet nerd.

ok that just made me laugh pretty hard. (OutThere has a sense of humor thankfully - and a viewpoint on this which i so happen to agree with, for the most part)

Abstract

Apr 9, 2006, 02:27 AM

madoka

Apr 9, 2006, 02:41 AM

This guy is a whiney baby. Wait til someone informs him that he's also fat.

I guess you didn't read the article where it states:

He said the situation left him feeling drained of energy, and that he let himself go and no longer lifted weights to keep fit. :eek:

Abstract

Apr 9, 2006, 04:00 AM

Wait a sec......he let himself go AFTER the video!?!?!?!?!?! :eek: :p

My point was that life is cruel, and he has to live in it. We live in a world where some people tease, joke, and poke fun, often just for shiggles. I don't want to live in a society where people sue every time their feelings are hurt (and in a situation where he's partly to blame, no less), so if he can't take it........*hands him a strong rope and attaches a hook to the ceiling*

Timepass

Apr 9, 2006, 04:19 AM

LethalWolfe is 100% right.

While it might be immoral for someone else to find the video and post it on the internet, that kid made all his own mistakes, including using equipment that wasn't his own to record himself, and then leaving the tape in there.

And even if you think he deserves to win a lawsuit, $324000 is too much money for some teasing he experienced in high school. And just imagine.......some kids are bullied for reasons that were COMPLETELY out of their own control. They didn't do anything stupid or anything --- they were just born. How many kids should be allowed to sue then? How much should THEY deserve? Maybe a cool $1 million?

This guy is a whiney baby. Wait til someone informs him that he's also fat.

You be surpised how long those scares from HS will last. Depends on how hard the guy was pushed.
I can rememeber back 10 years ago when I was harrassed and pick on to the point where I came to the point of nearly commetting suicide and ending my own life. Not just thing about but I mean I was really close to the edge and now over 10 years later it still a heavy weight I carry and something I dont go into detail talking about and subject matter that trips a lot of painful emotions.

You would think after 10 years I could let go of the hate for the guy who pushed me that far but no I still hate and I mean truelly hate him. Hate is a very cold emotion and I feel sorry for any one who has had experince of feelling it and know what it is truelly like to hate someone.

That kid had to be push pretty hard and his life had to be made a true living hell. People bash the kid of the stuff he doing but if you think about the living hell he still living though. One small mistake made years ago is going to haunt him for the rest of his life. He is never going to be able to truelly get away from this and it will effect him greatly for the rest of his life. The kids who did this to him though that the 30 sec of fun would be just take. No they ruined some else life and put a huge black mark in the "star wars" kid life and it going to be hell. and they deserive some type of really punishiment.

LethalWolfe

Apr 9, 2006, 05:39 AM

You be surpised how long those scares from HS will last. Depends on how hard the guy was pushed.
I can rememeber back 10 years ago when I was harrassed and pick on to the point where I came to the point of nearly commetting suicide and ending my own life. Not just thing about but I mean I was really close to the edge and now over 10 years later it still a heavy weight I carry and something I dont go into detail talking about and subject matter that trips a lot of painful emotions.

You would think after 10 years I could let go of the hate for the guy who pushed me that far but no I still hate and I mean truelly hate him. Hate is a very cold emotion and I feel sorry for any one who has had experince of feelling it and know what it is truelly like to hate someone.

Everyone has bad ***** happen to them. Everyone. Some more than others, but there isn't a single person alive that hasn't been hurt. And no matter what's happened to you there are probably a couple billion people world wide who think your life is blessed. I don't care how much HS sucked for you you are a lot better off than a kid in a third world country who struggles everyday just to fight off starvation.

That kid had to be push pretty hard and his life had to be made a true living hell. People bash the kid of the stuff he doing but if you think about the living hell he still living though. One small mistake made years ago is going to haunt him for the rest of his life. He is never going to be able to truelly get away from this and it will effect him greatly for the rest of his life. The kids who did this to him though that the 30 sec of fun would be just take. No they ruined some else life and put a huge black mark in the "star wars" kid life and it going to be hell. and they deserive some type of really punishiment.

So being mean is a crime and being irresponsible gets you a few hundred thousand dollars? That's perfect. I guess my new plan for financial independence is to act like a goof ball in public and sue everyone that laughs at me.

Hopefully the kids that got sued by the Star Wars kid don't read this thread, find your lack of compassion emotionally damaging and sue you for a few hundred thousand dollars.

Lethal

Takumi

Apr 9, 2006, 06:38 AM

Hate is a very cold emotion and I feel sorry for any one who has had experince of feelling it and know what it is truelly like to hate someone.

That's why I don't take any grudges, too much effort, let go and move on. Give the guy a call aask him out for a beer you'd be suprieds how times change

Takumi

Abstract

Apr 9, 2006, 06:59 AM

You be surpised how long those scares from HS will last. Depends on how hard the guy was pushed.
I can rememeber back 10 years ago when I was harrassed and pick on to the point where I came to the point of nearly commetting suicide and ending my own life. Not just thing about but I mean I was really close to the edge and now over 10 years later it still a heavy weight I carry and something I dont go into detail talking about and subject matter that trips a lot of painful emotions.

So?

Maybe you should sue? How do I quantify your pain? What if another boy or girl is teased, but is better at shaking it off than you. Same amount of teasing with less of the negative effects. Does that person sue for just as much as you do? Or maybe she/he was teased, but didn't cry. Is his or her pain worth at least a couple hundred dollars if your pain is worth $500,000? What about the people who continue to distribute this file through the internet? Surely they should get sued too.

Everyone has bad ***** happen to them. Everyone.
Yes, people make mistakes, and he'll remember his mistake for the rest of his life, but for some people, being teased is a part of life. Nobody likes being teased ---- grow a thicker skin. If it was something you could laugh at, then get a sense of humour and don't take it so seriously. I live in the most racist places I have ever been in --- a place that's quite famous for it's racism, actually (Australia, and I've been to around 35 countries), and I haven't hung myself yet.

Like LethalWolfe said, everyone has bad ***** happen to them, and some people have it rougher than others. Why? Because we're not all going to go through the same experiences throughout school, and yes, some of us will make mistakes and get teased for it, some harder than others. Welcome to life. Some people never get teased. Some people made the mistake of being born black, chinese, whatever, in the wrong part of the country, and always get teased or bullied. Sometimes the hate is insufferable. It's unfortunate that we all don't go through highschool smiling and left completely alone, but that's not the way life is.

Takumi

Apr 9, 2006, 07:08 AM

I live in the most racist place I have ever been... Australia

I hope my paraphrasing hasn't twisted your words.

In anycase, the racial problems with Aboriginies is largely caused by the government throwing money at the problem and hopeing it will go away.

anyway back on topic: I'd poke the fun at the kid more now than ever for being such a winge.

Takumi

Abstract

Apr 9, 2006, 07:16 AM

Yeah, and don't forget asians, muslims, and basically anyone who isn't white or European. Now I know why you don't see many black people in Australia.........the word spread quickly in their circles. ;)

Actually, I was told about the racism in Australia by a white co-worker of mine, but since I was coming from the least racist place I have ever been (and now I truly respect and appreciate Canada and my fellow Canadians more and more), I didn't really believe it. After all, it didn't seem like a big deal to me as a Torontonian, born and raised.

Coincidentally, my friend's friend is travelling around right now, and on her blog, she told my friend that she has learned a lot about Australia simply by leaving the country and experiencing life elsewhere. She even noted the racist attitude and intolerance in Australia.

thedude110

Apr 9, 2006, 01:15 PM

I don't care how much HS sucked for you you are a lot better off than a kid in a third world country who struggles everyday just to fight off starvation.

A moral highground, but not certainly true. The kid who kills him or herself because of the taunting/hazing/bullying they receive in a high school setting is arguably worse off than the kid starving in a third world country. So it goes when comparing suffering.

(As Frank O'Hara wrote:
"The Pittsburgh Pirates shout because they won
In a sense we're all winning
We're alive")

This "grow a thicker skin" bit blows my mind. Everyone is in need and everyone deserves to be treated as though they are in need. So much the better if our skin were thinner, negating our bodies to the point that we realized that the person beside us was equally desperate and invisible.

LethalWolfe

Apr 9, 2006, 04:04 PM

A moral highground, but not certainly true. The kid who kills him or herself because of the taunting/hazing/bullying they receive in a high school setting is arguably worse off than the kid starving in a third world country. So it goes when comparing suffering.
And the kid who killed himself because of taunting/hazing/bullying did so in part because they lacked perspective. They could be distraught because they don't have the "cool" clothes or the "cool" friends. They think their life sucks for largely superficial reasons because they lack the perspective to realize that being "popular" in 11th grade is pretty meaningless. The farther you get away from HS the more you realize how largely insignificant it was.

Everyone gets angry, or blue, or unhappy sometimes but you have to keep it in perspective. If everyone spent some time helping out those less fortunate than themselves (volunteering at an assisted living home, or being a Big Brother/Big Sister) then "needing" the cool clothes or cool cars would stop being such a priority, IMO.

This is a bit of a rant but I have some friends that think HS was the best years of their lives and, personally, I think that's a little depressing (we are pushing 30 BTW). I mean, we are probably going to live into our 70's and you think your life peaked when you were 17? Ugh. Personally, I try to make every year of my life better than the last. It doesn't always work 'cause there are many things that happen in life that one has no control over, but that's my goal at least. I don't see in the point in fixating over things that one has no control over (like what's happened in the past)
How does the saying go,
"God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference."

This "grow a thicker skin" bit blows my mind. Everyone is in need and everyone deserves to be treated as though they are in need. So much the better if our skin were thinner, negating our bodies to the point that we realized that the person beside us was equally desperate and invisible.
I agree. But it's an ideal thought and this isn't an ideal world. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, IMO. Be "thin skinned" enough to believe in the Golden Rule, but be "thick skinned" enough to weather the ones that don't.

What happened to the Star Wars kid sucked, but he was partly responsible for it. The other kids were jerks, but were they really criminals? Do you really want to criminalize being mean? What about being insufficiently nice?

Lethal

quigleybc

Apr 9, 2006, 04:13 PM

The lawsuit, and moral implications aside...

I'm amazed by these spoofs.....

The undercover brother one in particular...that must have taken a ton of time and effort...it blows me away that people will go to those lengths...

I don't know what to think..I'm shocked I've never heard of this till now too...

The internet is so crazy....

Timepass

Apr 9, 2006, 04:59 PM

And the kid who killed himself because of taunting/hazing/bullying did so in part because they lacked perspective. They could be distraught because they don't have the "cool" clothes or the "cool" friends. They think their life sucks for largely superficial reasons because they lack the perspective to realize that being "popular" in 11th grade is pretty meaningless. The farther you get away from HS the more you realize how largely insignificant it was.

Everyone gets angry, or blue, or unhappy sometimes but you have to keep it in perspective. If everyone spent some time helping out those less fortunate than themselves (volunteering at an assisted living home, or being a Big Brother/Big Sister) then "needing" the cool clothes or cool cars would stop being such a priority, IMO.

This is a bit of a rant but I have some friends that think HS was the best years of their lives and, personally, I think that's a little depressing (we are pushing 30 BTW). I mean, we are probably going to live into our 70's and you think your life peaked when you were 17? Ugh. Personally, I try to make every year of my life better than the last. It doesn't always work 'cause there are many things that happen in life that one has no control over, but that's my goal at least. I don't see in the point in fixating over things that one has no control over (like what's happened in the past)
How does the saying go,
"God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference."

I agree. But it's an ideal thought and this isn't an ideal world. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, IMO. Be "thin skinned" enough to believe in the Golden Rule, but be "thick skinned" enough to weather the ones that don't.

What happened to the Star Wars kid sucked, but he was partly responsible for it. The other kids were jerks, but were they really criminals? Do you really want to criminalize being mean? What about being insufficiently nice?

Lethal

Lethal you clearly dont understand the pain some kids go though and those who end there lives over it. If you have truelly seen that edge you would relieze what it truely takes to get push there. It is not a desision that those people come to lightly. It is gut wrenching and it is the feeling that all hope is lost. And when one loses all hope it is over for them. I am lucky that something stop me that day. (call it fate, call it God, call it what ever, I personally call it God but that is me). It was not something I came to lightly. It was something I had been thinking about for a long time.

It not clouthing that pushes them there. It not the lack of the "cool items" It is the lack of respect from their peers. It takes a long time to get beatten down to that level and most high school suiciuds you can damn well blame there peers and you can trace it down to being pick on endlessly. It normally going to be the ones who feel like they dont have any friends.

Oh yeah btw I grew up in the blessing of money among other gifts and I would give it up all gladly just to be happy. Heck I would still give it up gladly to be truelly happy instead of dealing with the war that still rages on with in me today.

And like many people here they dont understand what it like to face ending your own life. Those who truely do have a very different understanding of it and truely know what it takes to get pushed that far. Trust me when I tell you ending your own life is not a something you just decide "oh life sucks I going to kill myself" No it is internal torment in trying to deside that. Tearing yourself up over it. All hope is lost and with out hope you are as good as dead.

Chip NoVaMac

Apr 10, 2006, 09:56 AM

The difference between your situation and that of this kid is about 100 million people. If those hits to the blogs were unique, there are over 70m from just those two sites. I'm sure there are at least 30m more. Anyway, he may have been able to let it slide in school, but when people everywhere think they have a funny new comment - that's another level. Do I support lawsuits for fat kids when classmates make fun of them? No. But this is something else - by posting it on the internet, it is much more vile.

I too was overweight in HS, and it was pure hell. CorvusCamenarum and I did find a way to survive. But some are not so lucky. I lost a friend to suicide because of the torment that he received because he was fat and Gay in HS.

When schools finally step up and stop bullying, then there will be no need for lawsuits. There are real long term ramifications to bullying.

Chip NoVaMac

Apr 10, 2006, 10:02 AM

You be surpised how long those scares from HS will last. Depends on how hard the guy was pushed.
I can rememeber back 10 years ago when I was harrassed and pick on to the point where I came to the point of nearly commetting suicide and ending my own life. Not just thing about but I mean I was really close to the edge and now over 10 years later it still a heavy weight I carry and something I dont go into detail talking about and subject matter that trips a lot of painful emotions.

You would think after 10 years I could let go of the hate for the guy who pushed me that far but no I still hate and I mean truelly hate him. Hate is a very cold emotion and I feel sorry for any one who has had experince of feelling it and know what it is truelly like to hate someone.

That kid had to be push pretty hard and his life had to be made a true living hell. People bash the kid of the stuff he doing but if you think about the living hell he still living though. One small mistake made years ago is going to haunt him for the rest of his life. He is never going to be able to truelly get away from this and it will effect him greatly for the rest of his life. The kids who did this to him though that the 30 sec of fun would be just take. No they ruined some else life and put a huge black mark in the "star wars" kid life and it going to be hell. and they deserive some type of really punishiment.

Amen. The net is changing things for those that are tormented. I graduated HS in '76; so the only scars I have are a yearbook that I had to doctor to block out hateful comments.

irmongoose

Apr 10, 2006, 10:53 AM

The sad thing is that people here accept and almost support the bullying, dismissing it as "human nature".

***** the norm. ***** "human nature". Dare to change it for the better.

And the only way to hit back hard to bullying ********** is to go all the way, perhaps even overtly, to make your point: I WILL NOT TAKE THIS *****.

irmongoose

Timepass

Apr 10, 2006, 11:54 AM

Amen. The net is changing things for those that are tormented. I graduated HS in '76; so the only scars I have are a yearbook that I had to doctor to block out hateful comments.

Yeah. it really does. Now I might be more willing to go agaist the "Star Wars" kid if the thing never made it on to the net and really was a relitivly thing contanted only in the HS. Distracts normally have solutions to those problems which is normally would be tranfering the SWK out to another school. Which in this case was not an opition.

Now the SWK was having fun for a few mins and made a minor mistake of leaving the tape there. But the line was crossed when it was put on the net with out his permision among everything else. Now that kids life is going to be really hard for the rest of it. Almost everything has something in there past that they regret and would never want the world to know. I know I carry secrets that I dont want any one to ever found out about me. 9 times out of 10 it is just give the person love and attention. Let them talk and let them control the flow of the convosation. Give them what they need which is attention. Be willing to bend over backwards to help them and dont expect thanks in return. Rememeber that they are in need and need you to carry them until they can get back on there feet and stand on there own.

The line was crossed when it got put on the net. Yeah at the time it was a minor joke but it got out of hand and now the kids who did it deserver to pay for it.

People seem to think they all expernce there own little hell and think oh it was no so bad. But then there are people like me who can gone though much worse and was that kid who was unpopular and not well like. I was the poor kid in from 6th though HS. Very few people in this world can understand that spot. I am amoung those few poor people who had to live though it. It now allows me a different view on the world from most people and I people know now when they are having trouble staying afloat that I am speaking from experinces and that I am not just saying here say. I am telling them what I been though and they know that I not kidding around. Other people know to turn to me for advice when there friends are stuggling because they again know that my advice is from experince and the help they can give would be better and would help instead of cause more walls to come up.