Thursday, September 30, 2010

Sick to my stomach

Listening to: 'Wonderful Life' by Kylie Minogue [Radio 1 Live Lounge ('Hurts' cover)]
"A New Jersey college student has leapt to his death a day after authorities said two students secretly filmed him having sex with a man and broadcast it over the internet."
I'm disgusted. I mean so disgusted that my stomach feels tight. I'm not sure which bit I find more distressing: the fact that there are creatures vile enough to such a thing, the fact that there was no one who could convince the poor kid that it would eventually be ok, or the fact that I have a feeling this wouldn't have happened if he was straight.

I mean what kind of sick fuck live-streams his room-mate's private life? Voyeurism is one thing, but this is a whole different level. I feel violated just thinking about it. And then I just think about the guy. The media is focusing on the fact that he was gay but seriously, that's irrelevant. It doesn't matter if you're gay or straight or anything in between or beyond, no one would want intimate details of their lives broadcast on the internet without their consent. It was a betrayal of trust, an invasion of privacy and a violation of common decency. He was only 18 for goodness' sake...we have enough internal struggles as it is at that age, without having to worry about all this. I can't even begin to imagine how he must've felt.

And then there's the matter of his sexuality. This only matters to me because, like I said, I don't know if it would've happened had he been having sex with a girl. Which is awful, because it illustrates society's attitude towards non-heterosexuals. Legislation may have changed to provide equal opportunities to non-heterosexuals (unless of course you're in the US military, in which case you're considered a liability...WTF), but the mindset of the people is still pretty homophobic. It has reinforced my opinion about all social issues - legislation can only do so much, and change will only come when the people desire it (which is not yet, by the looks of it).

The hardest thing for me, personally, will be to wish the perpetrators well. Loving kindness and compassion, even for the most despicable among us - that is what is required of me. Hard as it might be, that's what I'll try to do.

RIP Tyler Clementi.

4 comments:

  1. This is freaking crazy! Bought tears to my eyes. Words have actually failed me. :(

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  2. Sad sad sad! I wish people were less terrible :|
    Thanks for sharing.

    Cheers!

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  3. that's horrific. those two should be convicted!

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  4. People are rapidly turning quite inhuman, aren't they? This has crossed the lines of cruelty. So sad.

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