Still a Boy Is Dead

By Jeff McKown

No one was murdered.
No physical violence was inflicted.
No weapons were used, save for a webcam.
Still, a boy is dead.

No one was shot.
No punches were thrown.
No deadly intent or premeditation, save for humiliation.
Still, a boy is dead.

No battle was waged.
No crimes of war committed.
No declarations or gauntlets thrown down, save for harmless taunting.
Still, a boy is dead.

No one was there.
No last minute plea was made.
No way out, save for the cold water below.
And now, a boy is dead.



Related Posts:
The Sad Death and Short Life of Tyler Clementi
Jury Reached Verdict In Webcam Bullying Trial
Dharun Ravi Receives 30-Day Jail Sentence

Dharun Ravi Receives 30-Day Jail Sentence In Tyler Clementi Webcam Case

Clementi and Ravi

Former Rutgers student Dharun Ravi was sentenced today to 30 days in jail, 300 hours of community service, and 3 years of probation for using a webcam to illegally spy on his college roommate having sex.

Ravi was also penalized with a stiff fine, as he was ordered to make a payment of $10,000 to a community-based organization that assists victims of bias crimes.

This seems reasonable, harsh even, until you consider that the roommate involved in the incident, Tyler Clementi, was a vulnerable 18 year-old boy grappling to come to terms with his homosexuality. Clementi, who was mortally embarrassed by the webcam spying, jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge a few days later.

In March, Ravi was found guilty of bias intimidation and invasion of privacy, crimes which carried up to a ten-year prison sentence. After his conviction, a great deal of debate ensued about how much responsibility, legal or otherwise, Ravi should shoulder for the death of Clementi. Ravi's actions did, in all likelihood, lead to Clementi's decision to kill himself in September 2010, but the Rutgers student had no other direct involvement in the suicide.

Many followers of the trial, including some gay rights advocates, believed that imposing the full ten-year sentence would be unduly harsh.

Bully - A Powerful Film To See and Share

Alex, 12, featured in Bully.

Remember the end of Karate Kid when the cruel and powerful blond guy "sweeps the leg" of a weak and injured Daniel Larusso, played by Ralph Macchio?

Daniel, barely able to stand, then musters all his remaining courage and strength, and delivers a perfect "crane" kick to the head of his opponent, sending him spiraling to the mat in defeat.

It would change things significantly if life worked like that when bullies pick on vulnerable kids - but that's not how it works, not usually, anyway.

In just a few days, we'll have a chance to see a film about what really happens when innocent kids are taunted and subjected to violence and humiliation at the hands of other young people. The documentary film Bully, which opens on March 30, follows the lives of five bullied children over the course of a single school year, and it offers us an unflinching view of the brutal impact bullying has on the mental and physical well-being of these kids and their families.

I could go on for hours about the importance of this film, but I'm confident the trailer below provides all the evidence needed to convinced you that you should not only see this movie, but also take your kids to see it, AND make sure everyone you know does the same. See for yourself.

Trouble viewing the video? Click the Bully Project Promo link below the clip.

The Bully Project Promo from Lee Hirsch on Vimeo.

Bully has received a great deal of advance press already, not because of its culturally significant content, but because it received an unfortunate "R" rating from the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America). Because the film includes some video clips showing instances of real kids using the real curse words they use in real schools everyday across America, real kids who are under 17 will not be allowed to see this film without a parent. Additionally, the "R" rating greatly reduces the likelihood that this movie will be purchased by school libraries. In short, the "R" rating makes it much less probable that the kids who need to see this film most, both the bullies and the bullied, will have access to it.