Daily Lessons from Life 01 October 2010 - NJ student’s suicide illustrates Internet dangers

NJ student’s suicide illustrates Internet dangers : "Associated Press Writers 01 October 2010

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The shocking suicide of a college student whose sex life was broadcast over the Web illustrates yet again the Internet’s alarming potential as a means of tormenting others and raises questions whether young people in the age of Twitter and Facebook can even distinguish public from private.

Cruel gossip and vengeful acts once confined to the schoolyard or the dorm can now make their way around the world instantly via the Internet, along with photos and live video."

It is a needless tragedy. The person who broadcast the episode is his roommate of Indian-origin while at the room of another hostel mate, a young female student of Chinese-origin. All are 18 years old college freshmen in Rutgers University. Reports said that the Indian-origin student reported told his high school friends that his roommate is a cool person. And the high school friends of these 2, apparently, the Chinese-origin student and this Indian-origin student came from the same high school, said these 2 are nice people and not homophobic.

Lessons for me are:

1. think before you act. Think carefully and properly before you act. Think carefully and properly in a deliberate manner before you act. Why 'in a deliberate manner'? Because the NORMAL in these days and age is to dismissively say: Oh it is just a prank. To be on YouTube is no big deal!!;

2. So, the 'deliberate manner' MUST be: in normal daily life, act with respect to NOT mind other people's lives UNLESS you have reasons to suspect that he or she is engaging in a dangerous and criminal act of endangering innocent people's lives!!;

3. to be respectful of technologies and that it is WRONG to seek the '26-second' of fame ONLINE by posting something you have NO RIGHT to do in the 1st place!!;

Some of the so-called experts interviewed commented that the kids today cannot distinguish between private and public. Maybe this is peculiar to the USA. Maybe the 'experts' are just like most other populists who DO NOT want to take a stand that kids today CAN distinguish between private and public if we educate them properly from day 1!

May the dead rest in peace and the family make peace with life. May the 'perpetrator(s)' find the peace too as it was just meant to be a prank!

p/s: all kids and all users of internet MUST be taught that NO ONE can bully you - on the net or off it!! Report it to your parents or elders.