So today in my Law class we were discussing our current events. My teacher happened to show us a video. Apparently there was a beating somewhere in Florida triggered by a text message. A freshman from some high school traveled three miles on bike to beat the living shit out of a girl in 8th grade to a pulp after she teased her brother who recently committed suicide. There's an article about it here. Apparently she's had at least 2 brain surgeries done, including removing part of her skull to reduce swelling in the brain. She's also in a drug-induced coma to help her heal. (oh, a quick fyi; apparently a kid was doused in alcohol and burned because of a fight over a video game. the kid's on the way to recovery, though.) So, we discussed...: xxxxx Should the girl be partly to blame for teasing his deceased brother? xxxxx What happens to the boy if the girl is to die. xxxxx School security. xxxxx The kid's sanity. xxxxx The dangers of texting. xxxxx What should have been done after the brother's suicide. But what we mostly discussed was: If the girl was to die, should the 15 year-old be put on the death penalty? A lot of people in my class said absolutely to this question. What says you, lovely people? How ridiculous is this? Does the kid deserve a better punishment? What about the school security? Or the question I'd love to see answered: If she is to die, should the crime be treated as an adult committed it? Should this kid get the death penalty? Discuss. Here's video if you want to see more or something. It's just the parents talking over the matter. <object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zXl5ccytZ-8&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zXl5ccytZ-8&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>
That's just horrible. I hope she makes it. Yes, but not completely. I mean, who here has never made fun of someone dead? I bet the boy has before. It's always a joke until it concerns you. Tighter, definitely if the kid was able to get onto school grounds and do all of that before anyone noticed. Seems more like anger management issues, especially on such a sore subject, but I could be wrong. He should be examined, though. It has the same dangers the internet has. People don't think about what they say and other people take things way too seriously. Not saying he didn't have a right to get angry, but like I said, the majority of people, especially kids, have made jokes about the deceased. I'm not sure. I"ve never been in this situation, but there should have been counseling for the family. I was going to say that the girl's school should have had like a moment of silence and a speech on respect or something, but if neither of the boys went to that school, the school probably shouldn't have been concerned. Of course not. And this is coming from someone who has spoken for the death penalty before. He didn't kill her right then. He's only 15. the family just suffered their younger son's suicide, why take their other one away? They all need counseling, he needs anger management, maybe Juvie and prison time or whatever, but definitely not the death penalty. 15 doesn't make him an adult. If the kid can't vote, he shouldn't be treated as one. I mean, damn, he can't even drive yet, he rode his bike there. Don't tell me you never made a joke about a dead person or even laughed at one. The girl may have deserved repercussions, but she did not deserve this. So should the girl's relative go find the boy and beat the hell out of him for revenge? An eye for an eye eventually leaves the whole world blind.
Should the girl be partly to blame for teasing his deceased brother? Personally, yes I do think she is at least partially to blame. Especially since as the article says, she had been antagonising him already about his relationship with a girl. Obviously I don't know why she was interfering in that relationship, she may have had a valid reason, but without knowing what that is, to me it sounds like she made the comment about the suicide victim as a cheap shot in an argument: What happens to the boy if the girl is to die. Not my place to say and I wouldn't like to speculate, I don't know your law system very well, though it is pretty obvious he wouldn't me let off without some form of punishment. School security. There is such a thing? News to me. The kid's sanity. His brother committed suicide and he was being wound up, I think it is safe to say he had a mental snap. The dangers of texting. Are no greater than the dangers of everything else really. What should have been done after the brother's suicide. Since I don't know what was done after the suicide, I can't really comment. If she is to die, should the crime be treated as an adult committed it? If the girl was to die, should the 15 year-old be put on the death penalty? No to both, he isn't an adult and so I don't think he should be put on trial as one. People have committed worse crimes at younger ages and been let off a lot lighter. Besides, one of their sons committed suicide, I don't really think killing another of their children is going to solve anything. Obviously it would be absolutely horrible if the girl does die, but I do not believe in a life for a life and I am against the death penalty anyway. To me this is just another example of how people think they are invincible when it is words on a screen. Look at that girl who got a beating over some comments over myspace. I am not saying that she deserved to be hurt, nobody deserves to be hurt so badly, but on the flip side of that, I don't think she is entirely innocent either. She shouldn't have a) interefered in the guy's relationship and b) she should not have taken the cheap shot about his dead brother. I personally do not make jokes about the dead, I find it extremely disrespectful, and to be honest, if my sister committed suicide and then someone used that to try and cause hurt, I'd have probably knocked them about too, though not to that extent. Neither side is without blame. I do genuinely wish that she recovers though and that both families get the help they need and deserve.
First off a guy should never beat a girl... no matter what she did to him. But then again where does a girl get off making fun of a dead person. Thats inhumane and completely unecessary. And about the kid getting the death sentence... I didn't know a 15 year old could. World is getting sick isn't it.
You know, to be perfectly honest, I think it is fine for a guy to hit a girl if she deserved it. It annoys the hell out of me when girls act like ******s to guys because they know it is frowned upon for the guy to lash out. Play with fire and you'll get burned.
I couldn't agree more. However, the male did seem to have some anger management issues. But you are right, she was asking for it....especially teasing him about his dead brother.
-sigh- thts horrible.... tht makes me sad but the thing is the reason there r crazy ppl is they get it from violence of video games. example my best friends brother. hes gotten more aggressive and addicted to all types of games....
It's one thing to make fun of the dead. That's normal. But to rub it in a relative's face, and for a reason he should end a relationship he was in? Definitely not good. Worthy of a slap. He is tested for sanity. From there, he's in the hands of the justice system. He was a kid, and looked in place. He wasn't holding a gun either. All in all, impossible to improve without making it into a prison. If he's found sane, he's sane. Nothing more to it. The only difference is that the girl wouldn't have said those things in person, presumably. People use it as a mask, and get hurt when the mask is ripped off. Words have much more potential for danger, but people are wiser with them. We just need to learn to be as such with texting. Need more information on brother. But counselling would be good. Depends if he's sane. If not, obviously not. But I question the benefit in killing the boy. Vengeance is a petty reason, and I doubt he's beyond reform.
Violence is not the result of video games, if it was then don't you think we would all be beating the crap out of each other all of the time? It is a ****** excuse that people use to avoid facing the simple truth that they are pre-dispositioned to violence.
My sentiments exactly. This wasn't cold-blooded murder, it was just an angry assault. The kid can be talked down. He deserves better than to be put to death for defending his brother, no matter how out of hand it got. Frankly, I'd probably do the same thing in his position, but I'd definitely be sorry for it, especially if the girl ended up dying.
I think that for 1, that the girl shuoldn't have teased someone ready for suicide and that that if it was that alone negating the fact that the high schooler was involved i would say that she is completely to blme but now because of this person he reflected to light of blame onto himself by doing what he did. This situation is the girls fault but in the eye's of a court or jury the sympathy will go to the little girl who is in a coma regardless of what she did and because of this guy he has made it worse because if he had gone to the proper people that girl could've been charged with man slaughter for pushing that person towards suicide. That person should not get the death sentence simply for the fact that if the girl hadn't done what she had done then none of it would've happened. She pushed someone to death and this high schooler, even though it wasn't the good thing to do, has exacted vengance.
Sexist. I don't think this kid should get much of a punishment at all. At the most, probation and community service. The girl shouldn't, either. She's already been punished. At first, I thought it was bad and I sympathized with the girl. But really, she deserved it. I'm sorry, but you do NOT **** around with subjects like that.
I'm sorry, but you're overreacting to her comment. Not only is the girl a kid, and I agree completely that you don't mess with subjects like that, but that's what people do. Can you honestly say you've never made fun of anyone deceased, no matter how recent or long ago the death was? Can you honestly say in the heat of an argument, you wouldn't say what you know would hurt the other person most? That's how people are. Punishment for that, I agree. But a punishment of brain damage, a coma, and possibly death is too cruel on the girl. Probation and community service for him is too light, in my opinion. Physical assault is punishable by jailtime. Not just that, but he had thought about it before doing it, can't say it was on impulse.
If they put him to the Death Penalty, then his family is going to counter sue for the unjust killing of a child. Yes, he beat her into a coma, but this stuff literally happens daily. People are shot and they find the shooters, but they don't get put to death. And they're all legal adults, most of the time! So why should someone defending his dead brother, who he was obviously very close to, be put to death for something much lighter than a shooting. In the case that this was premeditated, heavier sentence because he had planned it out. If it were an impulse thing, chances are that it wouldn't have gone to the extent that it did. Yes, the girl is partly to blame. No offense to the women here, but you're entire gender are nothing but bitches. Some hide it well and don't express it, others do. That's what this girl did. She didn't approve of someone's relationship, she whined about it, then she poked fun at someone's dead relative. He probably would have just ignored her had she not taken that shot at his brother. I would assume they will run mental tests on this boy to test his stability and sanity. After losing someone that close, he must have had a mental relapse and that gave him impaired judgement. School security? Okay, here's a hypothetical. You're a school police officer. Your job is to keep kids in line, write parking tickets, and protect the general welfare of the rest of the school forum. How in the hell are you supposed to pick out one student out of hundreds and realize he's going to viciously beat someone for a reason unknown by anyone other than the boy in question? Exactly. It's impossible. I didn't actually read the article yet, so someone may correct me if I'm wrong, but how could someone beat them that horribly and no one stops it or steps in? And I'm assuming this happened on school grounds and in the general public. There's my two cents on this. Feel free to debate me. It's always a fun thing to do...debate, not beat women.
What's with the massive generalisation? Never would of thought to hear that from you. Besides, some men are just as bad as the worst women, if not worse. Like CTR said, can you substantiate that? Yes, the girl was an idiot in this case. She probably just sent him that message to wind him up and piss him off, she couldn't have known that he would get on his bike and beat the living **** out of her. Of course, this doesn't justify her actions at all. Then again, you can see the boy's side of the argument. I agreed that he just snapped, and that text gave him (what he sees) as a justification for defending his brother, and somewhat subconciously as an outlet for his pent-up emotions. Again, I'm not justifying his actions, just trying to understand them. Should the kid be incarcerated? Only if the girl ends up dying. Otherwise I feel he should be examined mentally and placed under a form of house arest or something until he's stable again. Is the girl to blame? Partially, yes, but it takes two to tango. The lad shouldn't have reacted so rashly. I do wish for the girls good recovery, but at the same time, when she wakes up, someone needs to give her a slap and tell her how to behave. My sentiments also to the lads family, going through all this and a suicide in the family.
Both the recovery and behavorial slap is underway. Here's an update The girl seems to be recovering, moving and opening her eyes, etc. The attacker's family apparently has been quiet on the whole matter. I bet they're torn between guilt and anger at what the girl said about their son's suicide. Anyways, there's a good point brought up in the article I never thought about. Our parents didn't have the same social technology we do now. They give us the sex talk, the drugs talk, the grades talk, etc. because most parents have been through that scenario, but none of them had Facebook or texting available to them as kids. So it's rare to be taught social etiquette by your parents about stuff like that.
I respect that, but let's be honest, how does your social etiquette differ from talking on here than you would to someone's face? Either way, through texting or Facebook or whatever, you are talking to another human being. It's only really the method that differs, and is that really so much as someone needs a reminder on how to act just by using a text-based medium? This isn't really a case of a diferent lesson needing to be learnt as it is re-teaching someone what they already know and common sense SHOULD dictate to them. That said, the changes in technology communication wise have been rapidly changing, so I can see why some would think that way.
