Suicide due to online video

Since I enjoy killing people's faith in the human race...behold.

What's that quote again about not chalking up to malice what you can to stupidity? Because I'm having trouble seeing people  ^*

edited 30th Sep '10 1:41:02 PM by TotemicHero

It's sad, yes.

But the skeptic in me wants to know one thing: Was any video actually put on the web?

I mean, if all we have are the two twitter messages. Then an ashamed guy just killed himself because he believed some twitter messages.

According to the prosecutor, it was. Judging by what was said, it looks like he broadcast it as an iChat video chat. Whether or not any recording existed afterwards (such that it could posted on, say, You Tube), I don't know.

edited 30th Sep '10 2:45:38 PM by TotemicHero

It me when people say "Suicide due to X", because usually X isn't the only thing that caused it. There must have been other factors, with X being the straw that broke the camel's back.

True. CNN doesn't have many details currently though about the victim though, so I couldn't exactly say what other causes might be.

But if it really is a "camel's back-breaking straw", then the thread title is correct...it's just not the whole picture.

It would be technically correct, but not really giving an accurate account of what happened. Attention shouldn't be drawn primarily to online videos, but to harassment of gay people, depression, or whatever was the real cause of suicide.

edited 30th Sep '10 2:53:57 PM by melloncollie

Well, like I said, we don't have a lot to go by. So expecting a perfectly accurate thread title when so little information has been released is kind of pointless.  ^*

We're getting off-topic though, so let's discuss the actual suicide and such.

I don't see there being much to discuss if there really isn't that much information about it.

Wow, seriously?

As already said, there must have been additional factors. I don't think one factor by that roomate was a hatred of gays, so trying to throw that charge onto him is stupid.

I mean come on, this is like when I'm at work and someone leaves their CAC card in a computer, and one of us hurries over and sends an email or facebook post saying something like "HERP DERP I LUV COCK HAHA" to our friends.

Well, we know what exactly what the "straw" was and how it came about. That can be discussed.

I had figured we could get some opinions on this, and update as new information came out. Of course, if you would rather not speculate...feel free not to.

^ Edit: I agree, but you'd have to be really, really stupid not to know that would be emotionally painful at the very least to have your roommate do that.

edited 30th Sep '10 3:10:13 PM by TotemicHero

Didn't seem too emotionally painful, if the article is right, and Clementi (the guy who jumped) actually did write a forum message saying he knew his roommate saw him the first time...

Gotta be honest and say Clementi seems more stupid if that's true, as he isn't smart enough to check the web-cam the next time he invites a friend over (assuming anything was actually broadcast)?

It's one thing to find out it's happening, freak out, and commit suicide. It's quite another to find out about the spying, ask other people what to do about it, get spied on again in the same manner you were before that you knew about, and then commit suicide.

@ Barkey: What you do with your group of friends isn't necessarily the norm for most people. Just because I hypothetically get into fights with my friends and punch each other out all the time doesn't mean that this sort of thing is normal/acceptable to other people and their groups.

Yeah, at best, pretty much everyone was holding the Idiot Ball here. And I really don't want to get into the worst case scenario...

It really doesn't sound like we know much about the guy who killed himself, the guy who filmed him, or either's state of mind, nor their history with each other, or anything else. Nothing to really put it into context. It didn't even seem to be clear how widely the video was shown — one of them mentioned it being shared only over iChat, which would be with a couple of people at most.

Not the kind of thing that would drive many to suicide by itself. However, we don't know whether it was part of a history of harassment, whether by this other young man or indeed by others this perpetrator didn't know.

It's a jerkass thing to do to someone, and if done as deliberately cruel doubly so. However, if that jerkass gets prosecuted, no part of it should be about the other one's suicide, unless there's more to it. Invasion of privacy, and suchlike, yes. It's not murder. it's not manslaughter. It's just being a jerk.

^ Agreed. What doesn't add up for me was that he in theory (since we aren't certain that the messageboard posts were by him) had alerted the RA and was getting the problem handled that same day. I can't imagine the state of mind that would jump right then, since he seems to have been handling the problem properly up until that point.

Always the possibility that he didn't kill himself, or that the reason was something entirely different.

^ That's what twenty years married to a LEO will do. My first thought was "y'know, the "blunt trauma consistent with hitting the bridge during the fall and hitting the water" would cover up a whole lot of blunt force trauma from other sources..."

edited 1st Oct '10 6:34:46 AM by Madrugada

If this guy is really Clementi, as is being reported in the news, then there was no webcast of his interlude...

As such, I have a feeling that the suicide had less to do with the roommate's actions and more to do with a kid having more psychological problems than anyone knew about.

^ That's talking about the second time the roommate tried it.

^^^

I hear ya, same thoughts here, though my dad is responsible for that.

^^ That's my point. It was the second time. He unplugged the cpu, and did his thing. He had reported his roommate to an RA. Everything with regards to the event seems to point to it being resolved.

Then he kills himself.

I believe the suicide is completely unrelated to the actions of the roommate.

New Jersey prosecutors are apparently considering Hate Crime charges, but the evidence seems to suggest it wasn't based on any kind of animus. (Obviously, the merits or wrongness of Hate Crime laws should be saved for another topic.)

This does seem to be a very bizarre story. Is it even known if Clementi was closeted?

edited 1st Oct '10 12:32:18 PM by occono

^ Not according to the neighbors in the dorm...

But apparently his parents didn't know.