Student convicted of using a webcam to secretly film his room-mate in a gay encounter imprisoned

Robbo

Robbo

Robbo

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A US student convicted of using a webcam to secretly film his room-mate in a gay encounter has been sentenced to 30 days in prison.

Dharun Ravi, 20, a former undergraduate at New Jersey's state university, was convicted in March.

The judge will recommend Indian-born Ravi should not be deported as part of his sentence.

Tyler Clementi killed himself days after he was filmed kissing another man in a dorm room in September 2010.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-18149395
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More detailed article: http://abcnews.go.com/US/rutgers-trial-dharun-ravi-sentenced-30-days-jail/story?id=16394014

Obviously this had a tragic outcome, but is it really right to send someone to prison for filming someone with a webcam and then telling other people about it?

If it was a regular 'sexual encounter', there wouldn't be much of a problem here at all, and everyone is fighting for gay rights and equal treatment, etc.

Do you agree or disagree with the sentence?
 
I agree with the sentence, in fact I'd have gone for a stronger one. The homosexual aspect of it is irrelevant. It might have been sex before marriage for someone from a religious family... Breaking someone's privacy like that and cynically spreading it out like that is horrendous.
 
Cant make up my mind without footage... wait....

If I had been violated like that id have wanted the person that did it to go to prsion or get some mental health help. Without consent its messed up.
 
infernox said:
The fact that he killed himself days after, because of bullying and such might have something to do with the sentance.
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He kills himself because he can't accept his own sexuality?

... how in any way, shape or form is that the responsibility of the guy who felt like poking fun at him?

People need to get a grip... this is an evil world, so a little film of two guys kissing is hardly something to kill yourself over.

Entirely and completely the responsibility of the gay dude... what a joke!
 
The Halk said:
I agree with the sentence, in fact I'd have gone for a stronger one. The homosexual aspect of it is irrelevant. It might have been sex before marriage for someone from a religious family... Breaking someone's privacy like that and cynically spreading it out like that is horrendous.
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And yet commonplace... should anyone who's ever been filmed doing something "embarassing" be able to get their filmer sent to jail?

No! Of course not... that's absurd!

I really don't like recent popular culture... but that doesn't mean it's wrong.
 
Depends a bit - if someones filming someone doing something embarassing then uses it to demean them then I don't see thats right - yeah its a harsh world but that doesn't make it right. Its also something you'd have to apply a scale to as well - someone tripping over themselves on video is one thing but taking a private matter and making it public purely to demean them is another.

Prison might be a bit harsh but too many people don't seem to know when they've crossed the line maybe this will help show them.
 
Hmmm, just deserves I guess. Tho' I wonder what the USA media is like, I mean how is this that different to the media invading privacy and reporting stuff without consent?
 
Rroff said:
Depends a bit - if someones filming someone doing something embarassing then uses it to demean them then I don't see thats right - yeah its a harsh world but that doesn't make it right. Its also something you'd have to apply a scale to as well - someone tripping over themselves on video is one thing but taking a private matter and making it public purely to demean them is another.

Prison might be a bit harsh but too many people don't seem to know when they've crossed the line maybe this will help show them.
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Civil case... then fair play... I don't think it's right... but it's not necessarily wrong either.

... I just don't see it as a criminal act, the fact that the guy killed himself is irrelevant
 
Read about this case in a lot of detail when it happened. Mixed feelings.

The guy who's going to jail wasn't homophobic, nor did he intend to shame the deceased. He was playing a stupid teenage american pie type prank - set up a webcam of a guy kissing another guy, and laugh about it.

The deceased had a long history of depression, and there was some previous suggestion of suicidal tendency. But he also dealt with the incident quite coolly after it happened, texting someone for advice, half laughing it off, but also filing an official complaint. No indication from his communications that what happened drove him into a sudden suicidal state aside from the timing.

I also disliked how the prosecution used chat and forum records to try and demonstrate that the accused was homophobic - i.e. he used the word 'gay' in a perjorative sense, and said things along the lines of 'i can't believe it, i'm sharing my room with someone who's gay - AWKWARD' etc.
 
crinkleshoes said:
Civil case... then fair play... I don't think it's right... but it's not necessarily wrong either.

... I just don't see it as a criminal act, the fact that the guy killed himself is irrelevant
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I'm sure you wouldn't be saying the same if it was a straight guy / girl who killed themselves after being bullied. It's well documented that bullying in situations like this can lead to suicide.
 
Difficult one to judge to be honest... Regardless of whether he was gay or not, it was an invasion of privacy. But on the other hand, take a look on the internet and you'll find hundreds of thousands of other videos doing exactly this.
 
crinkleshoes said:
And yet commonplace... should anyone who's ever been filmed doing something "embarassing" be able to get their filmer sent to jail?

No! Of course not... that's absurd!

I really don't like recent popular culture... but that doesn't mean it's wrong.
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Why is it absurd? I know someone personally who lived with their girlfriend, and who filmed her cheating on him. He was not put in jail, but he was found guilty and fined. It was wrong, but I sympathise with him.

This act was entirely unjustified.

If you mean there's lots of people who have done something embarrassing and been filmed - do you mean sexual contact in a private place where it's only reasonable to assume total privacy? Or do you mean people out on the drink being stupid?
 
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