My first reply in this thread was deeply imprecise, so I'm not surprised!
What I meant was, societal homophobia seems to be part of what made Clementi react to this incident the way he did. Ultimately, suicide is a choice on the part of the suicidal person, and it's a choice that's shaped by a lifetime of events. If Clementi had grown up in a society that told him, "It's perfectly fine that you're gay, and anyone who says otherwise is going to be quickly and severely punished by us," then this incident of harassment would have been hurtful but may have been easier to cope with.
Assuming, of course, that his suicide was related to this incident. Which we still don't know for sure, right? No note has been found? I think the conclusion that it was related is reasonable and very likely; just pointing out that we're making an educated guess rather than talking about something with solid evidence. Another reason a manslaughter charge doesn't make sense.
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Date: 2010-10-03 06:45 am (UTC)What I meant was, societal homophobia seems to be part of what made Clementi react to this incident the way he did. Ultimately, suicide is a choice on the part of the suicidal person, and it's a choice that's shaped by a lifetime of events. If Clementi had grown up in a society that told him, "It's perfectly fine that you're gay, and anyone who says otherwise is going to be quickly and severely punished by us," then this incident of harassment would have been hurtful but may have been easier to cope with.
Assuming, of course, that his suicide was related to this incident. Which we still don't know for sure, right? No note has been found? I think the conclusion that it was related is reasonable and very likely; just pointing out that we're making an educated guess rather than talking about something with solid evidence. Another reason a manslaughter charge doesn't make sense.