May was certainly an emotionally fraught month, darlings!!!!!!!!!!! Just two days before I would move out of Woodside, sentencing was handed down on Dharun Ravi, cyberbullyer of Tyler Clementi. You would think this would have finally put things to rest. But the outcome actually will keep this debate, and Tyler's memory, going for years.
On the one hand, Judge Glenn Berman harshly chastised the arrogant Ravi, so arrogant, he refused to stand while being sentenced!!!!!!!! Can you believe that???????
"I have heard this jury say 'Guilty' 288 times--12 jurors, 24 counts, that is the multiplication. And I have not heard you apologize once!!!!!!!!!"
But THEN he sentenced Ravi to--get this--a mere 30 days in jail!!!!!!!!
True, Ravi is on probation for three years, has to perform community service. and pay $10,000 in increments of $300 a month towards bullying related factors. Which is fine enough. But the brevity of the sentencing stunned everyone; even, I am sure, Ravi himself!!!!!!!!!
As Steven Goldstein, chairman of the Jersey gay rights organization, Garden State Equality, said--"Dharun Ravi got one-third the jail time that some shoplifters in our state get. Stunning!"
James Clementi, Tyler's extremely articulate gay brother, said, "The minute a computer paired my brother and Dharun Ravi to live together, his fate was sealed." He is right.
Ravi's father said Dharun was not raised to hate gays. Which, you know, may actually be true! But, since when do children do everything they were raised to???????? If you want to accept the father's statement at face value, then Dharun certainly had other thoughts of his own, which countered and deviated from however he had been raised! Which speaks of a personality easily mallable and corroded by the twisted demands of mainstream cultural conformity.
Jane Clementi, with brevity, said with the 30 day sentencing, Judge Berman was sending the wrong message. I agree, because, now, does this mean, for future cyber, or other bullies--"It's OK, all I will get is a slap on the wrist?" It certainly seems that way.
On the other hand, whether he meant to or not, the controversial sentencing handed down by Berman, insured that this case, these issues, will not be put to rest, but will be debated for years to come!
Which is not an altogether bad thing. But not at the expense of justice for Tyler Clementi and his family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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