R.I.P. Tyler Clementi

courtesy of http://milosjanusoutlook.blogspot.com

Tyler Clementi's suicide confirms two things: that man is essentially a hostile being and that education does nothing for him.  Education does not seem to teach tolerance but breeds arrogance instead.  It was not enough that Tyler was minding his own business--he neglected to be watchful of others minding it for him.  Not content with a giggle or a snicker, the voyeur had to publicly humiliate Tyler.  What are schools teaching children?  What are parents teaching their children? Why is their energy so misdirected? Thanks to social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace, private lives are on public display, cyber bullying is rampant. No one takes the responsibility of controlling the content on these sites.  No one even cares until something extreme like this happens.

My elementary school would set aside an hour every day for "Moral Science", a period dedicated to teaching children decent, moral behavior and social etiquette.  It wasn't my favorite part of the day, but I think that is what is missing in children's lives today.  Decency has to be taught and cultivated.  And their energy should be properly channeled. Children do not play out on the streets nowadays; tag and hide-and-seek are lame games. No one uses a punching bag to vent his/her frustrations on. Even Playstation and Xbox are getting obsolete now that there is more fun in being mean on the internet.  Let us wind-up the toys and watch them run pell-mell!! Let the mind games begin.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/30/nyregion/30suicide.html