Post by hannahmo116 on Dec 4, 2012 22:39:02 GMT -5
As history has shown, human nature can be conservative to the point of absurdity. More often than not, humans will reject what is new and unknown to them and revert to the things that bring them comfort due to how it coincides with what they have been taught. If an idea blends in with the consensus, it is celebrated. If not, it is rejected. For many years, the consensus of America was a heteronormic one that rejected the concept of homosexuality. In recent years, with a civil rights movement building amongst the gay community, many people have felt confident enough to ‘out’ themselves to the general public in the hopes of being accepted. In some cases, the consensus is willing to accept the change and thus the person. In others, the consensus becomes repressive and these people are exiled. A tool that has become the weapon with which to amplify the consensus is the internet. Social networking sites such as facebook and formspring can be useful to some, but can also become the perfect stage for one to state their opinions and build a consensus against someone. Some, like the teenager Jamey Rodemeyer, are bullied to the point that they take their own lives. The suicide of Jamey Rodemeyer indicates how the internet can intensify the tyrannical nature within the homophobic consensus of American society.
Jamey Rodemeyer committed suicide after being harassed on the internet; he fell victim to the consensus that being gay was wrong and thus his existence was wrong. After admitting to being bisexual, his formspring account was flooded with messages saying things such as “I wouldn’t care if you died. No one would. So just do it”. None of the cyberbullies were willing to reveal their identities; there could have very well been only one tormenter but the amount of anonymous comments created the appearance of many people. Jamey was reminded again and again that the consensus was against him. Even after his death, a large group of people at his school continued to speak against him and his orientation. A couple of months before his death, Jamey made an “It Gets Better” video, encouraging other gay teenagers to stay strong in the face of adversity; he appeared to be content with his place in the world and hopeful for his future. In this case, the internet was used to support a moral consensus. His death represents how even the strongest people can be broken by the power of mob rule; it also demonstrates how the internet can be used to create the illusion of a mob, with a wave of 'anonymous' people all speaking the rhetoric of their consensus. If one had the opportunity to encounter the bullies in person and individually, one might have found that not all of them had the same extreme view of the topic, they may have just been mimicking what their friends were doing. This experience is similar to how the character of Hester Prynne from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is abused in front of a crowd for her sin that goes against their consensus, but is then tolerated when encountering people individually. If it wasn’t for peer pressure and the heightened powers the internet and the anonymous button gave the consensus, Jamey may be alive today.
While Jamey’s death was tragic, it did open up America’s eyes to the oppressive powers of consensus and the internet. After reaching out to the singer Lady Gaga before he died, she urged the president to recognize bullying as a crime as a result of this calamity, and more programs have been implemented in public schools to increase tolerance of all ways of life. The public is now becoming more aware of mob effect, and thus destructive consensuses such as this one. America has begun a change, and hopefully the consensus in the future will be a more accepting one.
Word Count: 552
Works Consulted:
James, Susan Donaldson. “Jamey Rodemeyer Suicide: Police Consider Criminal Bullying Charges.” ABC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://abcnews.go.com/Health/jamey-rodemeyer-suicide-ny-police-open-criminal-investigation/story?id=14580832#.UL6xT7t0Swc>.
Praetorius, Dean. “Jamey Rodemeyer, 14-Year-Old Boy, Commits Suicide after Gay Bullying, Parents Carry on Message.” Huffington Post. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://abcnews.go.com/Health/jamey-rodemeyer-suicide-ny-police-open-criminal-investigation/story?id=14580832#.UL6xT7t0Swc>.
Jamey Rodemeyer committed suicide after being harassed on the internet; he fell victim to the consensus that being gay was wrong and thus his existence was wrong. After admitting to being bisexual, his formspring account was flooded with messages saying things such as “I wouldn’t care if you died. No one would. So just do it”. None of the cyberbullies were willing to reveal their identities; there could have very well been only one tormenter but the amount of anonymous comments created the appearance of many people. Jamey was reminded again and again that the consensus was against him. Even after his death, a large group of people at his school continued to speak against him and his orientation. A couple of months before his death, Jamey made an “It Gets Better” video, encouraging other gay teenagers to stay strong in the face of adversity; he appeared to be content with his place in the world and hopeful for his future. In this case, the internet was used to support a moral consensus. His death represents how even the strongest people can be broken by the power of mob rule; it also demonstrates how the internet can be used to create the illusion of a mob, with a wave of 'anonymous' people all speaking the rhetoric of their consensus. If one had the opportunity to encounter the bullies in person and individually, one might have found that not all of them had the same extreme view of the topic, they may have just been mimicking what their friends were doing. This experience is similar to how the character of Hester Prynne from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is abused in front of a crowd for her sin that goes against their consensus, but is then tolerated when encountering people individually. If it wasn’t for peer pressure and the heightened powers the internet and the anonymous button gave the consensus, Jamey may be alive today.
While Jamey’s death was tragic, it did open up America’s eyes to the oppressive powers of consensus and the internet. After reaching out to the singer Lady Gaga before he died, she urged the president to recognize bullying as a crime as a result of this calamity, and more programs have been implemented in public schools to increase tolerance of all ways of life. The public is now becoming more aware of mob effect, and thus destructive consensuses such as this one. America has begun a change, and hopefully the consensus in the future will be a more accepting one.
Word Count: 552
Works Consulted:
James, Susan Donaldson. “Jamey Rodemeyer Suicide: Police Consider Criminal Bullying Charges.” ABC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://abcnews.go.com/Health/jamey-rodemeyer-suicide-ny-police-open-criminal-investigation/story?id=14580832#.UL6xT7t0Swc>.
Praetorius, Dean. “Jamey Rodemeyer, 14-Year-Old Boy, Commits Suicide after Gay Bullying, Parents Carry on Message.” Huffington Post. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://abcnews.go.com/Health/jamey-rodemeyer-suicide-ny-police-open-criminal-investigation/story?id=14580832#.UL6xT7t0Swc>.