Dharun Ravi, center, is helped by his father, Ravi Pazhani, second right, as they leave court around in New Brunswick, N.J., Friday, March 16, 2012. Defense attorney Philip Nettl follows, second left. Ravi, a former Rutgers University student accused of using a webcam to spy on his gay roommate's love life has been convicted of bias intimidation and invasion of privacy. A jury found that he used a webcam to spy on roommate Tyler Clementi. Within days, Clementi realized he had been watched and jumped to his death from New York's George Washington Bridge in September 2010. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
The Practical Buddhist Responds
Ravi's 20 years old, and he faces the next 20 years in prison.
It's not likely he'll serve that much time, and it's not certain he'll go to
prison at all. Still, he's brought international attention to the topic of gays and hate crimes.
Some are saying that it wasn't a hate crime because he didn't seem to hate gays. Not the point. If the roommate had been kissing a girl, Ravi would never sent those excited Tweets.
The fact that Ravi isn't a knuckle-dragging homophobe makes it worse. Flaming, personal hatred would have been an explanation. If I have the story right, Ravi was just having some cruel fun to entertain himself and his friends. That meanness is worse than hot hatred, any day.
I don't know Ravi's heart. Maybe he's just an immature, entitled middle class brat with a mean streak. Maybe he would have grown up to be compassionate and caring, a hard-working computer scientist.
No more. Ravi's life, even if it doesn't include 10 or 20 years in prison (and of course it shouldn't -- he was cruel, but not a killer) his life will be dramatically different.
Tyler suffered terribly (and not just because of Ravi and his cronies). His family is devastated and forever changed. So is Ravi's. Everyone involved deserves deep compassion.
The fact that Ravi isn't a knuckle-dragging homophobe makes it worse. Flaming, personal hatred would have been an explanation. If I have the story right, Ravi was just having some cruel fun to entertain himself and his friends. That meanness is worse than hot hatred, any day.
I don't know Ravi's heart. Maybe he's just an immature, entitled middle class brat with a mean streak. Maybe he would have grown up to be compassionate and caring, a hard-working computer scientist.
No more. Ravi's life, even if it doesn't include 10 or 20 years in prison (and of course it shouldn't -- he was cruel, but not a killer) his life will be dramatically different.
Tyler suffered terribly (and not just because of Ravi and his cronies). His family is devastated and forever changed. So is Ravi's. Everyone involved deserves deep compassion.
