Thoughts on Ryan Clementi and the Rutgers Tragedy - Ryan John

 

 

When freshman Dharun Ravi and his lady friend set up the web cam on Tyler Clementi's laptop in Rutgers this month, I'm sure they didn't anticipate Clementi jumping off the GW Bridge.  But, what did they expect?  They expected to extremely expose Clementi's most hidden secret to willing viewers in an effort to achieve some short lived Internet fame that would increase their popularity around a very large and intimating college campus. 

 

Ravi probably assumed maybe a few Rutgers students would take his Twitter advice and log into iChat to view the video and like wild fire the video would spread to hundreds of Rutgers students before making it's way to the rest of the world. Ravi's name would be attached to this video as the funnyman prankster who caught his roommate in the act. How hilarious, right? A great way to kick off his freshman year!

One of my favorite guilty pleasures is scouring Youtube watching the widest range of videos the site has to offer.  And I figured out why.  I am obsessed with reality.  I'm obsessed with figuring out the world through analyzing real people and situations... what people are really thinking or what happens when someone is caught off guard.  That is the type of video I really enjoy- Basically people's candid reactions when they believe no one is watching.   

 

The barrier to this is that most people put on a show in front of other people. They go by the character that they want the world to know them by and their lines are almost rehearsed like that of an actor. But when individuals are given an opportunity to watch other peoples real selves in action, it reminds us of our own imperfect selves and we feel comforted to know that we are not alone in our human imperfection.  

 

Hence the unquenchable thirst for reality television. But lets not get it confused.  The reality television of 2010 isn't what first caught our eye back in the days of America's Funniest Video's and Cops.  It has turned into a scripted reality that shows what people might do for money, but I guess the majority of people fall for it. 

 

If I could have one wish, it would probably be to be invisible so that I could figure out the world little by little. The Internet is a gateway to figuring out the world.  I think we all have that desire to be invisible and a computer screen is often the projection of what that invisible eye picks up.

 

These moments of candor expose other peoples humanity.  Ravi probably felt better about himself and his human flaw because he was exposing something he thought was humiliating about another.  It just so happens we all have that personal need for comfort and when someone or something can make us feel better about it, we'll entertain it. There is strength in numbers.  The people watching that video are the equivalent to the kids on the playground laughing and pointing when a bully beats up a "wimp."

With the internet, the bully doesn't have to be the biggest kid on the playground.  With the internet, Ravi was able to bully Clementi to this extent.  But without the internet, this story probably wouldn't have the reach that is has and perhaps the lesson learned wouldn't be to so many people.