Princess Kate (aka the Duchess of Cambridge) is Pregnant!

[wissaboo]

yikes it was a stupid thing to do but not worth dying over

[Starkers]

Well maybe she was already in a bad place and it nudged her over the edge. The police are apparenly not treating it as a suspicious death so I guess it isn't beyond the realms of possibility that it's a natural death, but that's a heck of a coincidence.

[Jim Steele]

Correlation does not imply causation. If she did in fact commit suicide, I sincerely doubt this was the one factor that led to her doing it.

There's an internet justice mob on their case just now and some of the things being said to the DJs are utterly vile and inexcusable, despite the stupid, mean spirited prank they pulled. People are depressing.

[JarodRussell]

Jim Steele wrote:

---

Correlation does not imply causation. If she did in fact commit suicide, I sincerely doubt this was the one factor that led to her doing it.

I think you underestimate the level of humilation.

[Jim Steele]

Well, ultimately nobody knows. I find it unlikely that one episode of embarrassment/humiliation, however extreme, can cause a mentally healthy individual to take their own life, but I'm not dismissing the possibility.

The bottom line is, jumping to the conclusion that A directly and solely led to B is sheer folly. It's the same kind of thinking that blames school shootings on video games.

[JarodRussell]

If the school shooting happens a day after an extremely humiliating prank, I'd definitely consider it a possible trigger.

[wissaboo]

Jim Steele wrote:

---

Well, ultimately nobody knows. I find it unlikely that one episode of embarrassment/humiliation, however extreme, can cause a mentally healthy individual to take their own life, but I'm not dismissing the possibility.

The bottom line is, jumping to the conclusion that A directly and solely led to B is sheer folly. It's the same kind of thinking that blames school shootings on video games.

I think the point is that you don't know what kind of issues someone already has when you publicly make a fool of them and destroy their career.

you can at least agree that the dj's knew that was what the fall out was going to be?

[Jim Steele]

Trigger, exactly. Trigger. You could conceivably trigger a suicide by being rude to someone, but nobody would hold you directly accountable. Depends on the individual, and none of the people jumping to conclusions know anything about the individual.

wissaboo wrote:

---

I think the point is that you don't know what kind of issues someone already has when you publicly make a fool of them and destroy their career.

you can at least agree that the dj's knew that was what the fall out was going to be?

I understand the point, but I think it's a bit of a slippery slope, if you'll forgive me for using that tired old phrase.

I don't think it was the DJ's intention to destroy anyone's career, and by all accounts they hadn't. According to the hospital themselves no disciplinary action had been brought over this, and according to palace they considered the nurses involved very much victims of the prank and had not complained to the hospital. So to say anyone's career had been destroyed would appear to be running contrary to what's been reported.

And, according to those same reports, the DJ's actually expected to be hung up on as soon as the hospital staff heard their "awful accents" (a reasonable assumption - it does beggar belief that they actually got through). So I don't think the DJ's knew (or cared) what the fallout would be, no. They apparently expected it wouldn't go anywhere near as far as it did.

What they did was mean, unfunny, grossly inconsiderate and unbelievably stupid. I'm not in any way defending what they did. But to suggest that they're directly responsible for the poor woman's death as many are doing is simply wrong.

[J. Allen]

I think it's punishment enough that the DJs from this radio show are aware of the fallout, and that hopefully they've learned to stop pulling stupid pranks like this one. I am certain this woman's death will weigh heavily on their consciences. Desiring more out of it would be unreasonable, as it isn't the fault of the DJs for what happened to this young woman. She was obviously troubled, and needed help, and this incident was enough to send her over the edge. Very sad, but not a reason to bring retribution against the DJs themselves, I don't think.

[MacLeod]

It is very easier to jumpt to conclusions, without waiting for the full facts to emerge. Now obviously what the DJ's was in extremely poor taste.

As for the unfortunate apparent suicide of the nurse, unless any of us have been embarassed in the way she was we shouldn't judge her mental state. She might not have faced any disciplnary procedures and the Royal Family considered the matter closed. However what matters is what she thought, many people when even midley embaressed what nothing more than to hid under a rock so to speak. And sometimes no amounts of assurances can overcome what person is thinking. It may not be rational but human beings aren't always rational.

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Do these DJs still have jobs after all this went down?

[Dream]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberbullying

I hope the DJs feel like shit after what went down.

[Mr. Laser Beam]

They should get fired and possibly even sued.

[tighr]

I apologize if this sounds insensitive, but I don't see how this is the DJs fault...

[Jim Steele]

It isn't the DJ's fault, at all. No more than cutting someone up on the road makes you responsible if the other driver has a heart attack. Dick move, but not murder.