Pranks and Blame

So if you watch TV or read material on the internet you know that the nurse who was prank called by some Australian DJ's committed suicide shortly after.

Apparently much of the public thinks it's the DJ's fault.

I think this has to do with the so called "anti-bullying" stance that has gripped the US and Britain (and possibly elsewhere). It is always tragic when a life is lost that didn't have to be lost. It is also tragic when someone takes their own life when they have other viable options (I say this because I think people with terminal diseases ought to be able to end their lives before the disease does).

But this "someone else must be to blame" culture that is on the rise is ridiculous. Indeed such a prank could have been very harmful. Sensitive information could have been released. If that person was an assassin (work with me here) then someone could have gotten killed.

But none of this was the case. It was silly. We have seen these kinds of things all the time and normal people have a good laugh once the joke is exposed. If it is a high profile case like this one, you milk it for a bit of fame and then go back to life. At worse I could have seen the nursing staff given a review of hospital policy. But a suicide? Total over the top reaction.

What is most bothersome about this is not that he public as expected wanted a head to roll, but it is the unwillingness of the authorities to tell the public to STFU, have seat, Keep calm and carry on. Instead the state is abusing it's power by trying to find some technicality that would allow them to make a charge wholly unrelated to the actual death so that they can "get justice". It is a total abuse of power. Someone didn't have the mental fortitude to take a joke. That is not the DJ's fault. If the DJ's are at fault then all the Candid Camera shows are potential crimes. All spoof shows are potential crimes. The only thing keeping them from being prosecuted would be the amount of public "outrage" over the prank in question.

This is not how the law is supposed to work.