Quote:
Originally Posted by JonoBN41
No one knows the extent to which an incident like this angers me. I have no sympathy for anyone involved.
First off, I don't generally get down on other fraternities, but that chapter is toast. They should be closed down and prosecuted. Why should I pity an organization that gives us all a black eye?
The parents are not faultless either. They obviously did not teach their son how to drink in moderation - just sent him off to college.
The 21-year-old drinking age is not working. I can't recall even one instance like this happening when I was in school in the '70s when the age was 18. Now it seems to happen regularly.
The Darwin Award, of course, goes to the kid himself. I don't even sympathize with him. How does one get into college (with a scholarship?) and still be stupid enough to drink that much alcohol?
To quote the Times of Trenton, "Brittney Coates said she knows that Gary made his own decisions, but like her brother she is finding it hard not to place blame.
There is one thing she does know, however. If she or any of DeVercelly's other hometown friends had been with him Wednesday night, he would still be alive. 'Honestly, if any of his true friends had been there with him this wouldn't have happened,' she said. 'He just needed a good friend to be there and there wasn't."
You can say that again!
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I agree with most of this, except for the fraternity thing. They'll probably get closed down, just because thats how HQ's respond to events like this. However, other than the specific individuals (if any) that purchased the alcohol or provided it to the kid, I don't think they should be prosecuted. I hope the parents don't sue the school or national fraternity, although that seems likely. I hate when people blame others for something they had an equal role in. Of course, I don't blame the parents entirely. They may have been fantastic people who raised a good kid, but that kid just acted irresponsibly.
As for the drinking age, that may or may not make a difference. While it may be true that kids didn't do this when the drinking age was 18, it was also a different breed of kid. We are at the lowest point in this country's history for self-responsibility. My parents generation was more mature and responsible at 18 than mine is at 22.