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Showing posts from June, 2004

So Young

Japanese television viewers were greeted with shocking news a few weeks ago when an 11-year old girl in the 6th grade killed a 12-year old classmate during the lunch break at their elementally school, using a paper cutter. The murder motive is still under investigation, but its looks like a simple case of taunting and revenge. The highlight of the case apart from the youth of the suspect is that the taunting was apparently conducted on the Internet. The suspected killer repeatedly asked the victim to stop making postings about her, but in vain. Is this a enough reason to kill someone, especially at this age? Clearly for the suspect, it was. The Japanese media are now doing a lot of soul-searching, trying to decide whether the ability of being able to use the Internet has removed the elements of restraint and decorum from interpersonal relationships -- to the general determent of society... All I know is that two lives were ruined in just the 6 grade.