If someone said bad words or was mean to someone, which caused them to commit suicide, should that first person have to serve prison time for it?

[MCheetah]

If someone, especially online, caused someone to take their own life, and it's proven in court that the person who committed suicide due to the one in court's words said to them (such as in a suicide letter or lots of evidence), should that person have to go to prison for it?

As in: If someone takes their own life as a result of being called bad names or being verbally berated, should the alleged harasser be treated similarly to those in murder and manslaughter cases?

I personally believe No, they shouldn't be held responsible like a murderer. Bullying has existed for a long time. Someone who commits suicide is going to do so for more than just being called names. (21 year old me knows this.) Now, maybe they should be held as a social pariah or have some other punishment happen to them, but I don't believe words alone can cause someone to commit suicide.

Yes; their words and actions should be held accountable for that person taking their own life.

No; because others' words aren't responsible for someone else's actions. / Or, it goes against free speech.

Other / I don't know.

[Lost_in_the_Woods]

No. But the courts should take bullying into account when the victim snapped and attacks the bully.

My opinion, don't kill yourself. Do the rest of us a favor and kill the asshole treating you so badly that you don't want to live.

You will have a chance to come out the other side without them, and worst case you can always still kill yourself later and leave the world a better place.


Jail for speech is across a line for me. But I wouldn't be opposed to a fine. If it happened at work they should definitely be fired. (before the other person kills themselves)

Stuff like that. But probably not jail.
The victim should block or avoid the bully. If they follow up and continue the harassment, they should press charges for stalking/trespassing/harassment etc...

Nobody can really make you kill yourself.

But, I think the new problem is the cancel culture taking peoples jobs and free speech and giving them no way to live happily. That should be illegal, as it leads to people having no other choice but to do something drastic.

[Stoner710]

There is a difference between incitement and causing one to take action that he didn’t mean them to do. You never know if you call a girl fat that she’s going to go kill her self for example that’s a extreme example but women have killed themselves because somebody has said they’re fat. Saying that you’re fat isn’t an incitement to go kill yourself saying go kill yourself is an incitement to go kill yourself. So I say other if you’re actively telling somebody to kill them selves then you shouldn’t be held responsible if you say something mean and somebody ends up taking their life because of that then you should not be going to prison because that was never your attend you were just intending to be an asshole

[MCheetah]

Good argument.

In this scenario presented above, the person would have never said "you should kill yourself." Just basic verbal bullying and meanness, even if they may or may not have thought the person had mental health problems.

[Stoner710]

Agreed it’s fucked up bullying is a thing and you probably could get them charged on verbal assault. But unless it’s a call to action for example “kill you self because your ugly”. ( again only and example by no means am I telling you to kill your self) under the law it’s not considered murder. It’s tragic nonetheless

[JustAnj]

I don't think a person should receive a similar sentence a murderer should but I think depending on age and maturity. If a person is aware of someone's instability and mental health issues they should be liable in a lesser than murder charge.

With proof that the person was aware of the person's emotional state.

It's just like assisted suicide or a person who murders by enforcing a victim to commit suicide.

I can see how they gave her a murder charge but due to the lack of maturity I think she could have gotten a lighter sentence being that she was not mentally emotionally able to comprehend how lethal the situation could become including the consequences.

[TessP]

No, that's opening up a can of worms. It reminds me of the left saying that the Jan 6 thing was a result of something Trump said. That's just beyond stupid. Those people did what they did, because they wanted to.
It's sad when people commit suicide because of a bully, but bringing the law into it would just make it worse.

[TessP]

Thanks

[Mofunfour20]

No thats a slippery slope because of freedom of speech. People that sensitive to what other people say need to toughen up, wear headphones, or add value to their lives. Everyone should be held accountable for their actions. They shouldn't go to jail just because the other person didn't value themselves.

[hellionthesagereborn]

No. First, my words are not equatable to some one elses actions, and second freedom of speech. Now do I think some one unrelentingly going out of their way to make some one else miserable even to the extent of hoping that they commit suicide is good? Absolutely not, that is a shit person and they should be called out for doing that, but that is not the same as them being a murderer, their just a miserable fuck.

[JosyJosy]

I miss my click... but no. As cruel as it sounds, it's their choice to commit suicide, not yours. For example the manipulative controlling ex who threatens to kill himself if I leave him. Well sorry but life's too short to suffer for someone else's convenience. If he kills himself over it, that's his choice. His doing.

[qwert1234]

No, unless that someone encouraged the other to commit suicide.

Being mean is not a crime.
Saying bad words is not a crime.
Assisting/encouraging suicide is a crime.

[MCheetah]

Yeah, but the court may argue the meanness and bad words WAS the assistance in suicide.

[qwert1234]

Ofcourse they would do that.
One can also argue about the mental state of the person who committed suicide, that it's unknown to the other party, that if it's known beforehand, those words would not have been said. An argument can be made that many people has been on the receiving end of bad words and mean things, heck even harassments and bullying, but they are still alive.

If it reaches that point, it's up to the lawyers to present a sound argument.
But then again:
Being mean is not a crime.
Saying bad words is not a crime.

[genuinlysensitive]

Agreed. Unless it was a call to action like telling someone to "kill themself" it is just speech. Only from call to action or assisting should they be prosecuted or punished. Just like speech, unless you are directly calling for violence it is legal.

That is why so many people who want to censor are trying to claim that X speech is "inciting violence." Because you can be arrested for it. Not to mention its been tried before in the South before the civil war, they tried to get around The First Amendment by saying critiscism of slavery was "incitement to violence."

[888theGreat]

No, freedom of speech. You have the right to say it and they have the right not to listen. If someone is unstable and can't handle it , then that is life. If a guy breaks up with a woman and tells her why and she commits suicide , is he responsible? Should he stay in an unhappy situation? If she says I will kill myself , should he have to marry her?

[Jaaanellie]

I don’t think so but it depends on context. There’s bullying of an innocent persons and bullying of a bully. I know a guy who commit suicide and he was the biggest cunt to so many girls for no reason. Like he had never gotten to know me but he immediately started shit talking me and my friends. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone hit him up and told him how he made her feel. Many people kill themselves because they hate themselves. Maybe even because of the guilt for that they had done to others.

[This_Is_My_Opinion8]

I don't think they should be charged with murder. But they should be expelled from their school. If the bullying was physical to the point someone suicide, sent them to juvi.

In my country, last mouth a boy was run over by a car running away from bullies.

[JesseJayNeak]

No, I don't think they should but that doesn't mean that they should remain unpunished

[DaveToo]

Free speech be damned in this case. It should be considered hate speech that leads to death. Yeah, I know, you can't try someone for what they said.

[madgoat]

Bullying and abuse are crimes, as is incitement.