Hate Crimes have ended, enter Thought Control

It came out a day or so ago.  The news that ex-Rutgers student Dharun Ravi was found guilty of hate crimes against Tyler Clementi, the young man who committed suicide last year.  OK.  I admit I was not in the courtroom, and did not hear all of the evidence.  It's entirely possible that some massive piece of evidence was produced that showed, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Ravi deliberately did what he did out of malice against Climenti on the basis of Clementi being gay. 

But as of now, I've not seen it.  As of now, the evidence seems to suggest that this was a college prank by a young man who, being a child of the post-modern west, bore no real grudge against homosexuals, or even Clementi over his sexual orientation.  In fact, based on evidence that has been discussed in the media, there was plenty to suggest that there was little other than friction that can occur between college students tossed into close quarters; the kind of friction that has been going on since the beginning of college life.

More than that, unless there is some huge piece of evidence we've not heard from, the whole prank seemed to be nothing other than a living out of the media dream of pulling some humiliating prank on someone you were having issues with.  This was just Radar O'Reilly slipping a microphone under Frank and Hot Lips while they were engaging in marital infidelity.  This was American Pie.  This was Animal House.  This was humiliating humor the likes of which dominates the Comedy circuit in our society, and has for decades. 

Unless there was some massive piece of evidence not yet revealed, this is what it looks like.  And yet, he's found guilty of a hate crime.  Why?  On what grounds?  I'm waiting to hear the jury unpack this, because to this little blogger, this has all the trappings of our post-modern society lurching ever forward in its quest for a post-liberal despotic tyranny.  This was simply a warning, taking Ravi to the chopping block as a warning.  Not a warning not to attack or hurt homosexuals.  But a warning that you had better not do anything to a homosexual at all, even if you aren't doing it maliciously.  Because if anything goes wrong, you will be skinned in a public display of post-modern justice. 

Again, I could be wrong.  There might be some reason, based on some evidence, that the obvious was discarded and the concept of hate crime rendered meaningless, or nothing other than an excuse for thought control and punishment of conscience and non-conformity.  But unless I hear otherwise, I'm going with the most obvious interpretation, especially given the forward march of censorship in the name of non-heterosexual normality.

Oh, and by the way.  The little to no play time that this decision has received in the MSM, suggests to me there's something disquieting about it all; something that the MSM doesn't want folks thinking about.