GSRIDER

Parents file lawsuit over Star Wars video

Humiliation forced Quebec teenager to drop out of school, document says


MONTREAL — The parents of Ghyslain Raza, the Quebec teenager who became a celebrity this spring after classmates posted on the Internet a video of him mimicking a Star Wars character, allege that their son was so humiliated by the experience that he had to get psychiatric care.
The revelation is made in a lawsuit his parents have filed against the families of four classmates they accuse of maliciously turning their son into an object of mockery.

The video of Ghyslain, a portly 15-year-old pretending he is wielding a double-bladed light sabre, has been downloaded millions of times from several Web sites, which dubbed him Star Wars Kid.

Many other pranksters have created their own versions of the clip, with added video effects and sounds. One has him moving at fast-forward speed to goofy music from the Benny Hill Show. Other parodies were made with unflattering titles, such as Dork Clones, or mixed in with sounds of flatulence.

In a statement of claim filed last week in their home town of Trois-Rivières, the Razas say that Ghyslain was so widely mocked at his private high school that he dropped out.

He had to finish the session at Pavillon Arc-en-ciel, a ward specializing in child psychiatry at the Trois-Rivières Regional Hospital Centre.

Ghyslain "will be under psychiatric care for an indefinite amount of time," the statement of claim says.

"The stigma of mental illness can generate social prejudices having severe consequences" on the young man, including making it more difficult for him to enroll in the school of his choice or get a job, or even forcing him to change his name, the document added.

"Ghyslain had to endure, and still endures today, harassment and derision from his high-school mates and the public at large," it said.

The story has appeared in newspapers around the world, from the New York Times to the New Zealand Herald.

The Razas are now seeking $225,000 in damages from the parents of four teenagers: Michaël Caron, François Labarre, Jérôme Laflamme and Jean-Michel Rheault.

They say the four stole the video from a school filing cabinet where Ghyslain had stored a video camera he was using for a student project.

The lawsuit says the four young men then digitized the video before sending it out on the Internet in April, with messages inviting people to make insulting remarks about it.

The statement of claim includes lengthy excerpts that it says come from Internet chats in May between the pranksters.

Complete with misspellings, bad grammar and cyber-style acronyms, the exchanges are used in the statement of claim as evidence that the boys lacked remorse. They also brag in them that they evaded attempts by school officials to find the culprits behind Ghyslain's misfortunes.

Ghyslain's parents and lawyers would not speak to reporters yesterday. The parents of the defendants either did not answer calls or refused to comment because the dispute was before the courts.

While the video of Ghyslain's antics generated some derisive Internet comments, others felt bad and started raising money for him. One group collected more than $3,000 (U.S.), which they used to buy him an Apple iPod portable music player.

In the excerpts from Internet chats filed in court, the four appear to be plotting ways to get the gifts sent to another address so they can keep the iPod for themselves.

the link

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MadShinji

Come on now, this guy is an internet legend now. He's famous, live with the fame and try to find a way to make money with it.

It's embarassing yes, but it's nothing to cry about.

Daval

anyone got a link to this vid?

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ninety09

Himbo

Link here

http://media.ebaumsworld.com/starwarskidedit.wmv

Troublebot

I don't know. He's in a Parthenon with Goatse and Tubgirl.

A dubious achievement at best.

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Skettios

Seriously, I feel bad for this kid, but not that bad.

If he had any kind of nerve, he'd stop suing everyone, and live it up a little bit. I mean being a minor celebrity is fun. He should live it up.

When I came to State, I did some dumb shit, but funny shit, and people don't remember me for the stupid things I did with my friends, they remember my nickname, and I get so much street cred based upon the fact that they heard it somewhere.

Ghyslain ought to take this opportunity and tried to get laid and paid, instead of being a crybaby.

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Maekio

He could probably get apple to pay him to star in an iPod commercial...

Mill

He will feel much better when the lawsuit pays out.

Cynthetiq

jeez... really really really low self esteem...

if he was picked on before... now OMG... it's going to be even worse...

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Ishamael

Hey, that video ruled. More power to him. ^.^

Zangal

um, just what is tubgirl?

MadShinji

It's a website with a girl in a tub and some stuff.

Phaenx

A picture of some aZn girl fountain shitting into her own mouth.

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Ishamael

How...how is that even possible?

Wait, no, I don't want to know.

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zztzed

I still don't get why a bunch of total strangers would raise all this money for some random 'tard who just happened to achieve some questionable degree of 'fame' because some asshats decided to post a video of him doing stupid shit on the Internet. I'm fat and I do stupid shit all the time, the only difference is I don't videotape it.

I also don't get why it's such a big deal that he gets made fun of. Mockery, especially if you are in any way an outsider, is a fact of life in high school. This kid may be an extreme case due to the root cause of the derision he suffers, but he's either really full of shit or really weak-spirited if he had to finish school in a mental hospital because of it.

I also thought it was funny how the article said that all this mockery could "forc[e] him to change his name". Shit, if I had a name like "Ghyslain" I'd change it as soon as I possibly could. Maybe that's the real reason he got made fun of.

And I think it's fucking stupid that his parents are suing. Kind of a relief to see that stupid lawsuits are not solely the domain of the US, though.

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Buk

While they are at it they should sue Lucas Arts for a role in Episode III because he promoted the star wars universe and is an ultimate fanboi.

Soggybagel

I don't get it...from what I've read he's gettin free stuff for his suffering and humiliation...now he needs more money. Im sure after he sues people everyone will like him more.

th0r

Pretty funny videos!

Fallon

The suing I think is a bit overboard, but the kids actions that put it on the net, and told other people to mock it, that does deserve some form of punishment. Yes, mockery is a thing of high school, but being in high school, and have the people all over the world laugh at you and mock you, I think that's another story. I think I personally would live it up, and do a talk show circuit, and try to get as much money as I could from it, and rub it in that bastards faces that did it to me

TwistedFate

If I was the kid I'd make more videos and release them myself. How much fun could he have with Matrix:Reloaded and X-Men 2 and others. He could actually parlay this into something decent. Sure he has a bit of minor negative noteriety, but that doesn't mean it has to stay that way. Get over it and get on with your life.

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Charlatan

ummmm... his parents are sueing the parents of the kids that did this to him...

I'm sure the Kid doesn't want any part of this... he's dealing with being in a mental institution because of the high level of teasing... If you've never been teased or picked on before... FUCK You. I've been there. It's tough.

His idiot parents are only making this worse for him...

I just wish he could see the humourous side to all of this and the fact that he is such a celebrity...

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micah67

The problem is that he's a kid and doesn't know how to handle this type of notoriaty...

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RurouniKenshin

If the kid seriously needs mental help because of this, he must have already HAD mental/self esteem issues.

If he was a normal person he'd either get back at the others or take advantage of it.

viveleroi0

what bs

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GSRIDER

I know I would of been on Leno now... like ma always said.

"little GS, when those kids are laughing at you, no matter how much it hurts... laugh with them... and don't anymore attention to yourself than need be."

Thanks ma.

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Nisses

RurouniKenshin: actually, it has been said a few times that he indeed *had* selfesteem trouble before, and becoming the target of mockery from an entire school, is not a fact of life... It's downright crippling. Imagine the worst time you ever had with people continuously mocking and making fun of you. That's what, 20 people, maybe 30. Now imagine having a whole school doing this, which even for small schools will go well over 1000 people (here at least). If half of those do it, you've got 500 people mocking you, on a daily basis. And if ever it would die down, there's always the next idiot with half a brain who considers himself original because he added new sound, or new effects to continue on and on and on.

Combine those two things, and I can completely understand why he could have broken down. And I also understand that his parents would sue over this. Those 4 kids, like it or not, were the direct cause of his condition (whether he would have ended up there eventually is another matter). And they were the direct cause of all the extra expenses his parents now have to pay.

So yes, I understand his parents POV completely.

Also, the iPod was a nice gesture, but rather pointless, they could have just sent the money, or something useful.

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Trilidon

I dunno, I would be fucking proud =P

GoldenOuroboros

I prolly woulda gone to school the next day in a darth maul outfit

But Nisses does have a point

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MikeyChalupa

Maybe he can hook up with Libby Hoeler... she's probably the only one who understands his pain

-Mikey

vinnyferrozzo

So he claims that embarrassment is the reason for the suit. Well, if he just would have laughed it off it wouldn't be that bad, however suing and bring it more out into the open with a trial will be much more embarassing. Kinda like getting your mom to tell the school bully to leave you alone....stupid idea

90degree

lmao... the parents are full of shit... this is the age we live in.. the information age... no one forced this guy to do this.. lol..

yeah.. the entire school laughing would be hard to deal with.. but.. lol.. it was pretty funny.. just laugh along with people.. then it isn't funny anymore if you are in on the joke.. heh.. annnnnyyyhow.. another bs lawsuit with people trying to get over... my guess is that it was the parents or the lawyers idea to put him in the mental hospital to add weight to their suit.. just my opinion of course.. whatever that is worth.

glad no-one ever saw me and my friends re-inacting Grease.. hahahahahaha. then again..

Dank

Haha, the poor kid man, his parents sound like hardcore soccer moms.

As for the people in school laughing at him, he should just kick all their asses with his l33t force powers.

t3m3st

Star Wars Kid Rise of the Machines is awsome!!!
Thanks for bringing this to my attention

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Macheath

Ah hell, we have to have some kind of fun that isn't mass marketed - that's the nature of the internet.

If true though, that thing with the other guys plotting to get the Ipod is pretty fucking mean. I'm guessing that no matter how funny it was, they were just cunt bullies who got a target in their sights.

I say we Goatse two of them and Tubgirl the other two, just to restore some balance in the force,

H12

Man, ole' Jedi Kid messed up by making the video in the first place. However, the four kids should NOT have done that.

Personally, I think he needs to take a chill-pill, get a grip on his situation, and try to be a town-legend of sorts.

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Coolidge

*prays bubb rubb doesn't go crazy*

Kllr Wolf

these are funny I dont see what his prob is, well unless he was a little unstable to begin with

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TwistedFate

I don't think he messed up making the film. Who hasn't done something just as silly at one or another. His mistake was leaving the tape in a school video camera at school.

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Serpent

I for one don't think his parents are sueing for enough money. Mental trama like this will follow the kid for the rest of his life and the ones who did it should be held accountable.