There, I said it. He was responsible for his own death. Two recent reader comments in the Mustang Daily pointed the blame exclusively towards the greeks and “binge drinking.” However, these claims are ridiculous. Firstly, how can we blame “binge drinking” as the first comment does? “Bad binge drinking, please stop killing people?” Should we chastise it and shake our fingers at it so that it stops harming people? Clearly binge drinking is someone’s fault other than its own.
The greeks do have some responsibility in the matter, but should not be held accountable. The fact of the matter is that Carson chose to be at that party and chose to drink what was offered him, fully knowing the dangers that accompany frat parties. Apparently, those hazing him made a mistake and should feel guilty about it, but are not ultimately responsible. Carson had the freewill to not drink what was offered him, peer pressure or not. This is not comparable to rape victims since these victims are forced into the act, unlike the case of Carson. He should have looked out for his own safety by perhaps refusing to drink more or avoiding the party altogether. Everyone should take responsibility for their direct actions even if someone else involved made a poor decision as well. In this case, multiple parties made poor decisions, but the victim is ultimately responsible for his death.
Aaron Baldwin
electrical engineering sophomore