In one of the most clichéd exchanges in popular culture, Uncle Ben tells Peter Parker (Spiderman), “With great power comes great responsibility.”This credo is used frequently in precautionary newspaper columns across the country so often the words become meaningless. Now we smile at the sentiment and move on, chuckling to ourselves that someone still thought it original and clever to use Stan Lee’s most famous phrase as a warning to a cold and careless society.But sometimes the simplest and most clichéd expression is also the truest and most overlooked.About two years ago, six black teenagers were arrested and charged for beating a fellow white student in Jena. One of the six black teens, Mychal Bell, was charged as an adult even though he was 17 years old while the white student who had provoked the attack was tried as a juvenile. This sparked a national media sensation, accusing the Jena justice system of racism.From University students taking a bus trip to protest the charges facing the Jena 6 to John Mellencamp writing a song called “Jena” to newspaper articles reaching as far as Britain’s BBC, these six teenagers became unwilling celebrities.After months of constant media coverage, Bell’s charges were reduced. He spent 18 months in a juvenile facility instead of the 22 years he could have faced in an adult correctional facility.A few weeks ago, Bell was arrested for allegedly shoplifting $370 worth of clothing from a department store. A few days after his arrest, Bell attempted suicide.The reason he indicated, according to CNN as explained by both his mother and grandmother, was “‘he did not feel like he could live anymore’ because of media coverage of the shoplifting allegations.”With great power comes great responsibility, right?Bell and the other five that compose the Jena Six became media tools to promote a cause that was much bigger than any of them. They were mere teenagers who had messed up—they became the face of victimization.And what 17-year-old wants to be the face of victimization?In attempting to save Bell’s “normal” life, he was almost given a guarantee from the world that he would not be able to live a “normal” life again. Somewhere between the unrequested support and the seething hatred Bell received from both sides of the debate, everyone forgot Bell is just a 17-year-old.He is not a martyr.And recent events seem to suggest he never wanted to be one.Media are everywhere.Information can reach from Jena to Britain in about a second now, and no one is sure how to handle such power. And no one seems to care much.What makes the situation so tricky is the fact that everyone was wrong about it.Bell shouldn’t have been threatened.Bell shouldn’t have committed a crime.The media should have treated him as a 17-year-old.So should have the justice system in Jena.But the situation was a golden opportunity to highlight the racial problems that still exist in America, and everyone jumped on that bandwagon. Of course the story was newsworthy, but at some point Bell became a mere tool for the media.The biggest problem still remains the most obvious one — no one seemed to care about Bell after his sentence was reduced.While he was being used as the poster child for racial discrimination, everyone cared about poor Bell. But the second the charges were fixed, everyone left. The story left the headlines. The protesters left Jena. And everyone left Bell, who left his correctional facility apparently not corrected. He went back to committing crimes, and — this time — when he was caught, the headlines were minimal while his repercussions were much worse.No one ever cared about Bell.But pretending they did made the story more readable.It is often said the reason bullies and criminals do what they do is because they are unhappy and insecure. It can be argued both ways, but it is a reasonable assumption that a teenager isn’t going to steal nearly $400 worth of clothing from a mall if he’s a thoroughly happy kid.But no one cared enough to stay behind and see if Bell was secure and stable enough to live a normal life after such an abnormal incident.If someone had, no one would know that person’s name. Immediate fame, television cameras and headlines don’t spring from helping a troubled teenager.Everyone left Jena, and everyone left Bell.The power was gone, so the responsibility was ignored.And Bell seems to be left terrified the power will one day return.—-Contact Travis Andrews at [email protected]