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Amanda Todd's Suicide

Huffington Post Article. It's fairly balanced I'd say.

I'm not sure what to think about this whole ordeal. I live in Colorado and just 10 minutes from this insanity and 30 minutes from the recent shooting (what is up with Colorado, man)?

Having another tragic death at this point seems suspiciously serial. Unforseeable tragedy occurs, media make a big storm, everyone feels all sad and does nothing.

1. That's a depressing trend. We hear about sad things but ultimately do nothing. It's a empty gesture to say "oh gee sorry" on Facebook. It's not something we can handle and so our concern for a single tragic death rather than societal issues like the hundreds dying of poverty a year, or cancer, or tax rates, or thermonuclear war with Iran, anything.

2. I'm not sure she deserves our pity. I find that a unrealistically pitiful existience for someone who is moderately pretty and in a public school system. She obviously has an online presence. She has a ton of myspace-esque photos. That says self-absorbed to me. I've lived in some really poor areas and some really rich areas and the absolutely cruel ecosystem Amanda paints society as seems incorrect and exaggregated.
And who records a black and white video of themselves staring into a camera with some notecards rather than talking and says its "not for attention?"
Or flashes their 7th grade breasts at a anonymous man over the internet?
Or has such absent parents that even a attempted suicide doesn't concern them enough to watch her more closely?
Or has "friends" mourn her constantly?
Or has been on the internet for years without any idea of its dangers or how to handle them?
It's not like I don't feel sorry for her. A death is a death. However, to say she didn't start this chain of events of her own free will and commit suicide of her own free will (without a convincing prerogative) or that this is a story of bullying when apparently there is a maniac stalking Amanda? It's misconstrued.
And another car on the pity train. That's not worth our time.
I honestly have this strong distaste in my mind from the amount of popularity this particular story is getting. It's like if Jessi Slaughter committed suicide and people started feeling bad for her. I just find it difficult to feel sorry for these girls on the internet that willingly do these things that they are constantly told NOT to do by everyone, and then end their lives for something that'd be forgotten over a short amount of time.

One of my friends showed me this picture a couple days ago, and it essentially summarizes how I feel toward this case.
Originally posted by Pikerchu13
I honestly have this strong distaste in my mind from the amount of popularity this particular story is getting. It's like if Jessi Slaughter committed suicide and people started feeling bad for her. I just find it difficult to feel sorry for these girls on the internet that willingly do these things that they are constantly told NOT to do by everyone, and then end their lives for something that'd be forgotten over a short amount of time.

One of my friends showed me this picture a couple days ago, and it essentially summarizes how I feel toward this case.


I actually agree with you a lot, however at the same time I still can't help but to feel bad. Yeah she was stupid to do what she did to even begin with, but I don't think it was stupid enough for her to get treated the way she did. The comments she got and the physical abuse she went through really wasn't necessary. Even now after her death people still make fun of her, say they're glad shes dead, there was even a facebook page called "Just drink bleach" that was making fun of her (though it seems to not be there anymore). Suicides like this happen like a million times a day I bet so there's really nothing too special about Amanda. But what makes me sad is just the society we live in today. Why are 12 year old girls flashing their boobs to strangers they meet online? Why do human beings bully their own kind to the point where they don't want to live anymore? Its sickening.
Quote
Or flashes their 7th grade breasts at an anonymous man over the internet?


Fix'd, also what age to people learn about sex ed? Do they even have it in US schools anymore? This is a perfect example of why it's necessary.
Let's milk Sunny Milk. Then she'll have enough money to fund Sunny Milk Real Estate.
Everypony's digging with a shovel
Sex Ed. / Health class is required in my district for one half-semester in middle school and one semester in high school. I'm sure it's like this for other places.
Sympathy, Empathy, and Apathy. Such things somehow build up double standards. And ironically, double standards somehow apply to other double standards, whether sincere, facetious, ignorant or "hipster". Do they apply to the idiom "Two wrongs don't equal one right?", which applies to both people at hand?

Eh, severity and utter stupidity are such bitter things. Amanda Todd's case and uproar is quite an example of the human mind...
What a terrible thing that happened to her. But still, she shouldn't commit suicide. It would've been better for her to resolve these things rather than be engulfed by gloom. She could've stand up against those bullies. She could have chose to stay alive and continue the battle, for it can be won.
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The current avatar I have is from Neslug from DeviantART.

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The reason this thing has blown up the way it has is because Amanda is the perfect poster child for this sort of thing. Usually when people think of Cyber-bulling, they assume it's name calling on IM's. The bullying Amanda endured and her subsequent actions shows the complete opposite from that. Also she made it a big deal, news corporations looking for a story to milk made it a big deal and subsequently everyone else who follows the story makes it a big deal.

I thought what she did was very silly, though I have no idea what it would be like being in her shoes so their will be things I don't understand (and possibly never will) like how she came to an conclusion that ending her own life is a better course of action then just letting everything get out into the open and just try and make a fresh start.
Originally posted by Wiimeiser
Quote
Or flashes their 7th grade breasts at an anonymous man over the internet?


Fix'd, also what age to people learn about sex ed? Do they even have it in US schools anymore? This is a perfect example of why it's necessary.

For me at least, sex ed was just telling us to be abstinent, really.
Originally posted by K3fka
Originally posted by Wiimeiser
Quote
Or flashes their 7th grade breasts at an anonymous man over the internet?


Fix'd, also what age to people learn about sex ed? Do they even have it in US schools anymore? This is a perfect example of why it's necessary.

For me at least, sex ed was just telling us to be abstinent, really.

Ah yes, had they told her to always use a condom this wouldn't even have been an issue. Even if it was a "proper" sex ed class, I don't think sex ed handles "Don't flash your tits at strangers on the internet." Just doesn't seem like something covered in school. And if you're saying that the cause was not knowing enough about sexual... Stuff... I really don't know how to put it... That's obviously ridiculous, she wasn't thinking "Oh, I wonder why they want me to take my shirt off. Oh well, guess they're just weird!" She knew exactly what was going on. (I don't have an opinion on sex ed classes, except that it doesn't make any sense to bring it up here)

Since I'm here, might as well mention that I always have trouble feeling any kind of sympathy for people who commit suicide in the first world. Obviously there are exceptions, but I can tell you that anyone who goes to school and has loving parents doesn't qualify as one of those exceptions.
Originally posted by HuFlungDu
and has loving parents doesn't qualify as one of those exceptions.


I'm pretty sure we've established that her parents DIDN'T take enough responsibility with her to keep her from committing suicide.

I would say it really depends on your Sex Ed teacher. Mine was excellent, he was incredibly cynical, identified with the class and explained AIDS, abstinence and Anal sex to us. And we were 7th graders. I bet this girl knew about showing breasts to strangers.

Also, I would agree that she looks sort of self centered. I would also say that school (the people in particular) is a bitch.
I would guess that she was coaxed into it while still technically understanding what she was doing. It doesn't excuse her but it does explain it. People do stupid stuff.

Our education system with regards to computers/tech is woefully inadequate. Maybe not so in other countries, but here in the USA we have little/no education. You get "scary people are on the internet, don't tell anyone anything ever (of course unless its facebook, you can put your SSN there)." It doesn't indicate the ecosystem at all - and like this case, the victim has to be just as willing.

In part we can blame the fact that nobody ever realistically explores these concerns. My entire state has no typing class and nobody knows how to type (in 2012!). Considering how important technology is to our lives I'd say an understanding of computers and the internet, which are the core of American modern society in many ways, would be more critical than understanding why Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet.


@the school: That is the worst bullying I've ever seen and I've been in a lot of rough places. That doesn't seem to add up to me because that is not bullying, that's outright hatred. I've never heard of anything like it.
Originally posted by Maxx
Considering how important technology is to our lives I'd say an understanding of computers and the internet, which are the core of American modern society in many ways, would be more critical than understanding why Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet.

Why did he even write it? Was it ghostrwitten? Did he even exist? Was he one person or many? For the record, my handwriting is never consistent either...
Let's milk Sunny Milk. Then she'll have enough money to fund Sunny Milk Real Estate.
Everypony's digging with a shovel
It's the same in Ireland. Although we do have a computer class, all we did was some really basic Word document things (although most people did have a bit of trouble, as they found it hard to get information ("remember kids, WIKIPEDIA IS EVIL AND INACCURATE!")), and there really wasn't a typing class (not that they needed it, they all used Facebook so they knew how to type, but most were slow).

I really hope this changes in the future (and thank god for the CoderDojos spreading around Ireland, mostly kids probably will be introduced to coding there), otherwise, the Irish economy is screwed (I mean, we a lot of vacancies in the tech industry. A LOT).

- BlackMageMario
I believe that she doesn't deserve sympathy, her parents do however, regardless of the fact they could've put more effort into helping her.
That being said, it is very difficult for a parent to keep tabs of their child in this day and age without violating their privacy. We'll never really understand whether it was a bad upbringing that caused her to do this or not, but I think that if one thing's for certain, it's the fact that she brought this all upon herself and lied in order to attract sympathy from others, instead of being logical and taking it up with people who already unconditionally loved her.