I decided to take an hour break off and start keeping myself updated with news around. This led me into blogging about Amanda Todd, a Canadian teen who committed suicide a month before her birthday. Of course, her suicide left her mother devastated and utterly upset. Her daughter was gone...forever. She had a terrible life when she was still young, and now her life ended this way. She ended her life to end the pain. However, she did not want her death to be in vain. Hence, the video of her was made and spread around the internet for awareness.
The video indeed caused awareness and many feedback. Sadly, there were negative comments as well, bashing done by the bullies. It is as if they did not want to let her go even after she died.
I shall not go through the details of the story as the video explains it all. Kind of redundant to explain things that have already been stated so clearly in the video. What I am going to write here is all about my thoughts and opinions on this bully, which I believe most people who have a warm, beating heart would agree. Yes, I mean mostly.
Firstly, I know people would say that all these would not have started if she had not FLASHED in front of the webcam at the very first place. Yeah, if she did not flash, people would not stalk her, ridicule her, strip off her dignity and self-esteem, and then those cyber-bullies would not take advantage of this situation to bully her and torture her emotions even more. Take note that Amanda Todd was only 12 when she flashed. And why would she even flash at the first place? She was given baits such as flattery and sweet talks. Being a young growing early teen who doesn't know how to differentiate sincere praises and mock flattery, she thought people actually called her beautiful, which caused her to flash her tits. How on earth would she know that those people wanted to circulate her nude photos around? She was not a psychic. She was not careful. Pointing an accusing finger at her mother? I am sure the people would have said that mothers should be more careful at monitoring her daughter's actions at this tender age. We can never stop this from happening. Stalkers and lurkers are everywhere. It is only a matter of luck whether you met stalkers or not. Some girls who have a good, decent life were kidnapped by human trafficking while travelling abroad. Was the girls' travelling mate to be blamed because they were not careful? No. When those traffickers want things to happen, they will make sure it happens. The same goes for those cyber stalkers. It was just tough luck.
The accusing finger would have been the society who judged and condemned Amanda. Sure, her nude photos were circulated around her school. They called her a porn star and all. Judging can never be controlled because everyone has their own mentality. But what gives them the right to condemn her and start shunning her? What gives them the right to call her names and strip off her self-esteem? She was already tricked into stripping to the internet, why strip off her self-esteem even more? I am sure that if the society gives her more support and do not give in to the stalkers, the stalkers' threat will not work on Amanda. Ignore those photos. They could be photoshopped; we all never know. Worse, just enjoy the beautiful growing boobs and that's it. Why need to contribute and make the stalker's plan a success? It is because of them that the stalkers managed to blackmail Amanda and made her give in to his threats.
Amanda was really unlucky to have met some bullies who had no other life. Those bullies should be the one shunned by the society, not her. The guy friend took advantage of her vulnerability and hooked up with her, causing the jealous girlfriend to get even with her. The girlfriend used her tarnished image as a point to ruin her, beat her up, ridicule her and scarred her. Even after all the beatings they still would not want to let her go. Scary to think how some people have lost their hearts.
To be honest, once a person got bullied, the self-esteem went down the drain totally. What they need is not to find the culprit or someone to point an accusing finger to, but rather, a pillar of support from the society. You can actually what a community of people can do to one person. She will not be a victim of the cuber bully if people actually lent her a hand of support instead of condemning her.
Therefore, I urge you all who is reading this (although I doubt there will be many readers here not to actually put some stranger down whenever you see anything online, but rather, give support to them. They may be victims of bullies, we never knew. If you see a video of someone doing stupid, do not leave comments calling them slut or what. If you see any of your acquaintances' photos nude, do not start judging that person. The photos may either be photoshopped or being taken without permission. Even if they really strip willingly, do not judge them or start calling them names. You can never imagine the emotional injuries they will face just because of one simple thing you did to them.
Sure, victims have a choice of doing something else back then to avoid being bullied. However, all of us here too have a choice of lending a support to victims instead of pointing an accusing finger to whoever concerned. Like her. She wants support. Did you read the last line in the video? She said she needs someone. Who is the someone? Someone who does not judge a person but rather gives support because the someone has empathy. The someone can actually feels what a person needs.
By the way, here is the video I have been ranting about just now.
She used her story as a voice to warn those people out there what cyber bullies can do and what caused cyber bullies to be able to bully someone. What caused someone to be vulnerable to cyber bullies and stalkers. I am sure everyone knows that answer by now.
Okay. It is rather a short post because I have more assignments than I thought :( sigh. Lifeless me.
