Stop Internet Bullying!

[Waker of Chaos]

I got this just now from the News Channel on the Wii, under National News.

"Tina Meler, 37, holds two pictures of her daughter Megan who committed suicide last October after receiving cruel messages on MySpace, Monday, Nov. 19, 2007, in St. Charles, Mo. Megan Meler, 13, hanged herself after receiving mean messages on the Internet social networking site. The 16-year old boy with whom she had been communicating turned out to be a fabrication created by a mother down the street."

That's the caption under the photo given.

Do your part; stop bullying on the Internet.

 

[Cherrim]

Mm, I heard about that. It's really quite disgusting, since the person was fabricated by someone's mother instead of just another cruel child. Honestly, how can someone who has a child of their own be so hurtful?

The families were supposedly friends, too. After it came out that the "online boyfriend" that had caused their daughter to commit suicide, her family more or less smashed up the foosball table they'd been storing for the other family and dumped it on their driveway. :x

But yeah, it's a really disgusting situation.

 

[Waker of Chaos]

Mm, I heard about that. It's really quite disgusting, since the person was fabricated by someone's mother instead of just another cruel child. Honestly, how can someone who has a child of their own be so hurtful?

The families were supposedly friends, too. After it came out that the "online boyfriend" that had caused their daughter to commit suicide, her family more or less smashed up the pool table they'd been storing for the other family and dumped it on their driveway. :x

But yeah, it's a really disgusting situation.

I agree. So disgusting, in fact, that the story needs to be spread everywhere. Perhaps people will actually pay attention and make new laws to stop Internet bullying.

If you don't mind, I'd like this thread stickied, even posted on as many other forums and social places as possible. This is not something you just stand idly by and watch.

 

[Cherrim]

Mm, stickying is meant more for official threads (like rules, etc.) so I can't oblige there, sorry.

There should be more awareness of internet bullying though. I know a lot of schools are starting to make policies regarding it... but this case is so crazy even that wouldn't have helped. I mean, in that situation, who would've guessed that a parent could be so cruel to a friend's daughter? :|

 

[Waker of Chaos]

Personally, I think that people need to go to Interpol about this. The Internet is worldwide, so a worldwide law enforcement group (such as Interpol) would need to handle it.

 

[Live in Color]

Mm, I heard about that. It's really quite disgusting, since the person was fabricated by someone's mother instead of just another cruel child. Honestly, how can someone who has a child of their own be so hurtful?

The families were supposedly friends, too. After it came out that the "online boyfriend" that had caused their daughter to commit suicide, her family more or less smashed up the pool table they'd been storing for the other family and dumped it on their driveway. :x

But yeah, it's a really disgusting situation.

Wow, that's the worst suicidal story I have ever heard. I'm definitely putting this thread in my signature. How old was the mother anyway? You think she should know much better than to do something like this, especially having a child of her own.

Was the woman punished for the crime? Can she even be punished, since it was just bullying really, but technically she took someone's life.

 

[Waker of Chaos]

Wow, that's the worst suicidal story I have ever heard. I'm definitely putting this thread in my signature. How old was the mother anyway? You think she should know much better than to do something like this, especially having a child of her own.

Was the woman punished for the crime? Can she even be punished, since it was just bullying really, but technically she took someone's life.

No. No criminal charges were issued at all. They "couldn't find a law that suited the situation", apparently.

 

[Cherrim]

At the moment I don't think there are laws. If there are, I can't imagine they'd be much more intense than current harassment laws, especially since in this age, it's assumed most bullying is done by children. And honestly, children will be children and bullying will always be around.

Just... kinda sucks that it went so far in this situation.

Sadly, I don't know how old the mother was. I saw the article on this almost a month ago. :\

 

[Bobpie]

Omg... That's horrible.

Did the Mother know that the person she was bullying was the friend?

She shouldnt have done it anyway. :(

 

[Cross]

I hope Josh of SerebiiForum reads this.

When I tell people to kill themselves, I really don't mean it. /o\
Still though, killing yourself because of a myspace problem with someone is a bit...odd.
I bet the girl was a little cookoo, but still...

 

[Souless]

This is a so sad history =[

The mother who bullied the girl was just trying to see "what happened if..." she never tought she would make the girl commit suicide...

Really, some people take advantage of Internet anonymity to do things they can't in real life (If she started bullying that girl in the street, well, there are laws about that) just to feel emotion or superiority...

Really, you aren't showing anything to anyone if you are a bully on Internet, you are just being a BIG loser...

 

[Cherrim]

Omg... That's horrible.

Did the Mother know that the person she was bullying was the friend?

She shouldnt have done it anyway. :(

Yes, she did it entirely on purpose. I think the girl and her daughter had a falling out and were being nasty to each other, so she took revenge in her own way, I guess, by fabricating a boy who "lived nearby" or something, coaxed the girl into an online relationship, and then ended it by saying all sorts of nasty things and telling her to kill herself. Unfortunately... she did. ._.;

 

[txteclipse]

No. No criminal charges were issued at all. They "couldn't find a law that suited the situation", apparently.

Try "verbal assault". People are just sick these days.

 

[Shiny]

I feel so sorry for this girl & her family, internet bullying is sad & mean, though as stated by Lightning it will always be around

 

[Zet]

myspace and gaia online has the most online bullying, but nothing can be really done about it, I would like to see it to stop maybe not now with today's technology but sometime in the future there could be technology where if someone does online bullying, their computer does and they won't be able to access another computer

 

[Hayate]

That got to be one of the most sad things I've heard so far ;_; I'm not the person to bully others on the net, I just can't see why people would feel good hiding behind the safety of an internet alias and cause others some serious mental damage...since I've never experienced it before I can only give one advice: It's the internet, real-life is different. So, don't take it too serious and don't commit suicide, since everyone has a reason for living -- you do as well.

 

[Waker of Chaos]

It's the internet, real-life is different. So, don't take it too serious and don't commit suicide, since everyone has a reason for living -- you do as well.

I disagree with the first part. The Internet is a huge part of real life. People are either too dumb or (in your case) too inexperienced to treat it as such.

But yes, everyone has a reason for living.

 

[22sa]

I can't stop them. Their insect army is too scary. :P

I can only pray that my friends are able to make smart decisions and avoid them.

 

[Warheart]

When I tell people to kill themselves, I really don't mean it. /o\
Still though, killing yourself because of a myspace problem with someone is a bit...odd.
I bet the girl was a little cookoo, but still...

Yeah dude...It's disgusting how people treat eachother, and I'm completely against internet bullyng, but seriously..who takes it this far? I feel bad for the girl, and her family, but I don't understand why someone would take it this personal..from over effing Myspace.

Even if she wasn't all there, something apparently made her feel bad enough to want to end her own life =/

 

[Persona]

To deliberately choose someone to pick on to the point of harassment and stalking is not only criminal, but also unethical.

Instead of showing remorse to the death of a young girl, she files a complaint over a foosball table? That's completely ridiculous.

It's the internet, real-life is different. So, don't take it too serious and don't commit suicide, since everyone has a reason for living -- you do as well.

I doubt she committed suicide solely for the reason of cyber bullying. She had been suffering from depression and attention deficit disorder, assuming this act contributed to the eventual death of the girl.