Amanda Todd's story has been all over the news. From trending on Twitter, support pages on Facebook, to covereage on your local media station, it has been everywhere. The notion of bullying is not a new one. Bullies have existed since the dawn of time. The way that bullies can reach their victims is what has changed. No longer can someone find solitude in the comfort of their own home from a bully, when that bullying is now put online and sent through text messages. For those of you who haven't heard Amanda Todd's story, you should check out the YouTube video she posted about a month before her suicide. This story hit home for me because of someone I know that has committed suicide due to bullying.
But through all of saddness and emotions, it has brought awareness to those in higher up positions about the impact bullying can have on people. MP, Dany Morin, is pushing to have legislation put in place to help prevent bullying; his aim is not to punish after the math, but to be promote prevention. It's tragic that another death had to occur at the hands of a bully in order for this to become a national issue.I do feel that this is what Amanda Todd was seeking to do with her video, to educate and inform people on the damage that their actions and words can have on a person.
I researched her story a bit to figure out what happened to her. In the 7th grade (she would have been in 2009) she flashed someone on webcam. This person took a picture of her and about a year later they messaged her threatening to show the world. She never responded to the threats, and before she knew it her photo was sent to everyone she knew. She switched schools, she stopped talking to the people who bullied her, yet they still persisted. They created Facebook pages about her, telling her to die, calling her a slut and much more. She went through councilling, she switched schools yet again, and tried to rebuild her life, yet the bullies wouldn't stop. After 3 years, people would not let her live it down. She attemped to committ suicide before but did not succeed, and she was bullied for that too. I've heard many people talk about Amanda Todd, saying that she deserved it, that she's to blame because she is the one who flashed on webcam, and other people give their support to her. What I ask all of them is, have you not ever made a mistake? Have you ever gone through something that you just wanted to forget? Most people have, and Amanda was no exception. She tried to move on from what happened but her peers would not let her. I give my condolences to her family and friends and hope that no one ever has to feel as low as she did. The light at the end of the tunnel is the idea that one day there will be adequate legislation put in place to protect victims of bullying, that there will be adequate funding for resources such as Kids Help Line and that there will be more resources readily available.
If you or anyone you know has been through bullying and needs help, do not let them suffer in silence. Be a support to that person and do whatever you can to help them get the help they need to feel good again.
Hello!
ReplyDeleteFirst I would like to say great post! I agree with your perspective in bullying and how it has evolved from isolated incidents to becoming a constant problem in people's lives. In the past I have seen many people get bullied and have even had it happen to me from time to time and I strongly believe that bullying needs to be put to a stop. Bullying affects not only the victims but, everyone else around them too. When people see other people get bullied and get away with it they start to think that they will be able to get away with it as well. In this case bullying causes a chain reaction that affects many people.
I am glad that bullying is finally trying to be stopped at a higher level. Hopefully, the legislation that MP, Dany Morin is hoping to get passed will make become legal! I really think that bullies need to have consequences for their actions so that they know that they will not be able to get away with being bullies and, that this will stop more people from taking their lives as a result of bullying.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI think it's devastating what happened to Amanda Todd. She was such a young girl and it's disappointing to see how people as young as her could be so cruel and malicious. I agree with you on how you think her point of her video was to spread awareness to educate others and inform them how their actions and words can really have an affect on an individual. It did spread a lot of controversy though because there were just as many people giving sympathy as people who were saying she deserved to die or people shouldn't feel sympathy because she chose to die.
It's nice MP, Dany Morin is doing something to help anti bullying, but I don't think bullying is ever going to stop. It's easy to bully someone and to tear someone down, and people don't seem to recognize the effects it has on others. It's disappointing really.
It's also disappointing that there were kids who were basically telling her to kill herself by drinking a different type of bleach after attempting suicide. I don't even know what happened to people in today's society. Especially to kids of Amanda's age, I personally think they have become more corrupt. Telling someone they deserve to die and never letting this girl move on with her life? I just don't understand how someone could be so cruel.