Not every decision is a life altering one. And not every decision has negative consequences attached with it. The first decision I make every day is whether or not to hit the snooze button on my alarm clock. The consequence to hitting it means I run around like a mad woman trying to get out the door on time. Nothing too major there. I make that decision 5 days a week and sometimes on weekends too. There have been bigger ones. Like which university to go to. Whether or not to move to Calgary. Whether or not to get a tattoo.
There are choices that I made more than 10 years ago that I'm still dealing with...like running up my credit cards. Yeah. That consequence sure sucks but that's the price you pay for not thinking things through.
Kind of like the kids who bullied Amanda Todd and the ones who are still stupid enough to post comments on her memorial site saying that they're happy she's dead. ARE YOU FUCKING MORONS!!?? Do you have any idea of the consequences and ramifications that are coming your way? No, I'm guessing you don't. I'm choosing to believe that those kids are just plain stupid rather than being inherently evil. Yes, we have freedom of speech in this country but only to a certain point. When it crosses a line, when it becomes threatening and harassing, then you lose the right to express that particular opinion. With social media becoming more and more popular, our laws are evolving to protect people online, just like they'd protect you at school, work or out on the street. And just because you don't use your real name online, doesn't mean you're not anonymous. The RCMP is investigating all the comments and they have fun techy ways of tracking down people via their digital footprints. You might think it's cool to post a negative comment about someone. Maybe you did it to increase something so petty as your social status. But guess what? It's going to come back to bite you in the ass. One comment could change your entire life.
And my other thought here is where the fuck are the parents of these kids? Why are they not paying closer attention to their kids' online activities? We're talking about 15 year olds here. They're far from being grown ups. If I ever found out that a child of mine wrote "I'm glad you're dead" on the memorial wall of a classmate, they'd be grounded for centuries and cut off from the digital world all together. I'd ship them off to like with the old order Mennonites and then see how they feel about life. It's insane. I'm not blaming the parent's for the actions of their children. At the end of the day, the choice is still up to those kids whether or not to say those things, but some parents really need to be more involved in their kids' lives.
I was bullied in school. Most people I know were too. But it was different. It stopped when we left school and went home. I can't imagine having to deal with it online too. That means they can bully you 24-7. No escape. How horrible that must be. Which is why it has to stop. Now. Not only do we need to teach the younger generations that it's wrong, we need to teach them to not just stand idly by and watch it happen. Yes, they're scared to get involved because they might make themselves a target for the bully too. But I'd much rather have to deal with that then knowing that I saw someone else suffering and didn't do anything to stop it or help.
To Amanda Todd who took her own life at age 15, I am so sorry that you weren't able to find the help you so desperately needed. Suicide should never be the answer. I wish you could have found someone to show you that. And to anyone else out there dealing with something like this, there is help. There really is. You just have to reach out and ask for it. Please don't give up. It does get better. I know. I've lived it and survived and am a stronger and better person for it. Just keep trying and never, ever give up.
Good Night.
Sarah
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