"The case of a teenager in Massachusetts who killed herself after a relentless, months-long bullying campaign shows how the common schoolyard behavior is evolving in dangerous new ways online." (Reuters)
I would suggest it goes beyond the online social networks and beyond just having available technology. This is another tragic example of how cruel something that started in simple forms can become. The girl dated a guy another girl previously dated. That is an age-old high school story. It caused some anger, some hurt feelings and broken friendships. But it wasn't printed somewhere forever and repeated minute by minute instantly.
The technology allows me to say something to thousands of people instantly. I do not have to worry about one friend telling another friend and so on. I push send or click on the phone and the message - correct or incorrect - is off into the world. A joke in one class at 9 am can be throughout the entire student body and all their friends and all their friends by 9:01.
The same is true about a nasty comment. Even a correction made later might not get to all the people that heard or read the first statement. In fact I may read the correction prior to reading the first statement which means the nasty statement is the "latest" news.
The situation is tragic. The loss of a young person is painful. For the reason to be hate or anger or cruel joke makes it that much more disgusting. But what is the reaction?
New legislation that may put adults in jail or get a big fine -- most adults do not attend high school by the way. Well, you can get the court to find the young person as an adult and then he/she can be tried as an adult. Oh, that is a direct and quick solution to the problem of people being mean to one another.
Well, the school should take care of it. It all happened at school and there are lots of school people so they knew and they should be responsible and take care of it.
Knew that one was coming. Cell phones, electronic devises and other means of social networking are "not allowed" during regular school hours. All of us know that the cooperating kids follow those rules but even the parents are cell phoning and leaving text messages for their children during school hours. I love it when a student comes to the office to inform us that Mom is on her way because she was able to get the dental appointment. Yeah, you received that message via telepathic mental processes.
The school has a role, the parents have a role and the students have a role. When a student is being harrazed we need to put a stop to it. It is the silly he said, she said most of the time. One nonsense statement after another. If the child cannot figure out how to stop it, then take away the phone or the computer or whatever it is the allows for the mass distribution of nonsence. Repsonsibility is what we need to teach - at home and at school. A child needs to understand his/her accountibility in making these types of comments. It is not enough to say it is too persontal or private or they are just kids.
Making a statement in your back yard and being immediately accountible for that statement is vasting different than posting something out there in space with no voice or face or consequences.
If you believe your child is being bullied, it needs to be dealt with. That is in the home, inbetween hours and at school. Children spend more time out of school than they do in school. First, when, where, what and who? The messages come with some type of name (address) and in most cases your child knows the identity of the other person. Be parpared to file charges. Make prints, keep copies you need evidence to make a charge. And be prepared to read what the other parent has to show you.
This needs to stop. We need to respect ourselves and others more than is being displayed on national TV right now. Promoting violence is not a legitimate form and discussion or disagreement. People, including children, need to be held accountible for their words and mean spirits.
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