Myspace, a fake homeschooler, and a dead teenager
Nov 12
Just go read this. It’s such an amazing and sick story that I’m not sure I can do it justice with a summary. But I’ll try.
A very insecure 13 year old girl gets friended on MySpace by a boy who claims to be new to the neighborhood, and a homeschooler. After becoming in her mind close online, he turns on her and starts posting that she is a slut, etc. The 13 year old commits suicide. A neighbor comes forth months later and alleges that parents of a girl that she had once been friends with actually created the account for the purpose of monitoring what she might be saying about their daughter online.
No criminal charges have been filed.
The mind just reels trying to put this in context. A kid so insecure that she would hang herself while her family eats dinner downstairs, all over a boy she has never even met? WTF? And don’t even get me started about the adults, if indeed they did create a fake Myspace profile for the express purpose of tormenting a 13 year old girl. I hope Cav is warming up a special place for them even as I type this.
Un-freaking-believable. Even if they can’t press charges, I would think the dead girls parents could file a wrongful death suit in civil court.
I can somewhat understand though how the girl could be that insecure to kill herself, though. Weight problem, ADHD, depression, conflicts with friends. Sounds like she was one of those kids that everyone picked on. If she was male, she probably would have gone Columbine, but instead, she turned her rage inward. How very sad.
Another reason why my kids will not be allowed on MySpace, and most other social networks.
Words fail me.
I think all the adults involved had more then a few problems.
I’m not sure that is the answer Phil. Then the kids get teased for being the only kid at school / Boy Scouts / whatever without a Facebook / Myspace / whatever comes next page. In this case, the parents controlled the password. They personally approved every friend. I’m not sure what else they could have done. Both of my kids have more Internet freedom than that.
The answer I think it so make sure our kids our comfortable with who they are so that this sort of stuff never happens. Of course, if I had the answer on how to do that for every kid, I’d be on Oprah hawking my best selling book, and not pontificating here.
Now that is heinous! Anything that happens to the home of the woman who did this the Megan is deserved. If she has any sense at all she’ll move. But of course Chris, you cannot run away from your own Soul.
Qu’ul cuda praedex nihil!
Ok, that’s just messed up.
“The Meiers went home and tore into the foosball table.
Tina used an ax and Ron a sledgehammer. They put the pieces in Ron’s pickup and dumped them in their neighbor’s driveway. Tina spray painted “Merry Christmas” on the box.”
The Meiers were aware that their entire child’s world was starting to revolve around someone she only knew online. That’s just absurdly stupid.
Like I said before I think all the adults had problems. The Meiers certainly had behavior issues. Although considering their child had died one can understand they might not have been thinking straight.
But what was also troubling was all the comments saying that the family of the woman who faked the MySpace account should be harrassed. 1.) Just because someone does something wrong doesn’t give you license to do something wrong to them and 2.) Why should her children have to pay for her sins/stupidity. For once I think the paper acted responsibly by not releasing their name.
COD is right “The answer I think it to make sure our kids our comfortable with who they are”. If the poor girl had, had higher self esteem this wouldn’t have happened.
The thing that sticks out to me is the “N is Neglected” she describes herself with. The freaks who created the website to make sure thier little angel wasn’t being smeared deserve some old fashion lynch mob justice…..But one must wonder if the victim’s Mom and Dad weren’t just feeding her Ritilan and Oreos to keep her happy instead of being parents. I’m not Dr. Phil, I just see what I see
//COD is right “The answer I think it to make sure our kids our comfortable with who they are”. If the poor girl had, had higher self esteem this wouldn’t have happened.//
Oh but as COD mentioned, if we only knew HOW to make that happen.
I have a child who is intensely sensitive and aware of injustice. The world is full of it. For some people, perception of injustice manifests as low self esteem. I fear for his future.
BTW, I’m speaking of my middle child, not the one I recently posted about who actually believes that he own the world.
This story is just so sad.
Parenthood is weird. In one sense you have a lot of say in how your children grow up. In another you learn that you have less say than you thought. I appreciate NJC’s point that you don’t get to choose your child’s personality.
As for the story, the thing that almost sent me to the mental hospital as a raver was: “she did not feel ‘as guilty’ because at the funeral she found out ‘Megan had tried to commit suicide before.’” So playing with the mind of someone who is relatively unstable compared to others makes one less responsible for the damage that results?
Grrrr
One of the saddest things I have read in a loooong time.