Not sure if any of you have heard in the news, but there was a really sad story in my area just recently.

A young girl in Grade 10 recently killed herself over bullying and cyberbullying she had received over a couple years.

She posted a video on Youtube a month ago and just this week decided to end her own life.

I watched the video the other night and was absolutely brought to tears and grief over this.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/vOHXGNx-E7E

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/rcmp-launch-investigation-into-death-of-bullied-b-c-teen-1.993029

I don't know about you all, but when I was in school I was also bullied. I managed to get through it, but I know that some people just can't take it. And nowadays with all the social media shit, it can be even worse once something gets up on the internet. When someone gets behind a keyboard, they feel emboldened and able to say whatever they want, regardless of the consequences. And that is wrong.

Please watch the video and make sure you send it to everyone you know. Talk about the issue of bullying. And if you see bullying...STOP IT! Step in and take a stand against it! It won't every go away unless we all stand up for those who need us. If you don't try to put a stop to it, you're just as much a part of the problem as the bully.

I know this is sort of out of character for me to post about this sort of stuff, but as I said, it really hit home for me and I want to do something. I'm so tired of bullying being in the news and people getting hurt or killing themselves over it. Enough is enough. It has to stop NOW! And it will only stop if we do something about it!

I've heard this, and it is sad...it really really is. But, the problem with legislating bullying laws (which the BC gov't is trying to do I heard) is how to enforce them without going too far (to the point where harmless teasing (read: not in the sense of bullying but how friends act).

While I agree grass roots efforts (such as stepping in, which I have done a few times) can do more for ending bullying than all the legislation in the world; the problem isn't quite as black and white as people seem to think.

It does bother me to see a world where people think the only way to solve bullying is by quitting life entirely. I was bullied as a child till I stood up for myself and put the school yard bully in his place. I realize this isn't something all feel they can do, but unless it comes to blows I recommend just ignoring it. If it does get violent don't be afraid to get the police involved because your pride is nothing worth risking your life over.

One piece of advice I recommend to anyone being cyber bullied is save EVERYTHING. Anything (even if you have to screen cap it) because in most cases (in terms of texts and emails) can be traced and the culprits dealt with. Though in my experience all bullies are cowards and only get "tough" when they think they won't get any kind of reprisal or that they will get a fear laced reaction.

Sorry, I'm kind of rambling. Bullies are just cowards, and cowards like that will never amount to very much in life. Stay strong, stay hopeful and things DO get better...trust me... >.>

A similar thing happened here a couple of years ago, as a parent its quite a frightning scenario, that you hope your child will never experience, we would be quite vigilant and keep an eye out for this kind of thing, through monitoring our kids moods etc. We dont allow our kids to have phones and their internet access is quite restricted. But it is a fear we have at the back of out minds, due to stories like this.

I have seen cases of bullying, where the person being bullied has to leave the school and not the actual bully, due to really shite school administration.

IIRC even a famous Korean actress commited suicide because of being cyberbullied. Btw, I found this lecture to be interesting (it's where I heard about the actress): U Mad?. It explains a lot about how everyone turns into an asshole when looking at a screen.

Sadly, we had a story when bullying ended up in suicide in Poland too. The kids who caused this were prosecuted.

Sadly, I think such stories never end. The school is a hostile environment by default. Kids growing up, they will always judge themselves, form groups (packs), etc. Teenager is like a wild animal :P

And with facebook, twitter, free wi-fi and everything, bullying is even easier.

Yesterday I saw a group of kids playing football. And then the other group came nearby. Back in my day, they would create two separate teams and play together. But yesterday, one of them came forward and say "Get the fuck out, bitches" and started to threat the others. And they were around 10 years old...

I don't wanna sound mean, but she did kinda cause her own problems, didn't she?

"Oh my God, some guy I don't know told me I'm beautiful over the internet, I'm gonna show him my titties on the webcam!" WTF?!?!

I think this is why the approach to dealing with bullying needs to be revamped. It's just too hard to get away from it these days. Teenagers act rashly and impulsively without thinking. That's no reason to blame the victim in all of this.

I don't know what else is to do. American school's policy "Zero tolerance to bullying" is the best thing you can do. To expell bullies from school before they make big damage. But even this doesn't stop bullying.

Cyberbulling is the hardest. There are no ways of stopping it, and once some pic is posted online, it's there forever.

Someone's tits being posted online does not legitimize verbal and physical assault. She was a child pornographer, and everyone who distributed the photo are child pornography distributors, but assault is a crime no matter who the victim is.

Showing some boobs over the webcam doesn't entitle the other person to harass the first, hoping that it will get more than initially bargained. Though the girl is at fault for being naive, she must've been more careful over who is entitled to see what she had to show.

If you meet the wrong individual online, at first is a flash, then a strip show, gee, maybe even get a dildo or something and make something good out of it, wouldn't you, babe? From there, it's only a short walk to other crap, just to keep silent from publishing the rest of the videos that the guy saved. It all goes downhill.

I've seen many a boobs in my time over webcam or pictures and didn't feel the need to ask for more to pressure the girl in any way, shape or form. It all comes down to education (at home mainly) and what your value system is composed of. You see something good, enjoy it and the trust that you've been granted and keep that s**t to yourself. Especially if the girl is a minor and not some exhibitionist bimbo that doesn't do this to get her juices flowing.

Every country has its problems with bullying, heck, google the japanese ijime and see where that can lead. But education is paramount. That and some harsh measures to both protect and punish those who do crap like this in schools or outside.

Won't post my opinion, because I'll be critisized and people might hate me for it.

Actually she made like a hundred. First she flashes boobs for someone she doesn't know, she sleeps with someone she doesn't really know (who happens to have another girlfriend), she got into drugs and alcohol (which contrary to popular believe does not just happen because of the circumstances), apparently she didn't alarm the cops instantly after facing extortion and it seems she never tried to create a clean cut from her past online. Changing schools and cities doesn't do shit if you maintain that kind of connection to the past - she should have gotten rid of facebook or at least created a completely new profile with a fake name and fake picture or something (I just guess she didn't do it since it was so easy for others to follow her around the web). She's made LOTS of mistakes.

People talk a lot about how teens are craving for love and attention, act impulsively etc. but let's face it - people like her are not the average teen. As cruel as her tormentors have been (just thinking about them makes me fantasize about slicing them with a katana) she has made exceptionally stupid decisions. And people better remember her as a BAD EXAMPLE, kids should be learning from her mistakes. But no, what's happening? Everything about this story is being romanticized, she's being turned into a saint and probably more kids are gonna behave in a similar manner to honor her. Just brilliant.

And people, don't get me wrong, I feel sorry for her but heck, she did bring it at herself and if people didn't have to face any consequences when walking around the world like she did, flashing boobs, fucking strangers, taking drugs, I'd be seriously upset. The fact is: both sides screwed up big time in this story and people have to be aware of this.

Can't help but notice how most people are insulting and making fun of her in the comments:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vOHXGNx-E7E

This has been happening in Japan for years. Earlier this year hit the mass media again because it came to light that the teachers, head, and even higher school officials in district, attempted to cover up the suicide of a boy who had been tormented by a large number of class mates. There were even multiple witness reports that the tormentors had, on numerous, occasions forced their victim to act out committing suicide -- among other methods, by throwing himself of the roof of a school building.

Even now, those school officials claim they have no proof that such happened and dismiss the multiple witness accounts (at least 16 of them IIRC). This resulted in a police raid in an attempt to charge the school officials. But what happens after that? Probably nothing. Teachers get away with everything here, including rape of their students.

And if that wasn't bad enough, just a month or so ago, another child was found to have committed suicide as a result of bullying. What did the school officials in that case try to do? They had the audacity to phone the parents and ask them to agree that their child's suicide was actually an accident, so that the tormentors who led to that suicide would still be able to lead a normal school life.

It fucking sickens me. If that were one of my children, I honestly don't know what I'd do. I know I wouldn't stand by and let school officials pull a stunt like that.