Osiris
Oct 11th, 2012, 09:53 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ocvs5kNDSs
It isn't often that I have been moved to tears by anything in this world. This is one of the very rare occasions. This is something everyone single one of you should sit down and watch. For ease of reading I have opted to forego adding color to this post.
Here's the story.
http://i.huffpost.com/gen/812628/thumbs/s-AMANDA-TODD-SUICIDE-large.jpg
Amanda Todd, a Vancouver-area teenager who posted a story to YouTube last month about being cyber-bullied, was found dead Wednesday night in Coquitlam, Canada. Authorities believe she committed suicide.
Amanda's video tells a heart-wrenching story of the bullying she was subjected to -- both online and off. "In 7th grade," she begins, sharing her message on cue cards (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vOHXGNx-E7E), "I would go with friends on webcam [to] meet and talk to new people." At one point, a stranger flattered her into flashing the camera.
One year later, a man contacted her on Facebook, threatening to send around the picture of her topless "if [she] don't put on a show." Terrifyingly, the stranger knew everything about her: her address, school, friends, relatives, and the names of her family members. Soon, her naked photo had been forwarded "to everyone."
Amanda developed anxiety, depression, and anxiety disorders (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vOHXGNx-E7E), she says in the video, followed by a path into drugs and alcohol.
She changed schools and found a new group of friends in an effort to leave behind the bullies. Then the man created a Facebook profile, using her uncensored photo as his profile picture. "Cried every night, lost all my friends and respect people had for me... again... then nobody liked me," she wrote in the video.
This girl lived about an hour from me. I never saw this video until it was too late. Maybe if more people had been aware of what was happening it could have had a different ending. As it stands, she died alone, afraid, and hating herself. If you're being bullied at school or at home or online, stand up and make noise. Make all the noise in the world until someone hears you. You're not alone and you don't have to be.
http://www.suicidehotlines.com/canada.html
24/7 Crisis Line (http://www.hopesalive.ca/services-we-provide.php)
905-522-1477
http://www.befrienders.org/
http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
Call us1-800-273-TALK (tel:18002738255)(8255)
It isn't often that I have been moved to tears by anything in this world. This is one of the very rare occasions. This is something everyone single one of you should sit down and watch. For ease of reading I have opted to forego adding color to this post.
Here's the story.
http://i.huffpost.com/gen/812628/thumbs/s-AMANDA-TODD-SUICIDE-large.jpg
Amanda Todd, a Vancouver-area teenager who posted a story to YouTube last month about being cyber-bullied, was found dead Wednesday night in Coquitlam, Canada. Authorities believe she committed suicide.
Amanda's video tells a heart-wrenching story of the bullying she was subjected to -- both online and off. "In 7th grade," she begins, sharing her message on cue cards (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vOHXGNx-E7E), "I would go with friends on webcam [to] meet and talk to new people." At one point, a stranger flattered her into flashing the camera.
One year later, a man contacted her on Facebook, threatening to send around the picture of her topless "if [she] don't put on a show." Terrifyingly, the stranger knew everything about her: her address, school, friends, relatives, and the names of her family members. Soon, her naked photo had been forwarded "to everyone."
Amanda developed anxiety, depression, and anxiety disorders (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vOHXGNx-E7E), she says in the video, followed by a path into drugs and alcohol.
She changed schools and found a new group of friends in an effort to leave behind the bullies. Then the man created a Facebook profile, using her uncensored photo as his profile picture. "Cried every night, lost all my friends and respect people had for me... again... then nobody liked me," she wrote in the video.
This girl lived about an hour from me. I never saw this video until it was too late. Maybe if more people had been aware of what was happening it could have had a different ending. As it stands, she died alone, afraid, and hating herself. If you're being bullied at school or at home or online, stand up and make noise. Make all the noise in the world until someone hears you. You're not alone and you don't have to be.
http://www.suicidehotlines.com/canada.html
24/7 Crisis Line (http://www.hopesalive.ca/services-we-provide.php)
905-522-1477
http://www.befrienders.org/
http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
Call us1-800-273-TALK (tel:18002738255)(8255)