http://iamlove.blogspot.com/2007/12/lori-drew-most-hated-woman-in-america.html

Although I do agree, that the charges were not related to the crime, I still sick feel sick that this woman has not legally suffered punishment.

However society has gone about crucifying her, and her reputation and dignity I am sure have been dragged through the mud. I hope her guilt haunts her to her death and beyond.

I also think that when you persist in blaming the tools for the harm that’s done, as opposed to the person wielding the tools, you only delude yourself to who/what is actually doing the harm.

What the bully in this case did was so completely reprehensible and irrisponsible, I’m surprised they weren’t able to charge her with something more relevant, like harassment. I also don’t understand why Megan’s parents haven’t moved forward with some sort of civil suit against the bullies, as an alternative to criminal charges.

I’ve been the victim of cyber bullying myself, when I used to work at a couple different video game studios in Vancouver, I would receive random e-mails and Facebook messages with people telling me to kill myself, that they hate me, or that they took photos of me in the lobby of the building where I work etc. It’s scary stuff.

It’s bad that people think they can harass or threaten people online. It’s bad that our justice system is making a precedence that this kind of thing is okay.

Great post Raul, I have nothing more to say on the subject myself other than what you said, now that I’ve read up a bit on the topic.

VancityAllie’s last blog post..IN MY FAMILY’S GARDEN

So then what?

I think what’s needed is a whole-scale upgrade to our conventional wisdom. Barry Schwartz argues this more coherently than I can:

http://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_on_our_loss_of_wisdom.html

But what an ideal! Where should we start? By talking about these issues casually, with our family and friends, our colleagues (well, doc’s colleagues are necessarily skewed and self-selected, but for the rest of us it is important), and urging them to talk about it casually to their family, friends, and colleagues. (Having animated arguments on public transit doesn’t hurt either.)

Laws (and incentives) are inflexible and finite. Laws cannot be updated as quickly as the world changes, and they cannot cover all the possible permutations the world throws at us. What we need is a reinstatement of moral values that DRIVE these laws.

The problem goes much deeper IMHO than just direct cyber-bullying between individuals or groups of individuals. The Internet has made it possible to internationally ridicule anyone and everyone. I don’t know what the answer is to this, but for my own part I’ve chosen to stop watching/forwarding the viral videos, photographs and websites that promote the embarrassment and humiliation of people (exception was for you you, Raul for the purposes of this discussion). The 14-yr old Star Trek Kid was tormented for his behaviour (no, that YouTube account is not his regardless of what it says) and the wedding photos of the couple (she a large woman, and he a small buck-toothed man) from the Southern US that everyone has laughed over are, to me, just as egregious as setting up a fake account to embarrass and humiliate Megan.

There is a fine line … if I post a picture of myself doing something foolish and basically say “look at me please, point laugh and share this with your friends” then that is my choice to do so. But, if “you” post the same thing about me without my informed participation then I believe that is wrong. The problem is that society seems to think we have a right to embarrass and humiliate others for our own amusement regardless of the consequences to the individuals – it is a loss of basic civility. It is why so many people think it is OK for Cohen to embarrass and humiliate people via Borat and now Bruno – those are REAL people, not actors. Users of the Internet would be well served to keep the Golden Rule in mind when participating in viral cyber-bullying just because they think it is funny … Do Unto Others As you Would Have Done Unto You.

The internet has changed drastically over the years and I’ve found it hard to change along with it. Before, I was going by internet “handles” that didn’t allude to my real name, my personal identity, or anything that could be used against me. Now, because of facebook, twitter, internet marketing, social media, etc., I’m finding myself more and more willing to put myself out there, but in a smart way.

Sadly, teenagers aren’t equipped with the tools and life skills needed to survive on the internet. You thought highschool was bad back then? When the worst that could happen was you’d get shoved into a locker (or get a wedgie… or get dunked in a toilet)? This is why I hate shows like Gossip Girl (I know, I know, bring on the flames) – it PROMOTES cyber bulling in my opinion. Shows like that tell kids it’s ok to text your best friend the latest piece of gossip without even thinking twice about how it might affect someone.

Lesley’s last blog post..Social Media – How do we use it?