OT: Cyber Bully, Trolls take note - words can kill!

NOTE:  This thread is being posted by me, as a member of OH and a human being, not an employee of OH! I was watching the Dr. Phil show yesterday and was stunned to hear about the story of Megan Meier.  She was a 13 year old, that hung herself in her closet after being tormented by someone on the internet.  see links below for details. It turns out a mother down the street is accused of creating a fake, My Space account and doing the bullying just to see if Megan was talking about her daughter. Everyone has a different style of communicating.  I for one do not reply if I see someone being an A$$ or posting just to insult and anger.  If you don't respond then it takes away the thrill they get, getting a rise out of you.  Not everyone can do so, especially if you are being attacked. In light of this girl killing herself they are moving quickly to put laws on the books to be able to bring charges to people that post for reasons to bully others (I guess at this time there are none), and create fake accounts to harass as well.  Freedom of speech issues need to be addressed. So my friends, if this is your method of communication, I suggest  you read and re-read what you are about to post and use your good judgment.  You may find someone knocking at your door someday, arresting you for what you posted on the internet due to you causing someone's death. Links to stories about Megan: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=megan+meier&btnG=Search Kathy

it's horrible that this young girl has to be used as an example. i've been harping on this subject for YEARS but it's almost always fallen on deaf ears...

I heard the Megan's mother being interviewed on the Today Show. So very said...it's amazing how immature some adults are.

Thanks for posting this. When chatting first became really popular on yahoo, I was harrassed by a man who claimed to be a hacker from Pennsylvania. He got pictures of me and created fictitious profiles of me soliciting SEX.  I had three children living with me at home and this man sent strangers wanting free sex to my door. There were no laws then either. I could have been killed. This isn't funny at all. I had the FBI at my house investigating this freakshow and to top it off, the man drove all the way from PA to OR one summer to stalk me.  Scary stuff. People magazine interviewed me and Fox was interested in broadcasting my story. At that time I was so upset and burnt from all the drama, I said NO to Fox. Now I wish I had said yes to their broadcast. It would have made a great movie!! Thinking about it, this is about when I began to really gain weight. I was hiding from men like this; stalkers, predators, cruel men who wanted to hurt me. If I had been any more weak than I am, I could have committed suicide.... nah... I can't say I wouldve done that. How 'bout HOMICIDE if that man ever came to my door? Jen

They also had another man on there where he was playing the online games and being called the "N" word and told by this person they were going to come and kill him and all of his family.  It was the X-Box I think. When he contacted Microsoft they said there was nothing they could do unless there were at least 10 complaints about this person.  SAY WHAT?  I thought there were federal laws on the books about threatening people due to their race.  And there have been stories where people have gotten in their cars and drove miles to kill someone they were talking to on line.

Hi kathy, the problem with the internet, too, is that it brings these bullies/predators into the safety of your own home.  In the past, whatever went on at school or work, could be left there where we came home and felt safe.  Our kids are bringing all these bad things into their homes with them, thats why I definately dont believe in allowing computers in bedrooms.  That must be the last safe place. My daughters were both bullied at school at various times and it was crippling to them.  At least they didnt have myspace etc then to have to cope with it as well. take care, sweet lady hugs, Helen.

I am reminded of a recent ‘run in’ with a cyber troll Who posted under assumed names on WLS MessageBoards. She made snide comments about how fat some were (who were dealing with mechanical staple-line disruptions) Made jokes about those who had complications, And took every opportunity to attack those *****vealed their need for Counseling, as “Un-balanced Crazies.” Even though she had dealt with Morbid Obesity herself, No law prevented her from continuing these attacks. Such shocking truths come out about “Cyber-Trolls,” I can hardly imagine what tortured psyche they must be hiding from the world. I totter between wondering if they need immediate court-ordered psychological Therapy, Of if in fact some people are just actually Evil. Only "damage" it ever caused me was reducing my ability to trust ANY poster on the Web.... Perhaps I just needed to learn that lesson. Some many creepy folk can access web-sites just as well as the rest of us can. Maybe even better….. Sad, Sad Story… Best Wishes- Dx

Isn't it so sad that some folks just can't ---well, I think you know what I want to say, Dx. (*smile*) The need to post under assumed names, to flame others, to snark at those who are still struggling/have struggled with some of the same issues as the 'cyber-troll'---to me, that indicates the 'troll' has some unresolved issues that are too great to be resolved on message boards such as this.

I'm with you re the trust issues, but I have to say that some things that have happened during the past few weeks have renewed my faith in human nature---somewhat. (*grin*)

Correct me if Im wrong but I believe the Megan case was about two families that were friends and took trips together and the other parents set up a fake myspace account to befriend Megan to get information from her about their daughter. But, what ended up happening is the fake "boyfriend" they created started to be mean to her in order to get her to open up about kids in the neighborhood. Well, Megan was already depressed from my understanding and the other family was aware of her emotional depression. So I believe that is why this case is so unique because I don't think you can actually prove that your words directly caused someone to commit suicide but because they knew this family and knew of Megan's depression they are trying to charge them with her death. It is a really complicated situation and I totally agree that we need to be more aware of our words and how we express ourselves. Im not sure if that is the same case but I know here in Missouri there was the same situation and it was a big talk. I couldn't remember the families name though or the young girl that committed suicide. A lot of people figure they can "hide" behind their words and be a little more uninhibitated when typing but once it is put out there it can't be taken back. I stress to my family all the time that you never know how your words can effect someone so "THINK" before you "SPEAK" and before you "TYPE". I remember being at work and this one lady always typed everything in caps and I emailed her and told her that people take her typing in caps as being yelled and if you are already quick witted with words it will definitely come across in a demeaning way. She felt so bad because that really was not her intent, she just thought it was easier to read. So a lot of times people are not aware of what they type or say. I also believe that as parents we need to be more involved in our childrens life. Ask questions about what's going on in their lives. Who are their friends, enemies, associates, boyfriends or girlfriends. Open up lines of communication with these teens so that things like that don't happen. Don't take for granted that they have everything under control because they don't. These teens are faced with so much more peer pressure than a lot of parents could even imagine. As I said before open up the lines of communications for your children and your childrens friends even if it makes you uncomfortable to hear some of the things they have to say. But I would rather hear it then have to deal with a consequence of their actions because they were misinformed.