I'm about to start talking about bullying and the serious consequences it has. Specifically, about Amanda Todd. This is extremely sad and depressing, but please bare with me. I want everyone to know about this.
First off, here is Amanda's video. I hope that you watch it, but if you really don't want to, it's alright. You can just read about what I have to say.
Amanda Todd was a fifteen year old girl who died in October.
She was bullied (cyber-bulling to be specific), and was driven so much into a corner that she had to change schools multiple times, tried drugs and alcohol, cut herself, drank bleach, and eventually killed herself through suicide.
It all started when her "friends" told her to flash, and she did. A guy (total stranger) got a hold of her picture and started to blackmail her, as he knew everything about her--where she lived, her school, family, friends, etc.
On Christmas, at 4 am, the police arrived at her door. Her picture was sent to everyone she knew.
She began to sink into depression, and turned to drugs/alcohol. She also moved.
The blackmailer came back a year later to her new school. Now, he had more information about her, and created a Facebook page that bullied her. Again, she lost everything. She moved again.
At this new school, she started to contact an old guy friend. He tricked her saying that he like her, and they got together, even though he already had a girlfriend. Soon, fifteen people, including the guy and his girlfriend, came to her school and started to beat her up. The teachers came, but she hid in a ditch until her father found her.
When she got home, she started drinking bleach. She survived though, after a trip to the hospital. Then she moved with her mom.
At the end of the video, she shows pictures of her arm, with cuts and blood on it, as well as a kitchen knife in the background. There is also a picture of a tattoo, which says "Stay Strong", one that she was planning to get, but never did.
All the people that bullied her--her "friends", the blackmailer/stalker, the cheater, as well as the people who posted mean comments on the internet about her--disgust me. They should all go to hell.
Although its true that Amanda made many bad choices, everyone deserves more chances. She was only fifteen, and had a whole life ahead of her.
I noticed that there were a lot of other videos about suicidal people (girls especially) on the sidebar of videos like this. They all deserved better. They probably thought that there was nothing left to live for, but they were wrong. They only lived for a couple years, so they don't know better, but it seemed to them that nothing mattered anymore, and thus committed suicide. People like them--all they really needed was a friend to support them.
I also heard that a lot of parents say that bullying is just "kids being kids" and is a life phase. It is not. You parents can also go to hell. Bullying is a huge problem that is not addressed well enough. I think that it is mostly the parents'/adults' fault for not teaching their kids better and/or helping out those who were bullied. They just tell them to talk to them when they need it, but the reality is that those bullied kids will never talk to them about their problems because they feel uncomfortable sharing about it, shy, or are at the point that they are so scared to do anything.
So please, take part in helping to stop bullying. People actually lose their lives in this. If you see a person being bullied, help them out. Stand up for them. Become their friend. If you think that it's weird to help out a total stranger, especially if that person is being bullied because of his/her appearance, then you are wrong. There is absolutely nothing wrong with helping someone who is struggling to survive. In fact, if you don't, then you are heartless.
Amanda, I've seen a few videos with you in it. You're really pretty. Also, your singing is beautiful.
If I were there, Amanda, I would be your friend. I'm sorry that I never heard about you until a month after your death. I hope that you are better now.
R.I.P. Amanda Todd
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