Amanda Todd
20.10.12
Amanda Todd: Teen’s sad story surfaces after suicide
Sometimes, something occurs that transcends the issues of the curriculum. Yes, this blog was intended to be focused on globalization, but, right now, something has happened that cries out to be discussed - the death of Amanda Todd.
I’m struggling to stay in this world, because everything just touches me so deeply. I’m not doing this for attention. I’m doing this to be an inspiration and to show that I can be strong. I did things to myself to make pain go away, because I’d rather hurt myself then someone else. Haters are haters but please don’t hate, although i'm sure I’ll get them. I hope I can show you guys that everyone has a story, and everyones future will be bright one day, you just gotta pull through. I’m still here aren’t I?
This is how Amanda Todd, a 15-year-old girl from a city near Vancouver, BC, prefaced a video that she posted to YouTube last month telling of her years-long struggle against bullying. On Wednesday night, Amanda Todd killed herself.
When Amanda was in grade 7, she made a bad decision. I’d guess that there aren’t too many of us who didn’t make one or two, or many more, of those when we were growing up. Chatting online with the aid of a webcam, she agreed when the person on the other end -- the one who told her she was “beautiful, perfect, stunning” -- asked her to lift up her shirt. This regrettable, forgettable transgression came back to haunt her a year later, she said, when someone threatened to send that captured image to everyone she knew.
Eventually this person did just that, starting a cycle of bullying and abuse and harassment that, despite changing schools and even cities, Amanda never managed to get free of.
As the photo circulated on Facebook and among classmates, Amanda recalls how she spiraled into depression and anxiety and then, later, substance abuse, self-harm and suicide attempts. On Wednesday night she sadly succeeded, and as local media outlets reported the news, her video and her story soon followed.
My heart aches for this girl who seems to have endured too much suffering in her too short life. As a mom, it breaks for the parents who have outlived their child.
And selfishly, Amanda’s story terrifies me. How do we prevent our kids from going through something like this? How do we protect them from cruelty, or make them strong enough to survive it?
How do you deal with bullying?
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