RE: Amanda Todd

   Let's start this serious topic with a nice picture to keep the mood somewhat light for the time being:

    Alright, good, we've got that out of the way.

   First off, I feel it should be noted that I do support suicide as a human right in some circumstances. Those circumstances being in which a person has a medical condition that cannot be cured, and will only lead to unimaginable amounts of pain and suffering before an inevitable death. Under those circumstances, I do feel that a human being has the right to end their lives on their own terms, with as much dignity as possible.

   Furthermore, the world is overpopulated. Resources are going to continue to become scarcer and scarcer. You may hate yourself for acknowledging this, but one fewer person alive is one fewer person to drive up food and other various resource prices. Simple economics.

   Finally, before I begin this in earnest, I feel it should be noted that the only reason Amanda Todd's suicide has garnered any public interest is because she was a cute white girl. If it was a black boy, the overwhelming majority of people who are labeling her suicide a tragedy wouldn't blink an eye.

   Now, I'm trying to play Devil's Advocate with myself. I'm trying to see things from the perspective of a teenage female, something I am not, nor have ever been. However, I do see a couple of things that are blatantly bad decision making that make me question if she could have ever been a productive member of society.

   The whole downward spiral that lead to Amanda Todd's suicide started in earnest when, while in a video call, some anonymous guy told her to flash the camera. I can understand wanting to keep people happy, but I just don't see how you do that for somebody you don't know. Again, impulse decision making with tons of hormones pumping through you can cause impaired logical processes, but we're talking about the internet, and nude pictures of yourself. Maybe things are a tad different up in British Colombia, but it's pretty common knowledge that, should someone at a high school have nude pictures of them taken and fall into the wrong hands, they will spread around said school like wildfire. So, just telling that guy in the video chat to fuck off avoids all this.

   But no. We've got a people pleaser, and child pornography involved. Easily enough to get the guy that was blackmailing her with her own nudes thrown in jail. But let's avoid the logical process of avoiding the police.

   She starts getting bullied at school. Rather than doing things like talking to the administration, and trying to find help, she just sat and moped around. Eventually had to switch schools, somehow thinking that the internet can't find you, especially if you don't do things like DELETE THE FACEBOOK FRIENDS THAT WERE BULLYING YOU.

   Finally, instead of talking to anyone before committing suicide, she just went for it and drank some bleach. Not even an effective method of suicide. Nor fun. Jump off the highest surface you can find in town. Go out with a bang, not a whimper, dammit.

   So, in short, someone with no self-control or ability to assess a situation with an ounce of logic died. And everyone cares because she was a decent looking white girl. Mostly mourned by other average-to-above-average looking white girls who are petrified that the same shit could happen to them.

   The moral of the story? DON'T GO AROUND SHOWING YOUR TITS ONLINE.

Much love,
Spike