It’s nothing short of a tragedy.
The tale of Amanda Todd — a Vancouver-area 15-year-old who committed suicide on Oct. 12, 2012 after years of bullying — has gone viral. The hashtag #RIPAmanda trended after news of her death became an international story and thousands of readers have commented on the various articles about her death.
Her story, sadly, isn’t unique. After making a bad choice, she was hounded on the Internet by bullies at her school. She switched schools, but the taunting followed — and she was even filmed getting beaten up at her new school. She felt alone. So, weeks before her death, she posted a video to YouTube chronicling her story and her loneliness with a series of index cards. Now that video, too, has gone viral.
Only in death has she received the attention and affection she so desperately sought in life. But what good can come from her story now?
“I think the video should be shared and used as an anti-bullying tool. That is what my daughter would have wanted,” Carol Todd, Amanda’s mother, told The Vancouver Sun.
While it’s disturbing in one sense to think that Amanda, from beyond the grave, could teach teenagers from around the globe about the seriousness of their bullying ways, it’s likely the only silver lining this story could have.
What do you think? Should parents and teachers show Amanda’s video to teens as part of anti-bullying programs, or is that too gruesome?