Monday, May 19, 2008
Megan Meier
According to information I have, obtained from reading the newspaper, Megan Meier committed suicide after receiving bullying messages via internet from a person she believed to be a teen-age boy. The boy wasn't real; he was made up by several persons who knew Megan, including the mother of one of her classmates. The message that sent her to the closet to hang herself told her that she was evil, worthless, and that the world would be a better place if she weren't in it.
Naturally, there is an outcry against the mother, Lori Drew. Because Missouri doesn't have any law forbidding threats by internet, federal procecutors are filing charges against Lori Drew for violating certain rules governing internet communications. Both the parents of Megan Meier and members of the public who read about the affair are angry and want to see the perpetrators of the hoax punished.
Being a person of contrary nature, I want to find out a lot more about this affair before I blame Lori Drew. Did Megan herself send messages by internet that nettled and then angered the group of conspirators? Was the hoak perpetrated on Megan simply pay-back for something she had done? Is it reasonable to suppose that merely sending an insulting message to Megan would cause her to hang herself? This blog of mine is available to anyone with a computer and an internet connection. I receive insulting messages once in a while. I expect a lot more than I receive, because I know that my expressed opinions must anger a lot of people. It is inconceivable that I would commit suicide because of an insulting message, even one that invites me to hang myself.
Megan was led to believe that a handsome sixteen-year old boy was writing to her because he was interested in her. Undoubtedly she was flattered. Then, when he had her confidence, he sent the fatal message. Devastated, she hanged herself. That's the story that I gather from the news. I doubt that it's the whole story. I wonder what caused the conspirators, led by Lori Drew, to create the handsome boy.
Unfortunately, I may never know.
Naturally, there is an outcry against the mother, Lori Drew. Because Missouri doesn't have any law forbidding threats by internet, federal procecutors are filing charges against Lori Drew for violating certain rules governing internet communications. Both the parents of Megan Meier and members of the public who read about the affair are angry and want to see the perpetrators of the hoax punished.
Being a person of contrary nature, I want to find out a lot more about this affair before I blame Lori Drew. Did Megan herself send messages by internet that nettled and then angered the group of conspirators? Was the hoak perpetrated on Megan simply pay-back for something she had done? Is it reasonable to suppose that merely sending an insulting message to Megan would cause her to hang herself? This blog of mine is available to anyone with a computer and an internet connection. I receive insulting messages once in a while. I expect a lot more than I receive, because I know that my expressed opinions must anger a lot of people. It is inconceivable that I would commit suicide because of an insulting message, even one that invites me to hang myself.
Megan was led to believe that a handsome sixteen-year old boy was writing to her because he was interested in her. Undoubtedly she was flattered. Then, when he had her confidence, he sent the fatal message. Devastated, she hanged herself. That's the story that I gather from the news. I doubt that it's the whole story. I wonder what caused the conspirators, led by Lori Drew, to create the handsome boy.
Unfortunately, I may never know.
Labels: internet hoax, Lori Drew, Megan Meier
