This essay examines the profound impact of cyberbullying on society through analysis of high-profile cases including Amanda Todd and Rehtaeh Parsons. The study explores legal accountability for harassers whose actions directly contribute to victim suicides and examines whether such cases constitute wrongful death or corruption of a minor. The analysis reveals the complex interplay between perpetrator responsibility and victim vulnerability in digital harassment scenarios.
In your view, should the harasser in your selected case be held accountable for the victim’s suicide?
The answer to this question is difficult as each case provided in the, “Cyber Bullied to Death: An analysis of victims taken from recent events” article is different. With the cases of Amanda Todd and Rehtaeh Parsons, yes, the harassers should be held accountable. In the case of Parsons, the accusers actually raped her, and made a false narrative to allow people to believe she was a “slut” or sexually promiscuous. Likewise, the boys took inappropriate pictures during the rape and disseminated them throughout the school and internet. This created a cascade of events that eventually led to the suicided of Parsons. Here, she was constantly bombarded by men online with requests for sexual acts. She was shamed throughout the school and ridiculed by her peers. Even more alarming, when law enforcement was involved they were initially unable to convict the four boys of their act. I wasn’t until after Parson’s death that the perpetrators where convicted. Due to this, Parsons death could have been prevented if these boys first didn’t engage in the act and law enforcement acted promptly to allegations. In addition, Amanda Todd also wen through a very similar situation. Here Todd made the mistake of should her chest to a man over the internet when she was in the 7th grade. The man then escalated the situation by asking her to put on a “show” for him. Amanda Todd refused which resulted in her semi-nude photos being exposed throughout the internet. Todd and her family attempted to move to sperate locations on three separate occasions. However, the harassment ultimately followed her each time. This resulting in her taking bleach on one occasion and then successfully committing suicide at a latter attempt (Pendergrass, 2014).
In both of these instances the harasser should be held accountable as their actions can be directly linked to the suicidal behavior. In one case, the male behavior was that of a rape. In the other case, the male behavior was the result of exposing sexually explicit photos on the internet. The behaviors of each of the harassers in these cases resulted in the death of a young women.
Do you see this as a case of wrongful death and/or corruption of a minor, even though the offense took place online?
Personally, these cases can go both ways. In the articles, in each instance the women put themselves in a very compromising position. Amanda did engage in sexual acts in the 7th grade by sending her naked chest to boys. Rehtaeh Parson was photographed having sex with boys. Jessica Laney was using online forums and chat groups which used negative statements against her. These are very comprising positions that should be avoided particularly for young women in todays society. However, the counterargument still suggests that the male counterparts took advantage of these situations by committed illegal acts. From the case provided there is blame to go to both sides of the case.
In light of the evidence presented, I do believe this is a case of wrongful death and corruption of a minor. For one, the bullying occurred over a very long duration which ultimately manifested itself into a suicide. In the case of Rebecca Sedwick, she was simply bullied because she dated an ex-boyfriend of another girl. Likewise, even after her death the girls who bullied her stated that they “didn’t give a fuck about her death.” Jessica Laney, another victim was bullied due to comments related to her weight. Again, these elements occur over an extended period of time, slowly creating a suicidal environment (Chernenko, 2018).
Have you or someone you know ever been the victim of cyberbullying?
To my knowledge no one I know has been a victim of cyberbullying. Many of my friends have received disparaging comments. They have received offensive comments online and through gaming channels. They have also overheard offensive online rhetoric which was very racial in nature. Likewise, many of my friends have been exposed to harmful rhetoric within online channels and other mediums. To my knowledge, nobody I know has been directly bullied through online channels.
What ethical norms inform your conduct online?
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