I’ve heard a lot about Amanda Todd’s suicide, as I’m sure everyone else has, too. There are a lot of negative and positive outlooks on it. I can’t say I necessarily side with either. Some say she was a poor girl who was horribly bullied and pushed to kill herself by bad people, while others say she was just some dumb girl who killed herself for attention and doesn’t deserve any of it. Both points of views are a bit extreme, so I will share mine with you:
After hearing about her suicide in the media, I watched Amanda’s self-posted video online to try to understand who she was and where she was coming from. After all that I read in her video, I did feel bad for the girl. Yes, a lot of her problems could have been prevented completely, however mistakes were made. Although I will agree that she did bring some of her problems on herself, I do strongly believe she did not deserve to be bullied the way she was. Absolutely NO ONE deserves to be talked down to like that, especially for making a few mistakes that hurt no one other than herself.
I feel bad for how she felt, mainly because I can empathize with people easily. I know how depression feels, as I’ve been battling it for years, and I have been suicidal multiple times in my life. Although I’ve had those thoughts, I do see suicide as a selfish way of just giving up on everything and everyone in your life. But for those who don’t understand what it’s like, once you’re in that mindset it is way beyond extremely difficult to get out of. Sometimes, you can't.
I understand why so many people are upset about the attention Amanda’s suicide has gotten, but she did put her video out in public before hand, so it only makes sense that more people would make such a big deal about it since so many knew her story. “She was pretty, of course everyone makes a big deal of it. If that was me, no one would care because I’m fat and ugly. It’s not fair.” That was just something I saw that someone had posted about her. You want to know what’s really not fair? This girl is dead and people are STILL bullying her. And for some reason people think this is okay because she “deserved it”. No one deserves it.
Instead of continually looking down on this one girl for her actions, why not use Amanda’s ‘publicity’ (so to speak) as a way to come together and put an end to the bullying? Stop hating on her for all the attention she’s getting. Honestly, she’s dead. What good is it to complain? Perhaps her death was for a reason. Without knowing, she really did bring attention to the harmful effects of bullying and the number of teen suicides occurring each year. Maybe this was needed to truly help make a difference now. Who knows…
I wrote this because I was just so tired of reading the hateful things people STILL have to say about her, and just wanted to put my opinion out there. If anything, find a way to bring light to the world with this. What if she hadn’t put her story out for the public to read? Would she be normal just like everyone else? Would everyone feel sorry for her then? She was brave enough to share her story, to try and reach out for help. I don’t know about anyone else, but with all the crap I’ve been through… that is definitely not something I could ever do.
To those of you who still feel the need to hate on her, just think; what if that was someone you knew? A friend, your sister or cousin, or just that girl who sat behind you in history. What if she had just killed herself out of the blue with no explanation whatsoever? You can’t honestly say you wouldn’t have wanted to know what was going on in her life. That’s what Amanda did. Sadly, that s wasn’t enough to save her.
Amanda Todd may be gone, but you may be the one to save another before it’s too late. There is much more going on in a person’s life than they are usually willing to share. If you even suspect something is wrong, take the time to talk to them. Hell, if you don’t know the person just compliment them on what they’re wearing, or how their hair looks that day! Believe me when I say something as small as that can really brighten someone’s day. Another thing… if you EVER see someone being bullied, DO NOT just stand there. DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! You could just save a life.
I am writing from my heart. I will always feel for anyone who has been depressed, no matter what the cause. That’s just who I am. Respect one another and stop talking down on each other. We can see where the world is headed if we keep treating each other the way we do. As cheesy as it sounds… go out and make a change.
So with that… Goodnight, from yours truly
R.I.P. Amanda Todd
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