Besides being a breeding ground for sexual deviants, obsessive wrestling fans, and tone-deaf Italian immigrants, every once in a while the bizarre world of MySpace will produce a terrible story like this one. You can read it if you have the time or I'll just give you the cliff notes.
-13 year old girl who gets bullied in school and has huge self-esteem issues
-Parents allow her to create a MySpace page under their supervision
-Meets a boy who leaves a lot of nice comments on her page and falls in love
-Self-esteem issues go away
-Boy starts calling her a fat slut
-Self-esteem issues come back
-Parents take away MySpace
-Girl hangs herself
-A year later (now) it is discovered that the boy never existed and was actually the mother of another girl in the neighborhood performing some sadistic hoax.
-Parents want justice but there's no law against what the mother did
-Parents go on media tour crying to every Matt Lauer and Larry King they come across
I think it's an interesting case to say the least but I'm not really sure if the woman deserves to be legally punished or if having to spend the rest of her miserable existence knowing she engineered a hoax resulting in the suicide of a 13 year old girl is punishment enough. What you say?
How did all those people find it anyway? Do you just say the word "Myspace" and they come start showing up?
http://myspace.portallane.com/uncategorized/reason-11378-that-myspace-blows/
Posted by: Art Vandelay | November 20, 2007 at 02:00 PM
How did all those people find it anyway?
It was listed on MySpace News for some reason. I suppose Vandalay has as much clout as Dan Rather over there.
As of this morning, they pulled it off the main site - possibly after someone in charge actually read the headline.
Posted by: Assman | November 20, 2007 at 02:12 PM
"possibly after someone in charge actually read the headline."
There's someone in charge? A human?
Posted by: Jack Klompus | November 20, 2007 at 02:16 PM
Looks like this story has legs. Some neighbors and bloggers have outed the parents who sent the kid the nasty notes and apparently now the community is going Mob on them...
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stcharles/story/77D27634D36233968625739800167159?OpenDocument
http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/stlog/2007/11/story_of_girls_suicide_takes_o.php
Posted by: sancarloskid | November 20, 2007 at 04:31 PM
Yeah, that's not gonna end well.
Posted by: Art Vandelay | November 20, 2007 at 04:39 PM
Are you actually telling me that you DO NOT think these parents should be brought up on manslaughter charges? Really? If it wasn't for the actions of those wacked out parents that little girl would still be alive today. It's that simple.
Posted by: The D | November 20, 2007 at 05:59 PM
"It's that simple."
What's even simpler is the little girl doesn't kill herself. I'm not taking the side of the pranksters. But unfortunately people, including kids, are bullied and harrassed all the time. What the overwhelming majority of those victims do not do is kill themsleves (or anyone else). Unless they instructed and/or encouraged the girl to kill herself, I don't know how they can charged with anything other than stalking or harrassment.
Posted by: Jack Klompus | November 20, 2007 at 08:14 PM
What's even simpler is the little girl doesn't kill herself.
Klompus, you're an idiot. First of all, everyone knows this was the first 13 year old girl to have her heart broken by a boy in recorded history. Second, the First Amendment says people can be charged with manslaughter charges for being immature and mean. You need to brush up on ya shit, caveman.
Posted by: Assman | November 20, 2007 at 10:43 PM
"You need to brush up on ya shit, caveman."
I guess I'm just stuck livin' in the past. It's still YKYK in my archaic world.
Posted by: Jack Klompus | November 20, 2007 at 11:18 PM
Unless they instructed and/or encouraged the girl to kill herself, I don't know how they can charged with anything other than stalking or harrassment.
And, really, even if they told her to kill herself, does that make it manslaughter? Think about how many times in a day people tell each other to "go fuck off" or whatever. If the person goes and does it, is the teller responsible?
It really is sad that they abused this girl's trust and all, but does that make them different from about 40% of all males between the ages of 13 and 25? If these parents can get arrested for "not being who they claimed to be" and "breaking a girl's heart," ex-boyfriends everywhere will be facing subpoenas all next week.
Posted by: Assman | November 21, 2007 at 10:49 AM
How does one "fuck off" in a literal sense anyway?
Posted by: Art Vandelay | November 21, 2007 at 11:33 AM
Hello, "A Concerned Parent".
Being a parent makes you an "adult?" Looks like we're gonna have to get Klompus up to Spanish Harlem.
Posted by: jackie | November 21, 2007 at 12:02 PM
How does one "fuck off" in a literal sense anyway?
I dunno. Why don't you go try it for a while and let me know what you come up with?
Posted by: Assman | November 21, 2007 at 12:50 PM
Walked right into that.
Posted by: Art Vandelay | November 21, 2007 at 12:55 PM
WELL I THINK U R ALL RITARDS 4 SAYIING THAT CHRIS BENOIT IS GILUTY HE DID NOT KILL THIS GIRL!!!1! WE MISS U CHRIS 4 EVER
Posted by: Schmoopie | November 23, 2007 at 08:08 PM
if you don't have a child with adhd, anxiety or depression disorders, do not say that this little girl overreacted to the disgusting travisty that happened to her. no one knows the mental anguish a child like this suffers from on a normal day let alone have some scum bag, rich bitch woman, terrorizing her and driving her to suicide. the internet is the downfall of this country and should be discontinued. it does have good qualities but all the bad things that it is used for far outways the good.
Posted by: lucy | January 22, 2008 at 04:15 PM