I have been trying to stay away from controversial subjects and miscellaneous rants for a while now but I got an email from my daughter today who had read the Meagan Meier story and she wondered “Oh, man, Mom. What would you and Dad do if this happened to us?”
The internets are up in arms, gathering their torches, pitchforks and ropes, demanding the names of the despicable parents who perpetrated this hoax. Before I begin what will probably be my most disliked and controversial post ever, go read the story… I’ll wait for you.
Ok, now you’re back and probably thinking about where you stored your pitchfork and all but I have to say I don’t agree with everyone who wants to prosecute the parents who started the hoax.
Yes, it is very sad that a 13-yr old girl committed suicide. I am sure her parents and extended family are devastated. I feel badly for them.
Yes, the other adults (and children) in this story acted in ways that were ill-advised and childish and, to many people, heinous and unthinkable.
I have to admit that, if my child believed a friend was spreading malicious gossip or stories about them, I might try to find a way to learn exactly what was being said too. Probably not this way but still I can understand what may have prompted the mom to do this. Sadly, it got out of hand and turned ugly, but what they did was not illegal nor should it be. There are a lot of mean people out there. Should being mean be against the law? And if it is who gets to decide what is mean?
I am also wondering about the other half of the story. There seems to be a lot of info missing here. I also wondered why this story was suddenly getting so much attention since it happened over a year ago. Turns out that Meagan’s parents are trying to get a law passed that would somehow make these other parents guilty of ?? What would they be guilty of? False impersonation? Ironically, Megan was guilty of exactly the same “crime” as was perpetrated on her. She and a friend (the same friend & friend’s mother who created the Josh persona) had previously created a fictitious MySpace account as well.
It’s not illegal (yet) to create a new persona for yourself. You can call yourself by whatever name you want to, it’s legal as long as you aren’t using that false persona to break the law, like creating false government documents, stealing someone else’s identity, or defrauding someone. In fact, aliases, pseudonyms and pen names have been commonplace over the years. Actors use them all the time. Novelists. Political Pundits. Our country was built on them. Ever heard of The Federalist’s Papers? The Federalist Papers urging the ratification of the U.S. Constitution were written by “Publius.”
The internet is a big old conglomeration of weirdness and information. You have to take what (and who) you find there with a healthy dose of skepticism and caution. The ability to be anonymous online (or in print) doesn’t need to be curtailed. Often it is only with anonymity that people feel free to share their thoughts and opinions. It is parents who have to be responsible for their own children’s safety. We don’t need more laws, we need more responsible parenting.
What would I do if this happened to one of my children? I would blame myself. I would hold myself responsible for not having protected my child from herself. For allowing her to be in a situation that could have (and should have) been avoided. I would cry and grieve and never get over it. I would be angry at those parents and other children for their cruelty but I wouldn’t be screaming for their heads on a plate unless I was ready to offer up my own.
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