Suicide Online Again

Posted on November 26, 2007 in Blogging Scoundrels Suicide The InterNet

UPDATED: 27 November 2007 at 18:05

Police reports on the affair from The Smoking Gun.

Liz has righteously aimed both barrels at Lori Drew, a mother who impersonated a 13 year old boy for the purpose of seducing her teenage neighbor and then dumping her by posting “a hateful, hurting rejection”, precipitating the youngster’s suicide. Evidentally the girl had attempted suicide before: Drew thinks that this exculpates her from any responsibility for what she did.

When some people get online, their common sense and, yea, their humanity disappears. I remember, for example, the case of Brandon Vedas who drank himself to death while other chatters watched. A few voiced concern about his increasing intoxication but a nasty core of others egged him on. When called on their actions, they could only say that it was not a crime.

And Lori Drew says that she doesn’t feel responsible because Megan had tried to commit suicide before.

The mentally ill do not lose the right to be treated fairly and above-board, Ms. Drew. Your sociopathy deserves investigation. What complicated feelings led you to do this? Unfortunately, as in the case of Vedas, what you did was not against the law, but I hope the members of your community ~shun you~. I hope you become unwelcome company in chat rooms. I hope your online identities become known and avoided by others. I hope social workers pay you a call. I hope you find no friends and no succor in the misery you deserve. You do not deserve the company of others.

But will even this put the point across to you?