I don't know if this story has made it past the Canadian border, but in a way I hope it has. You can google her name and find the original video if you wish: I warn you, you may become nauseated. I did. Apparently her Mum has said that the video should remain available... that this is what her daughter would've wanted.
I thought the second half of his essay hit it... bang on:
... the suggestion will reek of arrogance and denial,
and it is that denial that may be our greatest battle in this moment
as if a previous generation’s difficulties
should form the prescription
for inaction and dismissal now,
as if we don’t have the evidence
that this is a new kind of epidemic
~ quite the opposite ~
shame on those amongst us
who would misunderstand the way
in which the world has changed
yes we have suffered bullying in the past,
(many of us know that all too intimately)
but we did not live in a world of social media...
of Facebook taunts that can invite
a pile-on of participants from around the world
that will live in infamy,
in online pages that are near impossible to extinguish,
that can follow a young teen to any computer screen,
no matter how far her family moves to stem the tide,
no matter how hard they try to hide
~ on the contrary ~
we should not rest
until all of us together -- as a national community --
take on the bullies who will try to tear us down
we should not rest
until any and every teen understands that
it is okay to be
unique,
themselves,
different -- or the same --
immune from societal blame
we should not rest
