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When Do Rights End And Consequences Begin?

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When do Rights End and Consequences Begin? “Everybody in O’Fallon knows who you are. You are a bad person and everybody hates you. Have a bad rest of your life. The world would be a better place without you.” (qtd. in Klien 119). These taunting words appeared on the computer screen of Megan Meier, a thirteen-year-old living in O’Fallon Missouri. One of Meier’s friend’s mother, Lori Drew, created a fake profile, “Josh”, and friended Meier on Myspace (Ibid). At first “Josh” was kind and friendly with Meier but then threatened her with posts similar to the one above (Ibid). Soon enough, Meier was found hanging in her bedroom closet (Ibid). Cyberbullying is very common among young adults in public schools. Due to the detrimental effects of …show more content…

Additionally, cyberbullies have the power to remain anonymous online, causing the comments to be more aggressive and hurtful (Hogan 23). They know they will not be held accountable for their wrongdoings as their username may not necessarily represent their identity (Patchin and Hinduja 18). Therefore, because bullies have a fear of obtaining a punishment for their inappropriate behavior, they prefer a cyber-attack making it a more comfortable setting for them (Klein 114). Mrs. Willis, a social studies teacher in a north-eastern public school, proclaims that a cyberbully thinks “because I am this screen name,” he may not view it as something wrong because it is not “himself” doing it (Klien 114). Similarly to Meier, many victims do not know who they are being bullied by (Patchin and Hinduja 18). Compared to the affects associated with the bully, cyberbullying has a greater impact on the victim. Victims try to withstand the online harassment, so their parents will not take away their means of socialization (Klein 21). According to the National Crime Prevention Center, more than 40 percent of all teenagers with Internet access have been reported being bullied online (99). As technology develops, the younger generation is inclined to stay connected through social media. Many students have different accounts and applications on their smartphones to socialize. Although social media can be a useful way to be in contact with peers, it also is

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