Source: http://sportzmania.co.cc
Imagine your 11-year-old daughter, let’s call her Jessi Slaughter, becomes an active member of social media websites like 4chan and Stickam (because she’s still a bit too young for Facebook) and, because of her slightly off-kilter personality, she has a hard time making friends at school. So, she turns to cyber space to find solace with others like her.
Now imagine the same 11-year-old girl becomes victim to cyber bullying and, instead of turning to parents or an adult of authority, she posts a video ranting and raving about her “haters.”
“I’m happy with my life okay?” she says into her webcam, clad in a Blood on the Dance Floor t-shirt. “And if you can’t, like, realize that and stop hating, you know what? I’ll pop a glock in your mouth and make a brain slushy.”
She doesn’t just stop at idle violent threats though. This child continues on to tell people they should “get AIDs and die,” while reminding the viewers that they are simply “jealous” because she is “perfect in every way.”
As retaliation to the video, bullies post your home address and phone number on the Internet and you begin to get obscure phone calls, and even death threats. Police get involved and place your daughter in protective services to keep her safe.
Sounds like something straight out of a parent’s nightmare doesn’t it?
Take a look for yourself:
Unfortunately, this has become reality to two Florida parents. Gene and Diane Leonhardt, parents of Jessica (who goes by Jessi Slaughter on the Internet), had no idea that their daughter was posting such profane and vulgar videos on the web.
“I have seen her chatting with her friends, but not making videos,” Diane told MomLogic.com in an interview last week. “I don’t know if she made these videos or not, but she says she didn’t. Right now, I am trying to figure out what’s real and what’s not.”
This isn’t the first time Jessi had found herself in the midst of bullying trouble. She has been bullied at school and was even suspended for 10 days for slapping a boy in his face.
After receiving numerous phone calls and threats, Jessi was placed in protective services, where she had to wake-up at 7am and spend her day doing schoolwork. She was not allowed the use of Internet of television, according to the house rules. Dianne said she was “angry” with the way Jessi was treated.
After all was said and done however, Jessi announced that she had no intention of logging off of her favorite websites. “I’m going to continue making my videos, I’m going to continue updating my Twitter and going on Stickam and stuff… just going to be a little more careful with who sees what I’m doing.”
But it does seem that Jessi, with the help of a therapist, is ready to turn a new leaf online. “I just want it to kind of like turn positive,” she told ABCNews.com. “And I kind of do like the attention but I don’t like so much the negative attention.”
Next week, Jessi will be getting a visit from a detective to teach her how to use the Internet safely.
“Talk to your child about cyberbullying and how bad it’s going to hurt another person,” Diane advises parents. “They don’t know or understand the dwindling-down effect of what they’ve created.”
Sources:
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/jessi-slaughter-viral-tweens-violent-online-rant-spurs/story?id=11224731
http://www.momlogic.com/2010/07/exclusive_interview_mom_defends_11_year_old_youtube_sensation_jessi_slaughter_jessica_leonhardt_dianne_leonhardt.php
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