R.I.P Amanda Todd

 Her YouTube video started out innocently enough. The Canadian teen, her face obscured from the camera, held a stack of cards each filled with messages in black marker.

"I've decided to tell you about my never ending story," the card in Amanda Todd's hands read.

At this point the viewer may have no idea that they are about to be led on the most agonizing journey, one that pushed the premier of British Columbia to issue a stern warning against bullying, a journey that has birthed a Facebook page with thousands of people commenting and many offering condolences.

In the soundless, black and white video, the teen showed one card after another. Each card painfully sinking the viewer deeper into the anguish too many teens have experienced.

"In 7th grade I would go with friends on webcam," the card in her hand read.


The next few cards reveal that the teen began to get attention on the Internet from people that she did not know. People who told her she was beautiful, stunning, perfect.

"They wanted me to flash. So I did one year later," the cards said.

The teen then got a message on Facebook from a stranger who said she needed to show more of herself or he would publish the topless pictures he had taken of her.

"He knew my address, school, relatives, friends, family, names ..."

On Christmas break, the police came to her home to tell her that photos of her were sent to "everyone."

She pushed the next card very close to the camera.

"I then got really sick anxiety major depression and panic disorder. I then moved and got into alcohol and drugs."

She says she struggled with anxiety, rarely went out for a year. And then the same man appeared again with a Facebook page that displayed her topless as his profile picture.

"Cried every night, lost all my friends and respect people had for me ... again ..."

She was teased and felt as if she could never erase that photo. She started cutting, a form of self-injuring act that psychologists say is an impulse-control behavior that sometimes accompanies a variety of mental illnesses.

Then, she moved to another new school.

"Everything was better even though I sat still alone," the next card read. "After a month later I started talking to an old guy friend."

She thought the guy liked her even though she knew he had a girlfriend. One day he asked her to come over because his girlfriend was on vacation.

"So I did ... huge mistake ... I thought he liked me," she held the cards in one shaky hand now, using the other to brush under her eye as if wiping away a tear.

A week later the guy's girlfriend showed up at her school with a posse of 15 others. A crowd gathered. The girlfriend berated her screaming that nobody liked her.

"A guy than yelled just punch her already ..."

She was punched. Thrown on the ground.

"I felt like a joke in this world I thought nobody deserves this," the next card reads. "Teachers ran over but I just went and layed in a ditch and my dad found me."

When she got home she drank bleach.

"It killed me inside and I thought I actually was going to die."

She was rushed to a hospital to flush the chemical out of her.

She put the next card almost flush with camera so that the viewer can no longer see her and only sees "After I got home all I saw on Facebook- She deserved it and did you wash the mud out of your hair? I hope she is dead."

She moved in with her mother into a different city and a different school. But her past followed her.

"6 months has gone by ... people are posting pics of bleach, and ditches ... Everyday I think why am I still here,"

Her struggles with anxiety and cutting had gotten worse and even despite counseling and antidepressants she still was rushed to hospital again after an overdose.

The last cards say simply: "I have nobody. I need someone. My name is Amanda Todd."

One day earlier, Amanda Todd's body was found in her home, police in the Vancouver-area city of Coquitlam said. She took her own life.

Amanda was 15.

R.I.P Amanda Todd

Author's Note

She always deserved the best, but no one "liked" her. Amanda Todd took her life, and is now in heaven. May she always rest in peace...

R.I.P Amanda Todd

Please remember that half of this got taken off of the Internet and I changed it around here and there so I wouldn't get "plajerized"....

Reviews

[therisa]

As a child, who grew up in the 1970's and 80's, I was spared cyberbullying, but I know the cruel hand of bullying, personally. Having enduring from kindergarten to the end of grade 10, when I transferred to another high school, in the same city. but, the memories and the suicidal impulse didn't stop. For three years, I walked into the kitchen and held a knife against my chest, but was too weak to shove it home.

I hid this, from my parents, knowing, there was nothing they could do, to stop these memories of mine. So, Amanda, you aren't alone, just gone, to a better place.

[Forever Hidden]

Thank you for the review :)

[therisa]

Your welcome, Forever Hidden.

[beautiful dreamer]

wow. this is so sad and i feel awful for her. this is awful. amazing tribute to her though sky

[Forever Hidden]

Thanks... :/

[HidingBehindTaylor]

It's funny, because I told myself I would never watch the video, but my mind doesn't listen to my and I went to youtube. Honestly it frightened me. There were all kinds of stories and all kinds of things I heard about her. I don't know which were true and which weren't. I like to think she was completely innocent, but no on really is anymore and it seems like the younger people are. The worse it is. The girl that beat her up. I find it strange how she still trusted the guy who was her boyfriend at the time. How are you going to be mad at just the girl? Isn't it partially the guy's fault? That really bothered me. People are so stupid and blind now days. It drives me insane. I wish I could punch the stupidity out of them. Her life was tragic, hopefully her afterlife will be peaceful.

[Forever Hidden]

Society is really sucky these days :L
First the people need to change and then the environment would change ^^
Thank you for your review and sharing your thoughts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

[beautiful dreamer]

yes and i am going to restrain myself in my idea of yours. because i believe someone who is hurting should never be "pitied" or called a "drama queen". i've had those accusations thrown at me and they hurt and THEY ARE NOT TRUE. depression is a real thing. it hurts and it's hard and sometimes its unbearable. this girl made mistakes but she should have never been ridiculed like that. this is awful.

[WrittenStarts]

This story IS sad, although her reasoning is weaker than most. She was bullied because of her choice. Some people are bullied because of something they can't help. Being gay. Nerdy or smart. Not being smart. Religion. Skin color. What I'm trying to say is, although NOBODY deserves what she got, other people have taken the same action for better reasons. Amanda was more deserving than that. RIP Amanda Todd. As I've heard, "Suicide is the most selfish option available. You take your life because you want to, not thinking about how it will affect others. If you look far enough, someone will stick up for you."

[Forever Hidden]

Woah thank you so much for the quote!!!!! I really appreciate it!
And thank you for your opinions and review! :D

[WrittenStarts]

Yeah no problem! :D

[Michael Stevens]

Sad but true; people can be so cruel online; maybe because they feel anonymous. Some of the negative comments I've seen, are hard to believe. The Internet's something that I didn't have to deal with growing up, but being a teenager then was bad enough; I can't imagine if I had to deal with Facebook while tying to cope with everything else!

[Forever Hidden]

Thank you for your review :)
And gee yes the internet is just another way to get bullied. All you need to do is shut the laptop and its gone though :)

[Britt]

Alright, I have NO sympathy for this girl. No one should commit suicide, but i feel like she was asking for the bullying that she got. Its called Karma, If she didnt flash her b***s, none of this woulda happened. This girl got way too much attention. What about the other girls that have done something similar? they werent all over the internet. Why this one girl? What's so special about her? This is my opinion. But again, i dont feel bad for the girl. Dont flash your b***s & ya wont get bullied for it. Karma is a b***h.

[Forever Hidden]

Thank you for your review but no hate is tolerated on here.. Sorry!

[Forever Hidden]

Please please do stop with the language.
And yep. Opinions should be kept to yourself though ^^

[Forever Hidden]

^-^
Your welcome!

[Forever Hidden]

I thought I would just spread the word out..?
And I didn't think people would cuss on this so... Yeah.

[Britt]

I didnt know I wasnt allowed to cuss, otherwise i wouldve kept my mouth shut. Ya know waht, im not gonna hate anymore. Good for you spreading the word out. Im sorry for being such a b***h to you, i was only saying. i didnt realize it would be so rude. :) have a nice night.

[Forever Hidden]

I'm sorry too..
I'm gonna act like this never happened so we don't hate on each other...

[Britt]

Yeah, ill just delete the post now. Waht i said was uncalled for. I didnt realize it. So i seriously am sorry. and i dont want to hate you. not my intention at all.

[Forever Hidden]

Me either... I'm sorry again..

[Caution In Flames]

I know I'm a bit late to the party here, but I felt the need to interject that many teenagers her age- albeit she was only 15- age frivolously and sometimes slightly risque, speaking from personal experience. So perhaps the backlash of her tragic actions should be not blamed on the adolescent themselves, but the rowdy nature of teenagers worldwide.
Just something to think about.

[Britt]

Not your fault, i just come off like a b***h sometimes. :/

[Forever Hidden]

Ah tis be fine! ^^

[Britt]

I hope we can be friends. :)

[Krista]

I can really relate to Amanda Todds story even though I am older. I'm a cutter and was teased all throughout school. Nobody liked me because nobody understood what i go through on a daily basis. I was her age when I first tried to kill myself. My thinking was that nobody would miss me including my own parents. Luckily they found me in time though my wrists were bleeding pretty bad. I still feel like that sometimes. I feel like nobody cares about me alot of the time.

[Forever Hidden]

Thank you for your review.
Get better soon please

[InTheLandOfGodsAndMonst..]

While this is very depressing and sad, she kinda brought this on her self by doing this! I agree this is totally depressing and she didn't deserve this!

[Forever Hidden]

Thank you for the review!
The last time I got two reviews in a day was a couple months back XD

[InTheLandOfGodsAndMonsters]

Oh ha :)

[Patrick Henry]

She was like most teens: Addicted and sometimes consumed by what others say about them, and these days teens live their LIFE on the internet!! This is the video 4 hours before she died, playing with her hair, fixing her makeup, and spending even MORE time on the computer after the fights, rumors, and being a target like 17% of kids between the grade of 3 and 12. That's about 512,784 kids!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDlUmk1oetc

I have lost about 30 out of the 70 something friends who have died, to suicide!! My poems, profile in parts, and my history say it best. This is someone recently that has left us from around MY area. I knew them all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wrAdxS2CZk

What Phoebe DIDN'T do was show her b***s on the internet, live on the internet, or worry about her STATUS like Amanda Todd did. If the discussion is closed on this topic, take it down or do we just get one turn at leaving a "perfect" comment and then we are done.... you know. Like every rational way of discussing the most horrible aspects of our society.... say our peace and move on, not looking back!! What about discussing the nearly 800,000 children younger than 18 who are missing each year in the U.S., or an average of 2,185 children reported missing each day, more than 200,000 children being abducted by family members, more than 58,000 children being abducted by non-family members, and 115 children being the victims of “stereotypical” kidnapping. How about the 100,000+ girls taken as sex slaves, where I'm reading that about 68% of THEM are under the age of 18!! Great story, though….. More people have to know that everything that they hear and what's around them is as they know it!!

[Forever Hidden]

Thank you for the review.

* To all those trolls out there, there will not be any fighting on this page. All negative comments WILL be removed