#GoKillYourself: the latest fast-growing trending hashtag; danger ahead

You have the power to delete and protect yourself.

(Photo Credit:  Cyberbullying via Facebook)

Commentary:  There is a disturbing trend emerging on many internet discussion forums and social media sites.  Tried and true manners and etiquette are fast disappearing.  The problem seems to stem from the fact that some people no longer appreciate the challenge and beauty of a lively debate.  Instead some seem to want to use these threads as a platform where their opinion is the only one that matters.

Whereas before the only thing such commenters blew up was their own ego, now we are living in a time when you never know what they might do.  More and more we are seeing the particularly ugly comment #GoKillYourself.  It was probably there all the time, but with all of the recent stories of children, teens, and adults killing themselves over cyberbullying, these vicious comments seem to jump off the page.

The comment is usually preceded by a hashtag for emphasis and may contain other instructions.  Some of the more common ones are #ShutUpAndGoKillYourself,  #LogOffAndGoKillYourself, #StopTalkingAndGoKillYourself, #LockYourselfInARoomAndKillYourself, #GoJumpOffABridgeAndKillYourself.

Forums are meant to be places where people can safely gather and contribute their opinions and views to the topic of conversation.  What is alarming is that there no longer seems to be any appreciation of the fact that people can agree to disagree and still be civil.  It is certainly fine to attack someone’s point of view with a stinging rebuttal.  In fact, these very differences of opinion can lead to a thread with pages of engaging and entertaining comments.  But it is never okay to attack the person who made the comment.

Why do people want to shut down a conversation if it isn’t going their way?  Why not just silently excuse themselves and find a thread more suitable to their liking?  There are many theories.  The person may have no, or very little, control in their own lives, so it gives them a sense of power to badger other commenters; especially while remaining invisible behind a computer screen.

Maybe they are a part of a group or culture that uses #GoKillYourself as a figure of speech and mean no harm.  For example, the highly offensive “B word” and “N word” have been so overused in  everything from TV programs and movies, that many people use it in regular conversations as if it is a term of endearment meant for friends and loved ones.

Whatever the reason, it needs to be stopped now.  How can we get rid of this virus?  Well that seems a monumental task, but there are some steps we can take to move in that direction.  Moderators can block or delete commenters who do this.

Some threads have thousands of replies and the moderator, unless comments have to be approved, often does not see every response.  Readers can be a great help by flagging any comment that contains the phrase #GoKillYourself  or any of its variations which will bring it to the moderator’s attention.

Why is this vitally important?  A look at any news site will reveal an alarming number of recent mass shootings and murder-suicides.  It is impossible to tell which commenter is almost to that point, or mentally ill, and for whom that simple command will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

We must do everything possible to make sure a silly hashtag order is not taken seriously by the wrong person who mistakes it for “voices in their heads” telling them to do it.  So if you or any of your friends do this, start a campaign to stop it immediately.  Because the person you tell to #GoKillYourself might do just that, but not before taking many other innocent bystanders with him or her during a real life rampage.  Let’s #KeepItClassy and #TakeBackTheInternet.

Yes Bullying Should Be A Crime

Rebecca Ann Sedwick

Photo Credit:  Courtesy of Heavy.com

Most of us were shocked and saddened at the suicide of 12-year-old Rebecca Sedwick. Rebecca lived in Lakeland, Florida, and according to the website Heavy.com, she was last seen alive leaving for school on the morning of September 9, 2013. She was reported missing at 7:00pm that evening. Around 2:30am the morning of September 10, 2013, Rebecca's lifeless body was discovered.

Rebecca's parents and the community were stunned at this news. As investigators struggled to get to the bottom of why a child would commit suicide, frightening details began to emerge. What unfolded was a real-life tale as ugly as the 70's movie “Carrie”. We all knew that that something was amiss when the police arrested two female suspects just this past Monday, October 14, 2013. It turns out that these girls had somehow managed to allegedly play Pied Piper to at least 15 other kids and lead them in a savage bullying attack on Rebecca.

Even after Rebecca's parents removed her from school in 2012 to protect her from the constant harassment, the assaults took on a cyberistic twist. The same things that make the internet and social media advantageous to companies and advertisers, e.g. it’s instantaneous, far-reaching, and easily accessible, is the same thing that can make them deadly in the wrong or ignorant hands.

This case seems to be a mixture of many things that went wrong. The facts are chilling. It includes: a gang pack mentality reminiscent of the manic neighbors in the Twilight Zone's “Monsters are Due on Maple Street” episode; girls barely old enough to see PG-rated movies without an adult insanely jealous over lost "love"; and this hotbed of tortuous emotions targeted at a young girl who could not escape the darts of cyber arrows because she, like many of us adults, are intrinsically attached to mobile devices, computers, and social media as a way of life. It's become a way we communicate, while becoming more isolated. Whether we call them friends, followers, or fans, it’s implied that these people like us. So more time we spend in front of our devices, the more real and personal these hurtful insults can be.

This young lady lost her life over meanness, plain and simple. Yes, we have to continue to instill in our young people a kinder, gentler nature. At the same time we must warn them that everyone is not kind. Let's give them the names and phone numbers of specific people they can go to in the schools who have committed themselves to squashing out the bully epidemic.

Finally, many people are in an uproar that these children have been arrested. I too believe in the innocent nature of children. But someone or something has exposed these girls to a hardness of heart well beyond their years. Doing something wrong and regretting it is one thing, but the 14-year-old's response on Facebook "Yes IK I bullied REBECCA nd she killed her self but IDGAF," the Facebook post read. Grady Judd, sheriff of Polk County, Florida, said the online vernacular meant "I don't give a (expletive)." absolutely lent itself to an arrest being made.

There have always been bullies trying to rule the playground. But the difference is their weapons are now much more sophisticated and in many cases, deadly. Let's continue to love, protect, and train our kids about life, feelings, and consequences.

My prayers and condolences to the family and friends of Rebecca Ann Sedwick. May she rest in peace.

**1-800-273-8255 - Please call this number immediately if you think you cannot go on, or have any thoughts of suicide. Or share this number if you know someone you think might feel this way. This is the toll free number for the Suicide Prevention Services of America. They are there to help children, teens, and adults. They will listen to you.

Mitt Romney...Who are you???

Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney is beginning to wear a little thin on me.  It seems like all he ever does anymore is present himself as an agent for President Barack Obama.  That’s right, I said it.  He is like an undercover mole working to make sure that President Obama’s name is mentioned so much that when people walk into the voting booth, that’s all they will remember is President Obama’s name, and therefore, awash in a sense of familiarity, vote accordingly.