What Happened to Hope Witsell

[Brostkorgen]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34236377/ns/today-today_people/

tl/dr:
Teen girl sends topless pic to boyfriend. Classmates see it, bully her. School finds out about it, suspends her. Parents find out about it, ground her for a summer. Girl kills self. Media blames dangers of "sexting," not vicious shaming from classmates, school, and parents.

Opinions, anyone?

[Misoko]

(I don't think this belongs here, but we all make mistakes.)

Bullying and harassment at school rarely gets the attention that it deserves. It seems more like a rite of passage for most people, rather than something that administration should deal with.

[Fassitude]

Media blames dangers of "sexting," not vicious shaming from classmates, school, and parents.

Welcome to the USA, where it's never the puritanism at fault, but always the sex.

Although, what sort of "topless" picture could a 13-year-old even send?

[Maurepas]

That people tend to blame everything but themselves, and are generally more apt to jump to idiotic conclusions rather than attempt to solve the problem that punishing children for normal activity is retarded...

[Redwulf]

Media blames dangers of "sexting," not vicious shaming from classmates, school, and parents.

Welcome to the USA, where it's never the puritanism at fault, but always the sex.

Although, what sort of "topless" picture could a 13-year-old even send?

The kind where she isn't wearing a top? I'm confused as to what the question means. It's not like 13 year old girls are completely breastless.

[Lord-General Drache]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34236377/ns/today-today_people/

tl/dr:
Teen girl sends topless pic to boyfriend. Classmates see it, bully her. School finds out about it, suspends her. Parents find out about it, ground her for a summer. Girl kills self. Media blames dangers of "sexting," not vicious shaming from classmates, school, and parents.

Opinions, anyone?

Hurray for a sexually repressed society!

[Lord-General Drache]

Media blames dangers of "sexting," not vicious shaming from classmates, school, and parents.

Welcome to the USA, where it's never the puritanism at fault, but always the sex.

Although, what sort of "topless" picture could a 13-year-old even send?

The kind where she isn't wearing a top? I'm confused as to what the question means. It's not like 13 year old girls are completely breastless.

That's what Fass is getting at. They generally have what're called breast buds, and not fully formed breasts.

[Misoko]

Media blames dangers of "sexting," not vicious shaming from classmates, school, and parents.

Welcome to the USA, where it's never the puritanism at fault, but always the sex.

Although, what sort of "topless" picture could a 13-year-old even send?

The kind where she isn't wearing a top? I'm confused as to what the question means. It's not like 13 year old girls are completely breastless.

That's what Fass is getting at. They generally have what're called breast buds, and not fully formed breasts.

That certainly wasn't the case back when I was in middle school.

That made me sound older than I am, but whatever.

[Flameswroth]

Hormones. She overreacted to meaningless teasing and temporary punishments for an action that she should know would garner a correctional response (even if she didn't think it likely to occur). That's the problem with teenagers, boys OR girls. They're just too emotional for their own good at that age, and every single little thing can drive them to anger/tears. It is unfortunate that she was so emotional as to take her life, but in the end she's the one that did it. No one else.

In my opinion, of course.

Although, what sort of "topless" picture could a 13-year-old even send?

An illegal one; child porn and all that.

[Fassitude]

An illegal one; child porn and all that.

What? You mean to say a picture the child itself took counts as child porn? And thus the child is rendered a child pornographer? I would be surprised at such immense idiocy, but, "welcome to the USA" as I already said...

[Maurepas]

Hormones. She overreacted to meaningless teasing and temporary punishments for an action that she should know would garner a correctional response (even if she didn't think it likely to occur). That's the problem with teenagers, boys OR girls. They're just too emotional for their own good at that age, and every single little thing can drive them to anger/tears. It is unfortunate that she was so emotional as to take her life, but in the end she's the one that did it. No one else.

In my opinion, of course.

Although, what sort of "topless" picture could a 13-year-old even send?

An illegal one; child porn and all that.

I would disagree, if the idiots in charge of her life hadnt siezed an opportunity to ruin it, this wouldnt have happened, the blame lies squarely with the parents and school administration...

It was a completely avoidable, completely unnecessary course of action...

And, I would say that any definition of porn that includes sending pictures to your SO, is a rather idiotic definition indeed...

[Redwulf]

An illegal one; child porn and all that.

What? You mean to say a picture the child itself took counts as child porn? And thus the child is rendered a child pornographer? I would be surprised at such immense idiocy, but, "welcome to the USA" as I already said...

Many have been prosecuted and convicted of exactly that. Including IIRC an 18 year old girl who took naked pictures of her 17 year old girl friend.

[Central Slavia]

Media blames dangers of "sexting," not vicious shaming from classmates, school, and parents.

Welcome to the USA, where it's never the puritanism at fault, but always the sex.

Although, what sort of "topless" picture could a 13-year-old even send?

You would wonder. Back in high school there were few girls who had at least #2 cups at that age

[Flameswroth]

An illegal one; child porn and all that.

What? You mean to say a picture the child itself took counts as child porn? And thus the child is rendered a child pornographer? I would be surprised at such immense idiocy, but, "welcome to the USA" as I already said...

Indeed. There are definitely specifics in law that might negate it as pornography...the implied absence of sexual acts being undergone for instance...but when it comes to the more simple mind, 'naked child' = 'child pornography' to many, even if it doesn't meet the exact requirements.

Also, I have the most depressing feeling in my gut that when that news broke, there were more than a few creeps that hit the web to try and find that picture for....self-gratification.

[Redwulf]

Hormones. She overreacted to meaningless teasing and temporary punishments for an action that she should know would garner a correctional response (even if she didn't think it likely to occur). That's the problem with teenagers, boys OR girls. They're just too emotional for their own good at that age, and every single little thing can drive them to anger/tears. It is unfortunate that she was so emotional as to take her life, but in the end she's the one that did it. No one else.

In my opinion, of course.

Although, what sort of "topless" picture could a 13-year-old even send?

An illegal one; child porn and all that.

I would disagree, if the idiots in charge of her life hadnt siezed an opportunity to ruin it, this wouldnt have happened, the blame lies squarely with the parents and school administration...

It was a completely avoidable, completely unnecessary course of action...

And, I would say that any definition of porn that includes sending pictures to your SO, is a rather idiotic definition indeed...

That's the problem with using "I know it when I see it" as a definition that has weight in a court of law.

[Zykorinov]

Media blames dangers of "sexting," not vicious shaming from classmates, school, and parents.

Welcome to the USA, where it's never the puritanism at fault, but always the sex.

Although, what sort of "topless" picture could a 13-year-old even send?

Heh.. hehheh.. hehhehheh. Good point, on the last line, at least.
But, anyways, you are correct, that's just they way America functions.
It's never the peoples' fault, it's the girl's fault for "sexting", the others were just trying to help her!

[Redwulf]

Media blames dangers of "sexting," not vicious shaming from classmates, school, and parents.

Welcome to the USA, where it's never the puritanism at fault, but always the sex.

Although, what sort of "topless" picture could a 13-year-old even send?

You would wonder. Back in high school there were few girls who had at least #2 cups at that age

I was in 6th grade with a girl who I swear had double D's.

[Central Slavia]

It is wrong to prosecute it as child pronography, but equally what she did was stupid, and well, it was nobody elses fault what happened.
I think children should not even have mobile phones, much less in classroom

[Central Slavia]

Media blames dangers of "sexting," not vicious shaming from classmates, school, and parents.

Welcome to the USA, where it's never the puritanism at fault, but always the sex.

Although, what sort of "topless" picture could a 13-year-old even send?

You would wonder. Back in high school there were few girls who had at least #2 cups at that age

I was in 6th grade with a girl who I swear had double D's.

what age is that?

[Flameswroth]

And, I would say that any definition of porn that includes sending pictures to your SO, is a rather idiotic definition indeed...

Not that it refutes or supports this notion, but from what I understand she was sending it to a boy she wanted to be here SO, but was not. "An attempt to get his attention" was how it has been phrased, and it was the notion that it was not her SO that eventually led to it being circulated.

But yeah, if you one of those with the (perfectly legit) viewpoint that nudity does not necessarily equal pornography then that would classify as a silly definition.

[Zykorinov]

Media blames dangers of "sexting," not vicious shaming from classmates, school, and parents.

Welcome to the USA, where it's never the puritanism at fault, but always the sex.

Although, what sort of "topless" picture could a 13-year-old even send?

You would wonder. Back in high school there were few girls who had at least #2 cups at that age

I was in 6th grade with a girl who I swear had double D's.

what age is that?

12-13 year olds.

[Maurepas]

it was nobody elses fault what happened.

Except for the fact that the people in charge of her life took the liberty of ruining it for a harmless act, of course...

[Central Slavia]

Media blames dangers of "sexting," not vicious shaming from classmates, school, and parents.

Welcome to the USA, where it's never the puritanism at fault, but always the sex.

Although, what sort of "topless" picture could a 13-year-old even send?

You would wonder. Back in high school there were few girls who had at least #2 cups at that age

I was in 6th grade with a girl who I swear had double D's.

what age is that?

12-13 year olds.

Hmm, that size i saw in class as well, but a year later.
Ah well, most classes were so easy and boring i did little else.
I am soo jealous that in USA one can skip grades ,,,

[Fassitude]

Many have been prosecuted and convicted of exactly that. Including IIRC an 18 year old girl who took naked pictures of her 17 year old girl friend.

That is the only way to react.

[Central Slavia]

it was nobody elses fault what happened.

Except for the fact that the people in charge of her life took the liberty of ruining it for a harmless act, of course...

Evidently it was not harmless, and nobody is to blame except her.
I do not have a high regard of someone who does that.
What happened was unfortunate, and it would have been good if somebody noticed , but you cannot blame the others for giving away to a easy girl that she is ... that