The Case of the "Vengeful Angel"

Meera recently had some tough family problems that began to affect her attitude and her studies at school. She became sullen and depressed. Unaware of Meera's problems at home, her friends became annoyed with her sudden negative attitude and started to avoid her. They stopped calling her on the phone or inviting her places.

No longer included in her friends' activities, Meera began to make up rumors and insult them. She started a blog and began to document her comments there, where anyone could view them.

A classmate discovered Meera's blog and showed it to others around the school. Soon, all of her former friends were furious with Meera, and they made a plan to teach her a lesson. At a school soccer game, they cornered her behind the bleachers and started to push her around. The fight intensified, with Meera at the center of the brawl, and by the time the fighting had stopped, Meera had been beaten up horribly. One of the students shot a video of the incident and posted it on the Internet with the intent to further humiliate Meera.

The results of this incident were devastating for everyone involved. From the fight, Meera's hearing and eyesight were permanently damaged. From the Internet video, the police were able to identify and arrest the culprits who beat her. They received fines and punishments from the court that would always remain on their records. The lives of both Meera and her former friends were changed forever by their actions.

Discussion Questions

• How could this situation have been avoided?
• What if Meera had spoken with her teacher or another respected adult about her family troubles?
• When students like Meera perform badly at school due to problems at home, what should be a teacher's approach to handling the situation?
• Meera was guilty of posting remarks on her blog. But is her behavior justified? If blogging is considered a space for freedom of speech, where should the limits be drawn?
• Were Meera's friends justified to react the way they did? What else could they have done?
• You understand that it is not right to post defaming remarks about someone on the Internet. What would you do if you noticed such remarks about one of your classmates?
• What if the students had reported the blog to a teacher or another respected adult? How should the teacher react?
• If a teacher or principal knew about Meera's blog, is it part of their responsibilities to inform the parents?
• Should schools have specific policies to address cyberbullying?

Summary: Blogging is a way for all to express their feelings, take out their frustrations or put their thoughts into words. However, considering that it is a public space, accessible to many people, bloggers must take personal responsibility to avoid writing about another person. Kids should report such blogs to either their teachers or parents/guardians. As Meera's case shows, information on the Internet can cause problems in real life by harming someone's reputation, hurting people's feelings, and instigating physical violence. Minors may immediately feel the need to act out violently in situations of anger and revenge, so adults must show them through their own experiences and abilities how to address such situations non-violently. It is necessary for adults, as parents and teachers, to educate kids about the online and real-life consequences of cyberbullying.

A Real-Life Case of Cyberbullying

• 8 arrested in beating of Lakeland cheerleader  (Baltimore Sun)

References

• Four Types of Online Bullies  (NetBullies.com)

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