Australian Host & Model Charlotte Dawson Commits Suicide.

[miffy]

I'm sure all the Australians know about this very sad event already. But for those who don't, Charlotte Dawson was the host of ANTM & a victim of online bullying. She tried to commit suicide in 2012 & then sadly did so at some point last night or this morning.

It has made me wonder, at what point does snark become bullying? Some of the women we talk about are VERY vulnerable, does it get taken too far?

[crocodale]

I was absolutely shocked by this. So sad

[Coconut Flan]

That's very sad. One of the news articles said she had a long history of depression so the internet issues may have only been part of the problem. It's still a societal issue.

As to the question of how far is too far, I think it's a two sided question. I don't think anything I do online rises to a problem at all. I'm not comfortable "invading" the space of the fundies and others we talk about. If they don't want to read what I think all they have to do is not come to freejinger, TWoP, and a couple of other rather public forums. I don't post on their blogs, email them, or send them tweets. I realize many people are comfortable with that and choose to engage them. I don't and I've only rarely seen anything good from it. On the other hand, the people who feel bullied need to take action of their own. They can avoid sites that upset them such as this one, shut down or lock down Facebook, Twitter, and blog accounts, and above all remember what some faceless person with a keyboard says is basically irrelevant to your life.

I would feel comfortable going to say a Maxwell conference, but I also would not be comfortable being confrontational. Gathering more information about a subject that interests me is one thing, but getting in their faces is too close to Planned Parenthood protest territory to me. That is what works for me and obviously other people have a different line, but it is a good question to consider.