Jesse Logan Suicide Shows the Dangers of 'Sexting'
'Kids Can Be Cruel' is the Attitude--That's a Copout
That phrase has been stuck in my head for the past two days due to several pieces of news that left me speechless. Yesterday, I watched a partial video of five teenage girls beating a 16-year-old Florida girl because she had apparently trashed talked them on MySpace. The actual tape is a half hour long and was posted on places like MySpace and YouTube for a laugh. The incident happened last March.
Today, I read about another incident that happened last May. Jesse Logan was 18 years old when she hanged herself in her bedroom. Why? Because she took part in the latest teenage craze, a fad called "sexting," which uses texting to send racy pictures or sexually explicit messages.
Taking part in the craze backfired on Logan after she broke up with her boyfriend. During their time together, she sent him several nude pictures of herself. After their breakup, he sent them to other girls in the high school. For the rest of her time there, Logan was constantly harassed, called a slut, a whore and often had things thrown at her. But that's just because kids are cruel.
With every single incident, all I can think of is my younger sister, a freshman in high school, and I can't help but place her face in every single incident. She's a good kid, smart and fun. But so was Jesse Logan.
The obvious question is where were the authorities in this incident? They were present and very aware of what was going on. Apparently, one school official offered to go to only one of the girls who had the pictures and tell her to delete them and never speak to Jesse again. Only one.
In the incident with the cheerleader beating, the mother of the girl who hosted the smackdown defended her daughter, saying that she tried to warn the victim and she knows because a neighbor next door heard the warning. Yet, this witness never came forward nor did they try to stop the brawl. Nor did this woman's daughter do anything to help the victim during the beating, didn't even call the police.
Kids are cruel. But in a sense, that's a copout. Teens are jacked up on hormones and the idea that they're invincible. But that's no reason to just drop it. Parents need to talk to their children about everything. If their teenager is exhibiting bratty, aggressive behavior like those cheerleaders had to be in the days prior to the attack, don't write it off as "kids just being kids."
At some point, someone has to take responsibility. Those cheerleaders may be forced to do so inside a jail cell. Jesse Logan tried to by talking about the incident at a local television station two months before her suicide. Teenagers will soon be adults. When they're adults, they can't hide behind that mantra anymore. They're expected to take responsibility for their actions. Why shouldn't teenagers have to do so now?
Mike Celizic, Her Teen Committed Suicide Over 'Sexting', MSNBC
Helen A.S. Popkin, Internet's Assault on Teen American Continues, MSNBC
Published by Sarah F. Sullivan
Graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English, emphasis in Writing. Freelance writer and editor for three years. View profile
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15 Comments
Post a CommentPunish somebody for sending a picture that was given to him? you're a fool.
I mean really, she KILLED herself over something like this? Thats minor, its nothing, people get harrassed. Man up and deal with it, suicide is the weak persons way out. Sorry for your loss to the family, but sounds like the kid had deeper problems.
pissing myself laughing
We need to get the name of the ex-boyfriend since he is a cyber-murderer now since he deliberately made her commit suicide. We need to find him now!
This was not just a simple act of getting teased. This girl went every single day being tormented about someone who she wasn't (or maybe she was, but who cares? Did it deserve being hurassed every day when people like Britney Spears can expose themselves on television and be the role models for the next generation of girls?) This girl was 18 years old, constantly being told she was a whore. Psychology tests have proven once someone is pushed to a curtain point, the mind breaks - boom. Suicide. It's almost the same thing as technical brainwashing. At that point, she knew no other way out.
So please, stop blaming technology for the short-comings of parents who can not own up and discipline their children. If you want verbal abuse in school to stop, go to the source: The kids, and the parents who think their children can't do anything wrong. Parents - have some integrity. You are the parent. They are the child. Act like it.
if we are going to fix this?" There is an easy answer: It can't be fixed. Most teenagers are impressionable, hormonal, emotional, and unstable. Mix that with pressure from classmates, the media, drugs, alcohol, sex - That is enough to drive any teenager through the roof and down the road to danger that can not be predicted.
The best way to handle this is for these kids to be held accountable. Do you REALLY think if the school took Logan's situation seriously that it would have gone AS FAR? Yes, she probably would have still been teased but if teachers would have been involved (as well as parents) it may not have gone so far, maybe being enough to keep Logan from killing herself. I had a girl in my old middle school that had the principal pull 20 STUDENTS from class because they had supposedly been involved with a rumor that had spread that she stuffed her bra...the teasing ended that same day.
Wow.
Here we go again. Let's take the responsibility off of the parents, adults, and kids, and blame it on something that has NOTHING to do with the problem.
First of all..could we have come up with a better tag line besides sexting? Honestly...
Second, Jesse Logan did not die because of sexting, nor did it lead to her suicide. A naked picture could have easily been handed out in the halls of her high school, or her dick ex-boyfriend who sent the picture could have as easily taken a picture himself and shown everyone in school. Hell, he could have simply TOLD everyone that Logan had sent him a naked picture, and she may have received the same amount of abuse.
Logan committed suicide because she fell victim to constant brutal attacks from girls in her grade, and a vicious ex-boyfriend. This has nothing to do with "sexting", and this kind of abuse has been going on for years.
Most would then ask "If we can't blame "sexting", what is the problem that needs to be addressed i
ps. the girls from polk county are really dumb. no really. the education system in that county is sub-par when compared to other counties in florida. i know. my friends from polk county dispise having such low education standards and the fact that polk county is the only county to receive an F grading (in grading student scores in standerdized tests) several years in a row.
that being said, it isnot surprising aboutthebeating youtube case. the girls are hopelessly dumb, they received slaps on the wrist (probation) and were old to write an apology letter. thats it.
oh, and BTW you mentioned something about one of the mothers saying she warned the girl and hat she does no think her daughter did anything wrong.
WELL!!! just a few weeks ago, the 18 year old girl called he cops on her own mom for hiting her. yup. the apple never falls far from the tree.
The blame should be placed on the ex-boyfriend and he five girls who continualy harrased her.
why is there NO INFORMATION onthe ex-boyfriend at all??? not even a name is given.
I call upon the internet to find out who the ex-boyfriend is and publish his name and face so that he too may be ridiculed and shamed publicly.