Brony Commits Suicide due to Cyberbullying over a Fanfic

[Everleaf 541]

This...this sickens me...

 

I feel I should at least have my speak

 

I do not understand people anymore, only to pick on someone for little reason...

 

and to get bullied for the such of a learning disability... me being autistic I can lightly understand this... bullying has to stuff at all costs...

 

the saddest thing of this is that this can never be stopped completely...

 

after reading the story it hit me... it honestly did... I hope for the family to further live happy and I hope for him to be happy!  

Edited December 20, 2014 by Everleaf

[Commissar Alexer 763]

Let me get this straight: He spended his tme moslty or only online, wrote a fanfiction which a apparently was copied from another one, got cyber-bullied for it and then killed himself.

 

Hmmm....not sure what to think about it.

 

I mean if you steal stuff then you must expect to get shit for it.

 

But killing himself because of that....he probably already wanted to do it and just need the last spark.

 

 

Anyway, does someone know anything about the reactions of the bullies?

I'm kinda curious to know how they feel for being indirect responsible for the death of a human...

[Alphys Hedge 671]

Rest in peace, Adam Smith. Bullies don't realize what they are doing. They bully people, and when they tell bullies to stop bullying, bullies think they are just annoyed (which is what bullies want), but in reality, people are seriously hurt and saddened by bullies. Bullies don't know that what they think is just messing with people can actually lead a person to suicide. If bullying ever occurs, don't reply or say something back. Just report them, delete the comment, or ban the person. Replying to a hate comment is just what they want. Remember: DON'T REPLY. Ban them, delete them, or report them.

 

 

May Adam Smith rest in peace...

[Veritum 257]

It's really pathetic to see people so ignorant to other's feelings. That, or the alternative, where they mean to inflict harm upon the person, which is even worse. People like this are the only ones that I can truly say I dislike. This is why I try to spend so much time in the life advice section, because I'm tired of seeing stories like this where complete idiots drive people to suicide. Never should a person be insulted to the point where they deem it necessary to take their own life.

 

Hopefully everyone affected by this event can make it through, and may Adam rest in peace.

[Ragland Tiger 3,392]

Now, forgive me for being a heartless jerk for a moment, but there are a few things I have to say:

 

From what I read, the story in question was plagiarized from someone else on the site. That's just... you know, that's one of the things you know you shouldn't do. That gets you banned from most institutions, and even most websites. It's stealing other people's work. Not doing that is just common courtesy, and it's taught to kids since the time they're able to read.

 

Now, let me ask you this. What if this kid stole a bike? What if he stole a bike, and then he was bullied for it, and then he killed himself. Who is really to blame in that situation, and why is this one any different?

 

If that's true—if he really plagiarized—can you really blame that person and/or their friends for getting mad at this guy? Imagine that you wrote a fanfic, and then someone else uploads it under their own name. Of course that doesn't make it okay to bully them, but I wouldn't hold it against you if you're angry over it. I'd probably make snide remarks, too.

 

And then there's the fact that he was dependent on the internet for friends and communication. Yeah... I really question how much the bullies were at fault here. That kind of isolation takes a toll on anyone, and very few people are capable of living like that without getting depressed in the first place. I've been there, and I'm speaking from personal experience on that one.

 

I'm not saying it's the boy's fault, but rather that the perpetrator in this case isn't so cut and dry. Can we really blame the "bullies" in this case...? Can we really say that he wasn't already depressed and ready to commit suicide? You never know, if it wasn't some snarky comment, this may still have happened.

 

If you want to know what I think, it's no one's fault. This is just the product of unfortunate events and circumstances.

 

No matter what, though, everyone loses except the media. The kid's dead. His parents and family have to suffer that loss. The bullies have to live knowing that they instigated his suicide, and will probably forever regret their actions from this day onward. Not a happy story, by any means, unless you're the one writing it and making a profit from the viewership.

I can not begin to tell you what it means to be a young man with a developmental disorder most likely living in less -than -ideal circumstances.  If you are lucky enough to get any treatment for the condition at all, it is most likely inappropriate, inadequate, or both.  I know this because I've been there myself; I have an autistic spectrum disorder.  I have known others who have had similar as well as other kinds of psychiatric disorders.  I admit that I don't know all the details, but I'm guessing that, partly because of his condition, he wasn't altogether conscious that plagiarizing was what he was doing.  I'm not excusing what he did, but I beg of you, he was victimized way too many times; do not victimize him further by demonizing him through your neurotypical eyes.

 

Cyberbullying, where both perpetrator and victim are truly sad pieces of work. You know how you avoid cyber bullying? By clicking that X on the top right corner of your screen, going to a different site, or just shutting your damn computer off! It's so simple a concept, yet so frustrating that people are letting themselves be victimized over this!

 

What the hell ever happened to "sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me"? Does that need to be rephrased to "sticks and stones may break my bones but texts, Emails, posts and IMs won't hurt me"? What kind of children are we raising that deeply value the opinions of strangers who are not even in the same room? Getting your jollies by hurting someone your not even int he same room with? How petty can such sadistic satisfaction get?

 

I am not picking on Adam Smith, because this happens to thousands of kids each year. No thick skin, no self confidence, no emotional backbone. It's mind boggling what is wrong with all these kids. Where's the confidence? Where's the will to fight? Where's the sense of self importance or even self preservation?

 

 

Those of you calling for an end to cyber bullying, you're just repeating the words of idealists over the years. Ending this is like trying to end real bullying. It's been going on since the age of Homo erectus. It is a by product of asserting supremacy and dominance over others. Making yourself feel better by bring others down. We are made to look out for ourselves first and foremost. Some just take that to higher levels. 

 

This is similar to my rant on the ferguson riots about racism. Discrimination is socially ingrained. Except rather than classifying a person based on skin color, we are classifying a person based on our own conceptions of social acceptability, combined with our need for supremacy. Putting them in their place, as it's called.

 

We don't like something, we lash out against it. We won't be silenced or ignored. We will be heard. The squeaky wheel gets the grease (and the emptiest barrel makes the most noise). We try to get our emotions and intentions out clear across. It makes us think that we're important, that we have some semblance of power and control over this chaotic world, and over others. And we love power, oh boy do we humans love power. We change how a person acts & behaves, we get to think we're god for that moment. We get our primal dominance asserted.

 

Worst of all, we think we've done some justice to the world, that we've righted some wrong. If people knew bullying was bad, it would stop, right? Bad things make the world a bad place, and us doing bad things would make our surrounding world a bad place, so why would we want to corrupt & ruin our own environment? Answer: We don't. In The back of our minds, we think we're doing something beneficial for ourselves and the world. It's hard to reason with someone when they think they're right. 

 

This, this whole cyber bullying, bullying in general, will never end. It's not a problem. It's a symptom. Of our evolutionary nature clashing with the way we were raised to think and believe and the circumstances we live in now, however pleasant or awful they might be. To get rid of that, you'll have to start early on in how we raise kids from birth to adulthood and it'll have to be done with conscious effort on an astronomical scale. 

 

There are no words to justify the loss of Adam Smith. Nothing I say will make his situation or this broad problem any better. There is no happy ending. 

 

Bullying is a cancer, a malignant one that's been with us since the dawn of our species, and it will only die when we do. 

I was one of those " sad pieces of work" that you speak of.  I got lucky.  As a young adult I had opportunities to get help -the right kind of help -that most others didn't have at the time.  This is it not a mere matter of being " thin skinned".  A symptom of many developmental disorders is a high degree of reactivity to emotional stimuli.  In other words, what ever you might feel, whether it's depression, anxiety, stress, etc., a  person with Adam's condition might feel those things more acutely, and express them more dramatically and forcefully.  These are treatable, of course, but it never completely goes away.  Even as an older adult, I have to work very hard at talking myself down from stressful situations.  Even so, I am grateful for how far I have come.  At times, I think about the ones that I knew who didn't make it, and I start to cry.

 

So, you will forgive me if I say that I am not a fan of bootstrap mentalities.  To quote Martin Luther king, it is a cruel jest to tell someone to pull themselves up by their bootstraps when they don't have the boots.

 

 

The masses look excited and happy as if they were attending a feast or standing in a tower in the springtime looking out at an expansive view. Only I am… like an infant who has not yet learned to smile. I appear weary as if I were homeless. The masses all have more than enough and only I appear to be lacking.  I am so foolish as if I were muddled and confused. Everyone is so bright and dazzling and only I appear obtuse and stupid. Everyone is so intelligent and talented and only I appear completely undiscerning. Everyone seems capable of doing so much and only I appear foolish and inept. [i am different from other people.]

 

High, low, good, bad, right, wrong, beautiful, ugly -- these are mere value judgments rather than intrinsic qualities. They are relative and change according to the times and the environment. People indulge so much in sound, sex, material things, and profit. But perhaps we should be happy in tranquility, take pleasure in simplicity, and seek the elevation of the spirit.

 

From

The Tao Speaks: Lao-Tzu's Whispers of Wisdom by Chih Chung Tsai and Brian Bruya

 

For you, Adam

Edited December 20, 2014 by Ragland Tiger

[BayoUni2847 528]

What a shame, a damn shame. Best of luck to his friends and family..

[Radiance64 7,053]

Man, this stuff is always a bummer to hear about...

RIP.

People know how bad cyberbullying is, yet people still do it... I mean, c'mon, that's enough already. Seriously. Fuck that shit.

[Princess Pinny 6,099]

It's bad enough that sometimes this happens from anti-bronies, not that I am diminishing the problems those bullied by anti-bronies face, but for this to be coming from within the fandom is sickening. Apparently those people learned nothing from the messages of this show and go right on doing the same kind of things this fandom has known to stand against. This bunch of hypocrites deserves to be publicly shamed for this.

I love you for making this post (Though I already love you )

 

Anyways, I hope Adam Smith rests in peace. May he be missed.

[Ryzu 984]

As many people say it's not possible, you can change people. These "trolls" are narcissists, psychopaths, sociopaths, and sadists. You think they'd be like that forever but it's not true. My best friend since a little kid (who I can't see anymore because of a move) was a sociopath and psychopath. In fact I'm pretty sure he hated me most of the time, but I was loyal. This kid slowly stopped acting like what he was. He may not have too much care for other people but he managed to learn empathy from me. He's seen me hurt and learned from it. He knows what true pain feels like and doesn't want to cause it anymore. He may be a loner right now and keeps to himself but he at least has a heart now.

 

If anyone ever says people can't change, that's complete bull-shit. Love, or even just friendship, is a very powerful thing.

[Revy ~ Two Hands 862]

It's always some lame excuse for suicide if it wasn't bullying for watching MLP it would of been something else.

[LongGoneGr 1,305]

This is sick. Those bastards deserve to suffer. This isn't about us. This is about bullying.

[DND 2,355]

This is absolutely disgusting. Those who drove him to such depth should be prosecuted...

 

 

 

Too much truth in this statement.

 

 

Humans aren't actually exclusive to this. Other animals and organisms take life by instinct for the sake of competition for the determined less fortunate or vunerable physically and mentally. Male lions for example at take pride and contentment in killing a lionesses' cubs if not currently with the mate and father of the cubs in favor of the female. It's natural selection in the get-go and as different as we are from other organisms we have not out-evolved animalistic tedencies. Some IDs are simply not as contained as others. Cyberbulling seems to be one of those tedencies in human lives. The world is cohesive yet unforgivingly competitive.

[rainbowdashbrony1 130]

Tragedies, happen all the time on the news so sad never should listen to those evil antagonist of darkness perhaps if those damn irresponsible bullies would of watched the new Hoizer video called "TAKE ME TO CHURCH"! (he stated that the song is not about religion in general it's about the different people are treated base on their genders and sex of how wrong socity treats us it's so fucked up!  No it's true before I ever joined this site I belonged to an adult site called YIFFSTAR anyway several years ago I got bullied real bad people on their forum said one of my drawings was made from a 13 year old that made me feel angry and sad got my feelings hurt so bad I felt like not drawing anymore ever! Basically they were treating some of my drawings to me as I was put down as 5 year old kid at lease I didn't kill myself over it ! OK ALL YOU BRONIES LET US OPEN UP ARE HEARTS OF A FRIEND THAT HAD HONEST, GENEROSITY, MAGIC, LAUGHTER, KINDNESS AND LOYALTY IN HIS LIVES WE WON'T TOLLERATE THIS BEHAVIOR EVER SO TO EVERYPONY LET FRIENDSHIP LEAD THE WAY WITH ALL THE NICE FANDOM PEOPLE WE HAVE HERE ! SO give yourself a BRO-HOOVES well done because we all need a hug on here for everypony!

[~Silver Essence~ 2,625]

It is always unfortunate to hear someone off themselves due to bullying

 

Admittedly, I do wonder if they do seek the help, or keep it to themselves, which either way, is depressing to know

 

Though since the guy had a disability, it makes the situation more saddening to hear, picking on the less functionable just makes them even more pathetic

 

I can't really say much, but I am deeply sorry for the family

[galaxysquid 2,122]

Damn. Why do people feel the need to make fun of others? What fun do they get out of it? The world will never know, and it'll never stop. It's so upsetting to know that people can be so rude to others to the point of the innocent victim ridding of their life. I wish bullying didn't exist, but we all know that it is unlikely that it will ever be gone forever.

 

I pray for his family and friends, and I hope they are all well this Christmas. 

[lunarpony7 183]

It's just hard to believe that this is even possible! I mean, the kid uploaded a video which was too close to someone else's work for people's liking. So they totally harass him? To the point of suicide? Even after he apologized? That is a very sad situation. What is wrong with people? Things like this really make you wonder about humanity.

[User0815 264]

:'( Well at least he is in a better place other than this god-forsaken earth

[Snow Frostflame 3,568]

.... another Brony fallen, I'm not sure what I can say without sounding like a complete asshole but this does not surprise me... just some Bronies out there who can't handle the harassment.... now I'm not saying its completely tolerable and I hope who ever caused a fellow brother of the fandom to do this suffers slowly for his/her sins... sadly there is nothing we can do for this Brony now, we are always going to get harassed by those cowards hiding behind their monitors. to anyone who is actually reading this remember to stay strong if your being harassed and be there for others who are being harassed..... it could save a life...

[Malinter 3,064]

His Youtube page is now gone too.

[Solid 1,327]

First Michael, now him...

 

I want to help, with my friends. We even started a goddamn organization dammit, but I can't help him, I did not see this coming, and I absolutely hate myself for this...

 

I'm a bit emotional now so...sorry...

Edited December 22, 2014 by Solid Scorpion

[Justin_Case001 4,889]

I am not picking on Adam Smith, because this happens to thousands of kids each year. No thick skin, no self confidence, no emotional backbone. It's mind boggling what is wrong with all these kids. Where's the confidence? Where's the will to fight? Where's the sense of self importance or even self preservation?

I think modern society has become adept at producing people with low self-esteem and little to no confidence.  I tend to think of myself as pretty well adjusted, but I admit that I have serious confidence and self-esteem issues.  There's no valid reason why I should have these problems.  I was raised well.  I have a lot going for me, and any normal person would take one look at me and wonder why I would be so down on myself.  I have good days and bad.  It's constantly up and down.  On average, I have pretty low self-worth, and I really don't know why.  I'm resiliant enough that I'm not going to kill myself over comments from strangers online, but they can still hurt.  It just makes me feel so down on humanity in general.

 

I often wonder if people were more resiliant in the old days.  I'm talking, like, medieval times.  Perhaps they were tougher because they needed to be.  Life was shorter and much harder.  Kids would take over the family farm or whatever at, like, 12 years old, and learn how to survive because they had to.  But today's world just allows people like me to exist.  Just as muscles atrophy if not used, I believe that a reclusive, virtual life, like mine, causes emotional atrophy, weakeing one's confidence and self-worth.  This society makes if very difficult to exercise our emotional sides, keeping them strong and healthy.  It's easy to say, about someone like Adam, that he just needed a backbone.  But for many, myself included, it just feels like we've got nothing to build a backbone with.

[LongGoneGr 1,305]

First Michael, now him...

 

I want to help, with my friends. We even started a goddamn organization dammit, but I can't help him, I did not see this coming, and I absolutely hate myself for this...

 

I'm a bit emotional now so...sorry...

 

It's alright... there was nothing you could do anyway.

[Andaasonsan 3,205]

I think modern society has become adept at producing people with low self-esteem and little to no confidence. I tend to think of myself as pretty well adjusted, but I admit that I have serious confidence and self-esteem issues. There's no valid reason why I should have these problems. I was raised well. I have a lot going for me, and any normal person would take one look at me and wonder why I would be so down on myself. I have good days and bad. It's constantly up and down. On average, I have pretty low self-worth, and I really don't know why. I'm resiliant enough that I'm not going to kill myself over comments from strangers online, but they can still hurt. It just makes me feel so down on humanity in general.

 

I often wonder if people were more resiliant in the old days. I'm talking, like, medieval times. Perhaps they were tougher because they needed to be. Life was shorter and much harder. Kids would take over the family farm or whatever at, like, 12 years old, and learn how to survive because they had to. But today's world just allows people like me to exist. Just as muscles atrophy if not used, I believe that a reclusive, virtual life, like mine, causes emotional atrophy, weakeing one's confidence and self-worth. This society makes if very difficult to exercise our emotional sides, keeping them strong and healthy. It's easy to say, about someone like Adam, that he just needed a backbone. But for many, myself included, it just feels like we've got nothing to build a backbone with.

I think it's just that today's problems are more anxiety inducing, so it really chips away at your self esteem more. In olden times you had big problems that would require perseverance, but had more straightforward solutions. It was also a lot clearer what your life path was going to be. If your dad was a farmer, then you were going to be a farmer too.

 

Now we live in this far more confusing world we have a lot more freedom and choices, but at the same time it leaves us more directionless and lacking meaning.

[Rainboom Dash 1,056]

It's always a damn shame whenever bullying results in a death. I would never kill myself over it but you can't stop others. RIP Adam, condolences to his family and friends.

[They call me Loyalty 1,948]

It takes some incredible courage to do something like killing the vessel, from this frame at least.

The good thing is that he's outside his illusion now, and therefore outside this illusive projection of being human. Dreaming whatever else. He's not his person anymore, but something beyond your understanding instead, as with everything that "dies"

I'd like to have had such resolution in the past, but I couldn't give up. Overcoming everything this human experience threw at me, instead. It wasn't easy. It ended up with almost my entire earthy family, dead. Negative beings, all of them. The killer type of beings. The pawn turned out to be the king.

But, was it worth it? Something I ask myself quite often. My illusive persona says "No" My infinite heart says "Why did I put myself in such a hard human experience?"

But I'm still "alive" still dreaming on physicality, such stupidity, mine. I would like to be on the other side, awake. It's beautiful infinity, beyond your fears and "comprehension"

Now, just freeing my true nature from this persona of mine, as She keeps promising me the heavens.

 

 

Yes, everything is getting better.