Why It Happened
“Alexis Pilkington was a popular athlete, a well-liked star who had already landed a soccer scholarship to college. But none of that stopped the 17-year-old from becoming the target of nasty online comments.
Even after the Long Island girl killed herself, the harassing Internet messages kept on coming, posted on a page meant to stand as a tribute.”
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My reaction: I had to think about this a bit.
When it comes down to it, I’m not surprised American youth are acting in this way. And we are to blame.
Today in America, we practically pride ourselves at showing no respect to anyone. There is no line we won’t cross. We will insult a Senator when he dies. If he’s a Republican, Democrats will vilify him. They won’t pause even for one moment to pay their respects. If it’s a Democrat, Republicans will do the same. I’m a fan of our comedy as much as anyone- but shows like The Soup mercilessly mock people like Buzz Aldrin- the closest thing to a national hero we have. We don’t think twice about it. We show no respect to our elderly, to the departed, and even to each other. We laugh at and denigrate others with impunity. Or at least we think we do so with impunity. When a teenager’s death is mocked on her own tribute page, at least some people will see how this mentality comes full circle.
In America, nothing is above reproach - and there’s something positive about that. But there are consequences when we withhold respect and restraint. We indulge ourselves when we lash out at those we disagree with recklessly. And we lavish praise on ourselves for “telling it how it is” and being “real”. We accord no one respect, but in the final analysis, that disrespect will find its way back to us and those we love. Should we really be surprised?
