Well, I stand corrected…to where I edited my previous post.
There’s a lot of writing on the internet right now concerning the death of Megan Meier – most expressing feelings of anger and frustration. But this article by Danny Vice really adds a great deal to understanding the dynamics of the entire situation.
And I think I understand just why this whole thing hit me so hard on a personal level now.
Danny Vice writes:
Classifying this case a harassment issue completely fails to address the most serious aspects of the methods Lori Drew employed to lead this youth to her demise. The Vice disagrees that harassment was even a factor in this case until just a couple of days before Megan’s death.Considering this case a harassment issue is incorrect because during the 5 weeks Lori Drew baited and groomed her victim, the attention was NOT unwanted attention. It was not harassment at all. It was invited attention. Megan participated in the conversations willingly because she was lured, manipulated and exploited without her knowledge.
It’s important to understand the difference between a bully, whether covert or overt, and a predator. The actions of Lori Drew clearly crossed those boundaries, but it’s hard to see if you’re confused about the definition. Just like some people misconstrue bullying behavior as innocuous, it’s easy to misperceive the more dangerous dynamics of a predator as another form of bullying. But they are different with different legal implications and consequences.
Danny Vice’s article does an excellent job of clarifying the difference.
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