We have said jokingly before that in this day and age, it seems like everything is an internet story. Now the story of Rachel Canning is becoming one too.
Rachel is the North Jersey teen who is suing her parents after either moving out or being kicked out of her home two days before her 18th birthday. Without knowing the full details of the story, it sounds to us as though the parents were just doing their job, and it appears that Rachel has been out of line all along, and the court of public opinion is against her.
News is out this morning that Rachel has started a Facebook page for her cause, Education for Rachel, in order to garner some support. Right or wrong, here comes the cyberbullying.
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The NY Post article included a quote attributed to Rachel, and implies that she started the Facebook page. While we can’t be sure that this is true, the comments piling up on the page already (it is less than 24 hours old) show what a bad idea it is.
If you’re at the center of an unpopular issue, you might find that social media is not the place to go for support, whether you’re a teen or an adult. The page has 282 Likes, but has many more comments than that, and most of them are negative, and some are ferocious. A few highlights:
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I don't hate you, but know a spoiled brat when I see one.
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She's a spoiled, privileged brat. She truly deserves whatever she gets.
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Some future employer will look at this and say. "If she doesn't like her work hours, she will sue us" thus, you have screwed yourself out of a job.
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One thing is certain, you are clearly one of the most ignorant young women I have come across in a long time. You are self-centered, disrespectful, and an overall spoiled brat.
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Creating this page was a childish and ridiculous move.
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You're an entitled little brat, who should have had your ass beat along time ago.
The comments go on and on, and we’ve left out the more profane or vitriolic. We like to talk about the importance of young people having a social media presence that projects a positive image. You’re going to have someone of influence Google you at some point.
What Rachel has done here, if she did indeed author this page, has done the opposite. Right or wrong, we support the right of young people to state their opinion, either in person or online. Here are some instances, though, where an opinion is so out of line with what society thinks that putting it out there online can cast you in a very negative light.
Let’s hope she deletes the page.
Contact ThirdParent any time for help and resources for monitoring teen internet activity.
