YouTube Did Not Beat Up Victoria Lindsay
I sympathize with the family of Victoria Lindsay, the girl who was brutally beaten by eight classmates on video. Nevertheless, I must call bullshit on the mass media’s inordinate focus on the fact that the video was posted on YouTube. I have yet to see any of these mass media outlets acknowledge that YouTube actually removed the video.
The way the story’s being told in the mass media, it’s as if YouTube made those kids do what they did. News flash: those kids will be tried as adults. Even the law recognizes that they are fully responsible for their actions, not YouTube or MySpace or anything else.
Offline media holds an inherent, commercially-motivated bias against online media. As Nate “Blunty3000″ Burr here explains, that bias is now rearing its ugly head.
Tags: Blunty3000, News, stupid, Victoria Lindsay, YouTube
20 opinions for YouTube Did Not Beat Up Victoria Lindsay
Mr. Hand
Apr 13, 2008 at 8:55 am
YouTube didn’t make the kids do what they did, that is true, but what you are saying is not completely accurate in the sense that YouTube is a popular forum for teens and young adults. And they are at a very impressionable age group. We are all responsible for things we do in life, but kids growing up today do not live in the more innocent age I grew up in.
Whats more, there are all types of these videos on youtube. Do a search for fights, or fighting, beating etc.. and you will see hundreds of these types of videos. And a lot of it is kids fighting at school.
Kids start thinking its cool, and they can become some kind of celebrity or popular at school by posting something like this that everone is viewing and talking about. And with each post of a video, the need to go farther and farther is there. YouTube has to take more responsibility. Their attitude right now is anyone can post anything, and unless it gets reported to them, it stays up there. That is irresponsible. If they want to run a website like this, they should be required to view the video and approve it first. I can easily see how a teen in today’s age, without the structure and stricter parenting that we got could fall prey to wanting to create some type of video. And fighting among teens is so common, along with peer rivalry, I can see why it happened no matter how wrong, and brutally sick it was.
Worse, girls at that age seem to have a need to humiliate and destroy their rivals.
Parents need to start raising their kids with more morals, but YouTube needs to start policing its own house.
Commentator
Apr 13, 2008 at 4:57 pm
Their behavior needs to be permanently modified by permanent incarceration with adult perps even more violent than themselves. Nothing beats daily doses of prison violence for behavior modification, preferably administered by criminally violent sex offenders as cellmates. Last but not least, has anyone else noticed that several of the perps look more like monkeys than humans? Nobody owes them a fair hearing or anything else. Sparing the rod spoils the perp rotten.
nalts
Apr 14, 2008 at 5:59 am
I’m so revolted by what these kids did, that I almost haven’t been able to face it on YoUTube or my blog. But I do find it quite odd that media and the parents fault myspace and youtube. To that end, the phone and instant messages is to blame for society’s woes.
LIgirl1027
Apr 14, 2008 at 7:43 am
I don’t think that it’s right for the news outlets and the parents to only blame Youtube for what happened. Obviously, you are right that youtube itself didn’t beat up anyone. However, YouTube should be better monitered than it is now. I suppose it takes things like this to happen for correct monitoring to actually happen. I know it’s impossible for someone to sit and watch all the videos that are uploaded on Youtube, because of the volume of videos that are uploaded. However, some pre-vieweing device should occur, espicially because of the events like what happened with Victoria Lindsay.
Another event that should yield youtube reformation is the violent school shooting that occured in Joleka High School in Southern Finland in Nov 07, where the gunman uploaded about 3 videos onto youtube regarding his attack shortly prior to ’shooting up’ his school. I hate to say it, but this case could have been prevented if their was proper survaliance devices (on YouTube). The Victoria Lindsay thing could not have given the fact that the girls had already beat her up.
Obviously, YouTube needs to change their security measues.
Kate
Apr 14, 2008 at 8:42 am
I’m 21 years old. I have grown up in the computer age as well..maybe not to the same extreme as these kids, but anyone I have spoken to about this is disgusted by these girls behavior. Although I believe parents should monitor what their kids do ..especially if they are using myspace at a young age, I do not think these websites are to blame. This is a much larger problem with kids in our society today. They are being exposed to things much younger and as a result, are growing up too fast and making decisions which could have damaging changes to their lives. These girls knew what they were doing. They acted in a manner which you cannot view them as children for. That is the bottom line. Their desire to post their video online was not only for fame but more importantly to redeem their “image” after the victim spoke out against them. NOTHING this girl could have said justifies any of their actions. High school is tough. Every girl in high school has a friend speak out negatively against them. It is part of the environment. They managed to show how animalistic they were, but more importantly they showed how emotionally weak they were for being unable to deal with the same thing that every other girl in high school tolerates. It doesn’t mean it’s right, but it is part of the environment in high school, and what they did should not be part of any environment in society. They are completely to blame for their disgusting actions and they deserve whatever punishment is dictated to them. Parents always want to point the finger at someone else. One of the girl’s mothers tried to blame the victim. Our society needs to learn to take responsibility for their actions and parents need to learn to pay closer attention to their children.
Teri
Apr 14, 2008 at 11:39 am
Blaming YouTube is horseshit. I grew in the innercity of Dallas Texas and I saw some cruel behavior some of which I was a victim of. So were my brothers. We had to be tough or at least bluff our way through. I was held in a school bathroom, not allowed to leave until I paid some girls. I didnt pay, but I had to think quick. So I blew up like a bullfrog and started up the steps. Im not talking about any one group. All races were cruel. Also we moved out of the city while I was still a teenager and it was just as bad. My brother and I were threatned with guns etc. We were kind of nerdy but we did fight back. All this took place in the 60s and 70s. YouTube is just a forum for networking whatever kind of person you already are and it doesnt breed more it just reveals the truth of what you are. We are seeing human behavior for what it is and I suspect always has been, young and old.
Sparke
Apr 14, 2008 at 1:13 pm
If not for Youtube these animals might not have been caught! Youtube gave the authorities the proof needed to prosecute!
Teri
Apr 14, 2008 at 6:28 pm
Also I would like to ad, Im 53 years old and if anyone of those that hurt Victoria Lindsay would like to challenge when they are old enough bring it on. I will try to teach them a lesson for Victoria. Victoria will get over this and she will be okay.
cityvigilante
Apr 14, 2008 at 7:36 pm
I agree with everyone here and in regards to the media now a days I blame the over hype of UFC, Vegas boxing and most of all parents disregard for morals. I will admit I was sternly disciplined as a child and grew up not doing that crap. Youtube does need to police people in what videos they post. And if I were the victims parents I would do what most morally correct people do and hire some strong powerful thug with little to no morals of his own but still human to teach these people a lesson. In my town 3 men of the same age beat an 81 year old lady to death, all over 16 dollars. 1 kid is dead(not by the law) 1 man is in a wheel chair for the rest of his life, and the third, well from what I hear he suffered greatly at the hands of a couple vigilantes. I am not saying what those men who took the law into their own hands was right either, but sometimes the justice system needs people like that to do the work the law cannot do. The Police are getting overly frustrated with arresting people and the justice system letting them go. So what I propose is morally questionable, but vigilante justice worked in the past, why is it outmoted now? If something works why not stick with it. Eye for an Eye, lung for a lung, heart for a heart. My thoughts and prayers are with the victim who was brutalized, and just remember what goes around comes around, and if the family is reading this know that there are those heros and holy warriors out there who have a tendency to show up when they are needed
Dynomoose
Apr 14, 2008 at 8:28 pm
Thank goodness these brutal morons decided make a video of their crime to post on youtube. they’ve provided video evidence of their crimes and will pay because of it!
It’s a shame that all criminals don’t do the same!
Conni
Apr 14, 2008 at 9:28 pm
I agree that You Tube isn’t the fault of the girl being beaten. But, I believe that they need to change their policy and have all video’s viewed before they can be put on You Tube, and that might cut down some of the bull that people are posting. My heart goes out to this girl, and her family. This was horrible, and those girls are cowards to gang up on one girl. I hope they all go to jail for a few years and they take that time to process what they did.
Brad
Apr 14, 2008 at 10:00 pm
Plain and simple, the kids who did this are at fault, noone else at 17 there is no excuse. If you physically abuse another person then you are guilty and deserve whatever you get. Private school for the poor girl was a smart thing. I say (as teacher) give her Martial Arts training and the next time won’t be so brave for these cocky teens that do things like this. As far as those teens, Congradulations on having a criminal record, hope your parents are proud of the seemingly failure of offspring.
jason
Apr 14, 2008 at 10:37 pm
I hate how the media and parents blame youtube. When I was growing up I saw all kinds of violence in the streets, and to this day the only time I have immitated what I saw was when I was in Iraq. I have my own mind and I can’t go around doing dumb stuff and try to put someone else at fault. I am also a web-master and I can only imagine, youtube gets thousands of posts a day. It is pretty imposible to screen all of the videos, that is why they give you an option to report videos. I am sure that as soon as the video was reported it was removed.
Mike
Apr 16, 2008 at 4:07 pm
For sure you blame myspace and youtube, their stupid enough to show this video of this girl getting beaten up. To all the people that say don’t blame myspace or youtube give your head a shake…..it’s like your saying it’s okay to post a violent video anytime. I watched a few videos on myspace for the first time and I could not believe the foul mouth words coming out of these children mouths, gimme a break.
samuel
Apr 18, 2008 at 11:40 am
have you got her email adress??pls write me on kreksa@seznam.cz please really
Scarfaze AKA Lu LaVoe
Apr 18, 2008 at 7:03 pm
wut the fuck is wrong with people, this act of brutality is inhumane, however it was gonna happen, correction it has been happening, the only difference its that this time it was a bunch of caucasian girls living in the suburbs and not a minority group. this happens every day, im glad it was caugth on tape a i thank youtube for putting this problem in the spot light, finally community worries about it after is been in front of their faces for more than 10 years, all t takes to open americas eyesis to see white people do it, to make a horible act a white person has to suffer, but if latino or african Ameican kids do it is not any of this contrys concern, wut the same racist mentaly is stll the same in this fukin country. minorities are not a concern to the u.s. there only criminals right? fucking racist bastards
Teri
Apr 20, 2008 at 11:44 pm
oh Dear Lord, youtubes got nothing to do with it. shake rattle roll whatever. please. dont think its in real time? go sit in the back row at some schools and see the deplorable behavior, not new! there have always been thugs. all races. all ages. all sexes. all incomes. urban and rural. long before youtube existed. my mother was born in 1931 and saw her cousin get his throat cut and die coming out of a movie theater in the 40s. I was only 6 in 1961 and some punks threatned to rape me and my little brother in a school yard waiting for my older brother to get out of school. I pulled a Audie Murphy, told my younger brother to run like hell. I waiting for them to grab for me and I turned and ran. I brother stills talks about it. How his big sister saved us both. Damn it wake up, just because you SEE a video doesnt mean it somehow breeds this behavior. No way. Ive seen too much. If you were shocked of course you should be. its deplorable behavior I agree. Its terrible. Its unacceptable. But its not original. Its human, with or without videos.
keeys
Apr 21, 2008 at 3:28 pm
All I know is..they ruined their own lives….who is ever going to respect them again. Someone down the road will try and beat them up with more than 8 people, to see how they feel. The main girl who was beating her up..is going to get an ass whopping..if someone notices her. The victim ,however, should of fought back…even when you are out numbered..and you know your about to be beat..still try…never let someone(s) put their hand on you…die fighting…dont live on your knees. Never let anyone touch you in a way you don’t want them too…All I know is I would of bashed that girl who was throwing punches at me face in. Poor girl…dont worry tho…they RUINED their lives. Mark my words.
Brad
Apr 23, 2008 at 6:57 am
Wow, are we in a weird world or something, Blaming websites? Lets all just blame the first thing we can as we don’t understand the situation? The issue was human error not machine or product there of. Teenage kids did the crime and to be fair they should do the time. Should we blame the TV about South Park? people tried to with Beavis and Butthead. The item is not at fault, never was. The “human” that “used” the item is the fault and no other, plain and simple. I just hope the family can find some sort of piece out of all the garbage.
Brittany
May 6, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Fuck dhem girls they want to fight some one fuck jail. send them little bitches to me ill fuck them up who do they think tey r jumping a girl. and them punk ass bois ill fuck them up to.they want to fight some one send them punk ass hollister preppy bitches down maryland ill fuck there world up.
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