LETTER: No poster child is perfect

To the editor:

This is in response to Liz Emery’s article that was published in the Statesman edition of Thursday, Oct. 25, 2012. In her article Ms. Emery makes several assumptions about Amanda Todd, a 15 year old that committed suicide. My purpose is not to write about Amanda’s situation or her reasons for taking her own life, but rather to write and express my distaste for Ms. Emery’s response.
   
WANTED: New poster child for the anti-bullying movement.
   
Requirements: Smart, physically attractive by society’s standards, successful, popular among friends and strangers, protective parents that track every action online/offline, communicates any/all concerns to parents, friends and therapists, no desire to experiment with alcohol or drugs, abstinent, the ability to prevent strangers from stalking you, no desire for personal attention, and of course, someone who has been bullied before.
   
Responsibilities: Never have any “issues” (as Ms. Emery puts it). Never show that you are a regular human being with questions, inexperience and doubts about life. If you feel like a teenager, you are failing, because teenagers should never have to learn anything new, rather they should already have these life lessons, values, experiences and wisdom instilled in them.
   
Please email your applications and include professional headshots, highlighting any plastic surgery, rhinoplasty, face lifts or changes made to your natural body.

Jared Allan