Father appalled by virtual audience to son’s death
November 22nd, 2008 . by TexasFredFather appalled by virtual audience to son’s death
MIAMI (AP) - The father of a college student whose suicide was broadcast live over a webcam said Saturday he was appalled by the virtual audience that egged on his son and called for tougher regulation of Internet sites.
Abraham Biggs Sr. said those who watched and the Web site operators share some blame in his 19-year-old son’s death.
“I think they are all equally wrong,” he said. “It’s a person’s life that we’re talking about. And as a human being, you don’t watch someone in trouble and sit back and just watch.”
Full Story Here:
Father appalled by virtual audience to son’s death
The very 1st thing I am going to say to the father is this, I am truly sorry for the loss of your son, I know it has to be very traumatic.
That said, just WHO in the hell do you think you are?? Have you ever been on the ‘net?? Have you ever read the garbage and seen the things that are posted, and done on the ‘net?? Have you ever seen the FAKE bullshit that gets foisted off on ALL of us that use this wonder of modern technology??
Are you freaking STUPID?? The Web site operators share some blame in your 19-year-old son’s death?? I would LOVE to sit on THAT jury.
Police found Abraham Biggs Jr. dead in his father’s bed Wednesday, 12 hours after he first declared on the Web site for bodybuilders that he planned to take his own life. He took a fatal drug overdose in front of an Internet audience. Although some viewers contacted the Web site to notify police, authorities did not reach his house in time.
He was dead for 12 hours?? In YOUR bed??
Biggs, who has said he was at work during the episode, said he had not known about his son’s online presence.
YOU were at work for those 12 hours?? What happened?? You work 12 hour shifts and your Son waited until you walked out the door to hatch this little ploy for attention?? UhHuh, like I said, I really AM sorry for your loss, but all YOU are looking for is someone to blame, and that’s ALL it is.
“I think after this incident and probably other incidents that have occurred in the past, they all point to some kind of regulation is necessary,” Biggs said. “I think it is wrong to have this happen for hours without any action being taken from the people in charge. Where were they all the time?”
Your Son was a sick individual, what the hell do YOU want?? The ‘net is NOT a babysitter for a bi-polar and obviously suicidal individual. It is NOT a place for the weak minded and easily influenced. More regulation is NOT what is needed Mr. Biggs. Common sense and personal responsibility are the order of the day. Other than taking the ‘net down completely, all the laws in the world won’t stop something like this from happening.
Is that what you want Mr. Biggs?? For the entire ‘net to disappear because your Son was a weak individual?? A Son that sent signals Mr. Biggs?? Signals that didn’t get picked up by YOU?? Do you want all users of the ‘net to be regulated because YOU didn’t see the signs that your Son was bi-polar and suicidal?
Some users told investigators they did not take him seriously because he had threatened suicide on the site before.
Biggs Sr. said he believes the webcast was a cry for help.
Mr. Biggs, you are a sad and pathetically naive individual. A cry for help wasn’t answered by the users of an anonymous tool like a web site?? Why in the hell weren’t YOU in tune with your son and his needs?? Why in the hell didn’t YOU answer his cry for help?? You DID see his desperation and you DID hear his cries, didn’t you Mr. Biggs??
Yeah, the more I type the more sarcastic and angry I get, you’re looking for someone to blame, and you won’t look at the one that IS to blame. Your Son did this to himself, now, ask yourself, WHY did he do it, what happened in his life that motivated him to kill himself on the WEB Mr. Biggs.
And then Mr. Biggs, ask yourself this; WHAT motivated him to lie down and DIE in YOUR bed?
EDIT TO ADD - Nov. 23, 2008: These statements are made by the mother and sister of Abraham Biggs Jr., I found these quotes on the BBC: Family shock at Florida web death
From the mother: ”My son, Abraham Biggs Jr, was well-loved and cared for. However, the mental illness of bipolarity and depression got the better part of him,” she wrote on MySpace.
The sister: The boy’s sister, Rosalind Biggs, denounced the website, Justin.tv, which allows people to broadcast themselves online: “They got hits, they got viewers, nothing happened for hours.”
I understand that these folks are distraught, but it is MY solid belief that the whole bunch of them is either loony toons, or simply looking for any venue that they may be able to attach blame. For crying out loud, the mother is using MySpace as a place to explain herself? Going online to talk about the death of a family member, immediately following that death, may be a strange new way of dealing with ones grief but it’s NOT what I would do or what I believe to be appropriate.
The viewers of Justin.tv had NO WAY of knowing whether this was real or a stunt. They had NO WAY of determining the mental health of Biggs Jr., and it was NOT their responsibility to care for him.
The responsibility for Biggs Jr. and his care fell to his family, his mother referred to his “mental illness of bipolarity and depression”, and if the death of Biggs Jr. is ANY indication, the family failed him miserably.
I am guessing the law suits will follow shortly, reparations come in many forms…
Unbelievable.
Kate, unbelievable indeed… There is some serious Freudian stuff at work here too, the symbolism of laying down in his fathers bed, the blame that the father is trying to assign to everyone but himself…
This is a messed up thing, and where in the hell was the mother??
You know, it is a well documented fact that law enforcement personnel have a seriously high rate of suicide too, blaming the ‘net is about as logical as the family of a cop blaming the gun manufacturer…
As with you Fred…I cannot imagine this man’s sorrow…I’m a mother. However…it speaks volumes that the kid CHOSE to do his deed in his father’s bed. That was a direct message to his father for some horrible reason.
That being said…this was a SICK individual with SICK circumstances around him. Obviously family values and the instilled teachings of right, wrong, happiness, and normalcy weren’t available to him for years.
The blame DOES NOT fall on the website. You can’t fix STUPID and sometimes even with medicine, you CAN’T FIX BI-POLAR. Sorry Dad, let this one go. Bury your son and hush. Welcome to the world of bad shit happens to good people sometimes… don’t try to blame technology.
I feel for the father in his loss, but it is not the fault of the internet that his son committed suicide. The young man had to have had real reasons to do such an act.
I am appalled at the people who watched the “show” and egged him on, or didn’t try to call the police. They are a bunch of sick individuals who’s butts I’d love to kick.
Website operators and forum moderators would have to be on 24/7 to oversee everything that goes on…it’s impossible to do that. Besides, most people wouldn’t know who to contact or how to go about contacting the site owners except by email.
Most people who saw it probably thought it was a joke or a possible stunt for attention and that can be the reason they egged him on. But then, you always have people yell “Jump” when a person threatens to jump off a building.
One thing caught my attention. He committed suicide on his father’s bed but his father had a computer with web cam in his bedroom.
It is a sad situation when you lose a child - BUT…
Bob is right. Given the crap on line, most people probably thought it was a joke. Sadly, it wasn’t. It was a disurbed person who had no business in a chat room/forum seeking psychiatric help.
The ‘net can be a filthy, dark, dangerous place but the webmaster is no more responsible for the death of the son than the purveyors of porn sites/chat rooms are for divorces that come from their use, no more than MySpace is responsible for the death of the teen who was taunted on MySpace.. you get the point.
The dad, rather than realize that his son was obviously disturbed and he ignored the signs, is chosing to blame everyone else for the result.
This playing of the blame game seems like the family itself is crying for attention. Well, they are getting it. However I am willing to bet that it’s not quite what they want.
This is a pretty vivid example of grief and the stages that people go through when grieving.
Patrick, grieving is one thing, I am convinced that these asshats are setting up to sue the crap out of anyone and everyone that they can think of…
Empowerment slugs come in many forms, even well educated ones, they always feel 2nd best and have to play the Drama Queen to make themselves feel better, look at the social reject PhD that is obsessed with everything I say, he is crying for attention, and everyone is a racist in his opinion…
I am willing to bet BIG $$$ on this family being the same kind of slugs, they are attempting to mask their inferiority and family problems with a false bravado and claims of this being everyones fault but theirs…
This bunch is blaming everyone except themselves, and that indicates a not too distant demand for BIG BUCKS…
First and up front: I’m sorry for the family’s pain. Any suicide is tough to take on any level.
That said, the son killing himself in his father’s bed is a CLEAR and OBVIOUS statement that needs to be dealt with AT HOME and on THEIR level. The internet had NOTHING to do with this, in truth, and was just a tool that this person chose to utilize in making his own very personal statement to his father. Disturbed, sick, throw any pejorative around you want; the bottom line is that those closest are in that envelope and NOT some internet site. This is, as has already been pointed out, someone attempting to set up the Big Swipe in terms of cash via lawsuit.
BZ
Pathetic.
ONE person is responsible for this death.
And THAT is the suicide.
Enough bleeding on others.
Being grown up means you take responsibility for your actions.
With the popularity of “reality” T.V. shows over the last few years,(and don’t get me started on THAT topic), it does not surprise me that the guy had a huge audience on the ‘net. I imagine he knew he would, hence his decision to do so online.
As far as tossing blame around and suing people, that’s completely asinine. I can’t see any species survive for long in the presence of such stupidity.
Regulate the net. Heh. Next thing you know, they will try and outlaw drugs or regulate firearms or someth…..nevermind.
The only thing dumber than that would be if the government started tossing fake money at a nationwide financial crisi…..shit.
We’re screwed.