16 year old girl runs away to meet a guy she met on XBL home safe

[SenseOfTumour]

An earlier post stated that this had nothing about the woman's persepctive in it, only that of her parents. That screams tabloid journalism to me, and shoddy at that. I want to know her view before I even consider pointing the "Stupid!" sign at her.

As for the risk of meeting people online, I disagree. I've met a number of Escapists and they're all fun people. I'd like to meet many more at both upcoming Escapisms and wherever else. Online-based relationships are included in that "Make up your own damn mind" attitude. Larenxis and PurpleRain (To my knowledge.) met online, and he's just got back to Sydney after several weeks spent with Larenxis thoroughly enjoying himself and sinking into a love-stupor. It isn't all bad.

Too true, use a little common sense, if you have ANY doubts at all, let someone know where you're going and let em know you'll call when you get back, and just go with it. If no-one takes any risks, we all just stay indoors 24/7 ordering pizza and watching FOX News to remind us why we all stay indoors 24/7.

Of course I don't suggest trips quite as long as the one in the topic without some serious consideration, and getting told to 'destroy the hard drive, its evidence' would raise some warning flags, but then as I said above, any male making any contact with a female under 18 seems to get the 'pedo' flag immediately, and maybe he was covering his tracks knowing how he'd be portrayed.

Life is meant to be lived, you can't do that without risking occasional unhappiness, but you can certainly limit the chances of anything worse but going for it, whilst applying some common sense. As for the kid being dumb, the parents not caring, and the guy being a pervert, and the XBOX being the catalyst of the whole thing, well, I guess you gotta lay the blame of ...hang on, NOTHING happening, somewhere.

 

[ParkourMcGhee]

My question is: how did she get the money? Mommy I need £300 for a new barbie doll.

 

[SenseOfTumour]

Jersey would be cool too

Jersey as in New Jersey, in AMERICA? The American Hell? The State we LITERALLY make jokes about being Hell on Earth in every cartoon or sitcom, Jersey? You must live in the worst place in the WORLD!

HAHA! Jersey ENGLAND! It's near to France.
It's the place I went for my first holiday abroad, it was lovely.

From what I know of Jersey, its like France, but without the French, so really nice, yes.

inb4 omgracism, I'm a Brit therefore allowed to say that, just as the French are welcome to post about us all being sexually repressed football hooligans who wearing bowler hats in bed.

 

[Beetlejooce]

Maybe the first few people who did things like this could be excused, as it was unprecedented. However that was a few hundred years ago, and you would expect the human race to notice that a large percentage of people that run away with older men they've never met end up DEAD.

Nobody deserves things like this to happen to them, but in most cases the people concerned bring it on themselves.

 

[nathan-dts]

My only concern is that this is going to be blamed on games.

There is no logical reason for it to be blamed on games.

 

[Podunk]

Hahaha, oh man.

I had to read that, because my sister did something almost exactly the same last year. How ridiculous.

 

[JediMB]

"Microsoft's Xbox features parental controls that help parents monitor their kids online actions, but often, Aftab said, that may not be enough."

It's funny how parental controls are completely useless unless the parents actually exercise some... parental control.

 

[Hookman]

This has happened to many times to surprise or even annoy me now. I've grown to accept that people are idiots. Moving on,next idiot!

 

[Datalord]

My faith in the human racejust dropped from -12% to - 15%

 

[Neosage]

This is another reason why the human race is doomed. All children are becoming idiots. This girl and all other people like her deserve to get raped brutally and left in the dirtiest back alley of the dirtiest country. God kids are dumb these days.

Wow and I got banned for a week for calling some guy a rude word.

 

[bjj hero]

Everyone is going round saying OMFG how stupid, but predators are experts at manipulating people or "Grooming" them. By gaining peoples trust they get what they want. That guy probably put the feelers out with plenty of young people before finding one he could groom to the extent she would abscond to be with him.

Theres not much information on the article but she could have learning difficulties, be isolated, socially nieve, needing attention or some sort of emotional support she couldnt find else where. There are lots of reasons other than "shes stupid". Dont blame the victim, blame the offender. This "she deserves what she gets" attitude infuriates me. Its along the same line as blaming rape victims because theyre drunk/wearing a short skirt/have a reputation/insert unacceptable excuse here.

Her parents should have exercised more control but a lot of parents have no idea about technology. I personally, as a gamer, wont be allowing my son to play online in his bedroom alone, hell do it in the living room where there will be a modicum of control/supervision. More importantly Ill talk to my son regularly and take an interest in his life as well as educate him.

At the moment hes not even a year old. Cant wait till hes old enough to play COD 12.5 death match and I can pwn him.

I understand what people have said about meeting people from online but thats different than disappearing, leaving just a note and a badly covered trail.

The biggest thing that affected my faith in humanity is the callous, uncaring opinions expressed towards a young, vulnerable, girl who appears to have little self esteem.

Luckily I understand most of it isnt meant and is just bullshit posturing from young males desperate to stand out and upset their parents; not a cross section of "humanity".

Remember, youre an individual... Just like everyone else, and all your friends, and those kids you make fun of for being sheep/clones.

 

[Lord_Ascendant]

people do idiotic things

like really idiotic things

 

[Firia]

I love that the girl never got to say her piece. It makes me suspect that she may have wanted to stay, and that the reporters are just trying to turn this into ratings and views. Call me cynical, but when I read "reunited," my eyes nearly rolled out of my skull. I think there's more going on here than is being told.

Yeah, I kept reading, waiting to read something like, "girl found chained naked to the floor." Something to make what we were reading seem like there was a victim. As it is, girl ran away, parents called the cops, interpol jumped the couple, and she gets dragged back up to here parents with lots of 'splaining to do [lucy].

Parents see reunited. The couple see something different. The media sees a story they could spice up by being bias.

 

[Ronwue]

I am so stupefied by the stupidity of this act I am out of satire...

 

[Beffudled Sheep]

This is another reason why the human race is doomed. All children are becoming idiots. This girl and all other people like her deserve to get raped brutally and left in the dirtiest back alley of the dirtiest country. God kids are dumb these days.

Wow and I got banned for a week for calling some guy a rude word.

Shame on you.

 

[scotth266]

No suprise looking at this, it's really just another silly descision made by another person desperate for attention and affection. If you really need someone to talk to, make a friend, or if you can't, see a psychologist, because most of them DO care about making you feel better.

 

[Malkavian]

Did XBox play a part?

This little sub-headline is soooo right. Yes. XBox nearly got away with it's dastardly plot...