Well done, twitter. YOU went and got a 17 year old parentally bereaved young man arrested. YOU could have done what I did and just block him so you would no longer have to put up with his stupidity in your timeline (lots of people were retweeting you see). Instead you did your duty and ensured that something would be done by spreading it around as much as you possibly could. I wish I'd had your courage.

What I'm unsure of though is why YOU felt something should be done. I'm assuming YOU did, as we're less than a week past a court case that showed how the criminal justice system is prepared to go to the ends of the earth to make an example of somebody, deserving or otherwise. Something would obviously have to be done about this one. I'm guessing you didn't imagine that the threats made by this individual who calls himself @Rileyy_69 were likely to be carried out. I've seen some of these. While I'm not suggesting he was joking, they seemed to amount to little more than attention seeking bombast.

My hunch is that YOU were offended. I certainly was, though that problem is easily dealt with. Perhaps it is more sinister though. Some of YOU went after this boy with what I can only describe as glee. Twitter is the world's largest playground and YOU forgot that YOU are adults. I note that the original recipient of abuse has kept quiet. "10,000 retweets and I'm leaving twitter for good", this deranged young man said. "12,000 and he's still here" some of you replied. You gave him oxygen. Some of YOU are my friends. I am disappointed to say the least. YOU say "think before you tweet". I say physician heal thy self.

YOU may feel it is okay to mob against the strong and powerful. Sometimes that can have some sort of good result. We do NOT gang up on the weak and vulnerable, the sick and deranged. We are human beings. We should have tried to talk him down off the ledge, maybe get him some help. YOU know who YOU are.

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