CBC Your News Live Online: Sexism and Amanda Todd

The death of Amanda Todd has spurred questions about social responsibility, safe internet usage, and how Canada should deal with bullying in schools. It's also made us take a closer look at where the line falls between cyberbullying and criminal harassment.

But questions are also being raised about the role sexism played in Todd's life and death.

Several feminist bloggers have pointed out this week that much of the focus on Todd's story centers on what Todd herself did online, rather than on the actions and the attitudes of those people condemning her.

"The young women in Todd's life turned against her rather than supporting her through harassment, despite surely facing similar pressures to capitulate to male definitions of, and demands on, female sexuality," writes Fazeela Jiwa in the Georgia Straight.

We thought that the sexism and misogyny angle of this story deserves a greater discussion. So we had one Thursday on CBC Your News Live Online.

Host Lauren O'Neil was be joined by several guests, including:

- Jarrah Hodge, the founder of Canadian feminist blog Gender Focus
- Bill Besley, the founder of the website, cyberbullying.org
- Jennifer Shapka, Associate Professor of UBC in the Faculty of Education, cyberbullying expert
- Heather Jarvis, Co-founder of Slutwalk Toronto