CBS's Big Brother Contestant, Ronnie Talbot, Guilty of Cyber-Bullying *Updated Post*

Ronnie Talbot of CBS's Summer Hit "Big Brother 11" is a self proclaimed cyber bully. It was also revealed by no one other than Ronnie Talbot himself.

Please see update below.

Ronnie Talbot is currently on CBS's reality show Big Brother 11 as the house's geeky, gaming nerd who consistently wears a t-shirt emblazoned with the label "DORK". Ronnie has stated in the "game" that he is employed as an "educator".

However, internet research has divulged Talbott is an unemployed gamer, liar, and his wife, Michelle, has threatened divorce due to his gaming habit-which Ronnie admitted to on the BB live feeds.

Ronnie is also stirring the pot with his former university alumni regarding his lying to the Big Brother house guests on air that he is a "national persuasive speaking champion". A title that has little impression on me, but I can see where whomever the real champion is, they have just as much right to defend their title.

With all of the cyber bullying, internet stalking, and other forms of cyber harassment in the media today, Ronnie Talbot is proud of the fact that he falsified a "female identity" in order to harass and mislead a "former friend that pissed him off".

In the video, Ronnie continues to chuckle about his "grudge holding" and finds it rather humorous that the male victim of his cyber bullying actually fell for the female "that didn't really exist".

This is hauntingly familiar to the recent story of thirteen year old Megan Meier, of Missouri, whom, after befriending an online male friend, named "Josh Evans", committed suicide after the "online relationship" suddenly turned sour. Megan was the happiest she had been in her life during the weeks she spoke online to her new acquaintance. However, what Megan did not know, was that Josh Evans was only a figment of her next door neighbor and family friend, Lori Drew's, imagination.
Megan died not knowing that Josh never really existed. Megan died believing Josh was real.
Lori Drew - who continues to be non-compassionate, unapologetic and unsympathetic to the Meier's,-recently made headlines after her three year prison sentence was overturned by California Judge Wu, pending further interpretation of the law and terms of service of MySpace.

Drew, who resides in Missouri, was tried in California due to the jurisdiction of MySpace.

Anyone that has followed the Megan Meier tragedy knows that cyber bullying is a serious crime. It is also a fatal crime, as in Megan's case, and many other teens around the country and continues to grow.

Megan Meier, after engaging in an online feud with friends and her new found love interest on MySpace, hanged herself in her bedroom closet. The last message Megan received on her Myspace account was from the false male identity created by Lori Drew, which read, "the world would be better off without you".

Megan's mother, Tina Meier, has faced an unimaginable last two and half years dealing with court proceedings on top of grieving the death of her daughter. Tina Meier has put her heart and soul into pushing for laws to be put into place that could help prevent crimes like cyber-bullying and internet harassment, as well as possibly lead to criminal charges against those individuals who create "false accounts" to pose as another identity.

Watch a then blond Ronnie Talbot laugh and snicker at his cyber-bullying, and how he played a former friend with a false internet account:

this video is from Ronnie Talbot's audition for Fox's reality show, "Solitary", in which Ronnie did not make it as far as his audition.

Please, click these links to learn more about cyber-bullying, and more importantly, gain more information about Megan Meier's story and The Megan Meier Foundation.

Click to read ABC's article regarding Judge Wu's decision regarding Lori Drew's sentencing.

Ronnie is also stirring the pot outside the Big Brother house with his university alumni regarding his lying to his Big Brother house guests on air that he is a "national persuasive speaking champion". A title that has little impression on me, but I can see that to whomever the real champion is, they have just as much right to defend their title.

One person who personally knows Ronnie has stated that Ronnie is not trustworthy inside, nor outside, the Big Brother House and also feels that Talbot is inept at any given task.

Another former acquaintance of Talbot's states "Lying may be a huge part of the Big Brother game, but when it comes to straight out lying about your personal and professional life outside the game, it can cause major damage to one's reputation outside the house, and perhaps repercussions."

On behalf of Megan Meier, Ian Steele, and all the other teenagers affected by cyber-bullying, internet harassment, and harassment of any kind, please contact CBS and voice your feelings regarding this matter.

To email CBS: please go to http://www.cbs.com/info/user_services/fb_global_form.php

To write or phone CBS:

Headquarters
CBS Interactive, Inc.

235 Second Street

San Francisco, CA 94105

Main: 415-344-2000

Regarding Big Brother directly:

Los Angeles
CBS

2101 Rosecrans Avenue,

Suite 4295

El Segundo, CA 90245

Phone: (310)322-9124

Fax: (310)322-8957

Los Angeles
CBS

600 West 7th St.

Los Angeles, CA 90017

Please call, send emails, write via snail mail. Let CBS, and other networks, for that matter, know that America does not accept this type of conduct regarding casting for their reality shows.

Update 7/31/09:

I want to thank all of you that have sent personal emails to me regarding this post. Thank you to fellow members at "Joker's Updates" for posting the link in the discussion forums and for those who have posted the link on other various BB websites.

My main goal is to draw attention to the heinous act of cyber-bullying, and Ronnie Talbott just happened to be the perfect cyber-bully poster boy. The fact that he admitted his actions in the audition video, then had the audacity to believe it was a hilarious thing to do, shows how callous Ronnie Talbott truly is.

Ronnie, the almighty one that reads and quotes the Bible to other houseguests, then turns around and judges others' actions, is the absolute definition of hypocrite.

Ronnie claims to be an "educator". Chima called him out on it, but no one gave it a second thought. Casey, in my opinion, is an excellent educator of 5th grade students. Casey's personal life should have no reflection on his employment. Nor, should his employment have any reflection on how he plays the game. Ronnie is a wanna be, and a loser.

In my opinion, Ronnie saw in Casey what he may have at one time aspired to be: an educator himself. Graduating high school in 1997, it has taken Ronnie 12 years to complete college, graduating this year at the age of 30. Ronnie lacks the discipline to teach others because he is too self-absorbed and lazy to care about the welfare of himself, nor anyone else. Hence, his wife's threat of divorce due to his selfish gaming habits. This statement was made by Ronnie to fellow houseguests on the live feeds. Yes, it is out there.

To those that think this post is unfair, to each their own. You have an opinion as I have mine. I also have a family and wonderful children, who desire to become productive, contributors of society. Not a "Ronnie".

I applaud the soldiers overseas, including members of my family, who are fighting to protect your and my right to free speech, including the right to voice our own opinions, whether we agree or not.

With that said...Go Team JJ!! (Jeff/Jordan) and to those Houseguests that decide to align with them.

Ultimate Goal: Evict Ronnie and Jessie the Roid; Muzzle the Lap Dog, keep the Ikea knife away from Lydiot, and then get on with the game!!

Thanks to all my wonderful readers!

Please keep Megan Meier's family, Jesse Logan's family, Ian Steele's family, as well as all the families of victims of suicide, and/or suicide due to cyber-bullying, in your prayers.

Cyber-bullying is a shameless, cowardly act. We have all seen the type of manipulation Ronnie is capable of.

Even though some say "..this (BB) is a game", what Ronnie Talbott did regarding the cyber-bullying was not a "game". This malicious act affected a real person's real life and real emotions.

I originally posted this article to bring attention to "the act" of cyber-bullying and the fact that Ronnie Talbott admitted to being guilty of "the act" of cyber-bullying.

This article had no intention of being related to Ronnie's "game play" in the Big Brother house, nor the actual show itself. My purpose, again, was to bring to light this malicious person, the act he commited, and the fact he victimized another human being.

Thank you again, to all.

original post 7/20/09 @ 11:55pm

updated post 7/31/09 4:00pm

The Story of Jesse Logan, Another Suicide Due to Sexting and Cyber-Bullying Crimes

Jesse Logan, another young, beautiful life lost due to sexting/cyber-bullying

Parents Should Learn What Sexting is and How to Prevent It

Jesse Logan committed suicide over sexting, and her mother Cynthia Logan is bringing her daughter death out in the public to bring awareness to the consequences of sexting.18-year-old Jesse Logan did what so many other girls her age have done: She sent nude pictures of herself to her boyfriend. Jesse Logan and her boyfriend broke up and he decided to share the private pictures with other teen girls. The girls then started calling Jesse names such as slut and whore. The pressure was too much for Jesse and she took her own life, she committed suicide by hanging herself. Her mother, Cynthia Logan, was on the TODAY show today and explained what happened to her only child Jesse. Jesse Logan chose to speak out about sexting on television only two months before she committed suicide. Jesse just wanted to make other teens aware of the consequences of sending sexually charged pictures.

Cynthia Logan bravely talked to Matt Lauer to make other parents and teens aware of what can happen when you send nude pictures or sexually explicit messages through email or cell phone texts.

Teens who send and receive nude pictures can be charged with child pornography. Six teenagers in Pennsylvania were charged with child pornography after sending and receiving nude pictures on their cell phone. The teens ranged in age from 14 to 17 years old.

Many parents are wondering what is sexting?

Sexting is sending any nude or partially nude pictures, or sexually oriented messages through cell phone texting, email or posting on a social networking sites like Myspace and Facebook. Many parents wrongly assume their teen would never do such a thing. The fact is if you spend a few minutes on Myspace, Facebook or even YouTube you will find many sexually explicit pictures being posted and video being shared. Teens are also using webcams to record nude video of themselves. The webcams are easily viewable through most instant message (IM) sites like Yahoo chat.

Parents Should Learn What Sexting is and How to Prevent It

First, talk to your teenagers about what is appropriate. Often teen believe their boyfriend or girlfriend is their true love and day dream they will be together always. Teens often break up and in many instances the private pictures they shared get shown to everyone, just like Jesse Logan's did.

Second, make sure to frequently check what pictures your teen is posting to social networking sites. Ask your teen to show you their Myspace and Facebook profile pictures. Have your teen set their Myspace account to private so only friends can view the profile and pictures. Also, consider not allowing your teen to have a computer in their room and move the computer to a family location. Teens are less likely to send images when mom or dad could turn the corner at any moment.

Third, ask to see your child's cell phone and check the pictures sent and received. Many parent do not want to invade their teen's privacy but you have every right to see what is being sent and received on the cell phone.

Myspace has a safety site that has special information just for parents. You can visit it the parents site here. You will find good information on how to find out if your teenager has a myspace account, safety tips and information on how to delete your child's myspace account.

Facebook suggests all users between 13 and 18 ask their parents permission before registering for a profile.

Sources:

NBC TODAY show -"Her teen committed suicide over 'sexting' "

CBS news "Sexting" Shockingly Common Among Teens"

CBS news -"Teens Who `sext' Racy Photos Charged With Porn"

Myspace

Myspace safety for parents

Facebook -Facebook privacy policy

Monday Mom Matters -- Radical Parenting by Vanessa Van Petten

Today's Mom Matters again deals with cyber-bullying and how to keep your children best protected.

The following is an excellent post from a favorite blogger / author of mine, Vanessa Van Petten.

You can find more of Vanessa's insightful posts regarding parenting teens today at her website Radical Parenting Vanessa runs her website along with 15 teenagers who assist in giving insight on today's technology available to teens in addition to issues teens may face daily.

Radical Parenting is an excellent starting point for any parent wanting to keep up to date with the social networking sites available to teens on the Internet. Also, parents can find a plethora of information pertaining to parenting including bullying, boredom, dating, and a vast array of family related issues.

From Vanessa Van Petten:

The Internet has changed the playground-bully into the in-my-bedroom-bully.

It’s true, the line between school life and home life is gone. Kids can no longer leave the social pressures, cliques, bullies, snootiness and the other highlights of adolescence at school.
Now, the social scene follows students home, into their bedrooms, and can be turned on at any moment. No, in fact it is never turned off, because you never know who is going to post something mean on your wall next.

Here, I want to give a brief overview of how bullying has changed for the net-generation so parents are more equipped to handle it and help their kids deal with it.

Today, bullying/cyberbullying is:

1) Creative

Options for a bully circa 1980:
-steal lunch money

-call someone names/say mean things to their face

-call someone names/say mean things behind their back

-punch them in the face/kick them/pinch them/ physically assault them

-punch them in the face/kick them/pinch them/ physically assault their friend or usually younger, relative.

-write a nasty note and pass it around class, leave it on their locker-stick your tongue out at them

Options for a bully today: (just from the news stories I found on bullying alone, I could think of many more that have not been reported on)

Everything from above, plus

-write a nasty note or rumor on their facebook wall for everyone to see

-put up embarrassing pictures of the person on your school’s social network

-digitally impose the person’s head onto a naked body and pass it around like it is real

-submit their name/picture to a site like “Hot or Not” for strangers to rate how ugly the person is

-create a website dedicated to how much you hate that person

-lure them into writing a mean/weird IM chat and post it all over MySpace or the school.

-Create a fake user, pretend to be hot, flirt with the person and then break up with them/tell them you hate them/ tell them they are too ugly for you.

-Send mean text messages

-harass their avatars or video game players on gaming websites

It is incredibly sad, but the Internet has brought thousands of ways to bully someone without ever being caught. Parents need to know that their child could be bullied in a number of ways online, through phones and even through video games.

2) Instant
Before, if you got in a fight at school, or found out you were not invited to a party, you were able to come home and vent about to mom/ dad/ sister/ brother, get a snack and cool off. Now, if you are mad at someone, you can instantly send a text message to your social networking profile to post a mean comment. Now there is no ‘off’ time and the second something happens, everyone knows about it because they all get alerts or texts from automated news feeds or plugged-in friends. Teens are checking these services CONSTANTLY, so before what took a few days to spread, now can take a few minutes.

3) Permanent
Some things, like postings on your wall, video, a text message or email, you can delete. Other things, such as photos or social network announcements can be up there forever or until the writer removes them.
Also, even if they post a superimposed picture for five minutes on a school network before it is removed, others can easily download it and repost it or pass it around by email undetected—and as with all gossip, even the most factless based rumors hurt a reputation.

4) Accessible
The whole point of many social networks, texting and websites is to be connected to people you would not normally be connected to. I always say that ‘privacy settings’ should really be called ‘lace curtain settings’ because you never know who is going to get into your profile the back way (MySpace Pedophiles). Before, nerds, jocks or drama queens went to different parties and traveled in different circles. Now, the ‘great connector that is the Internet makes everyone’s personal information and attention accessible on the same sites.

5) Cool
The more popular kids have always made fun of the ‘uncool’ kids, but now bullying is easily made ‘fun’ for everyone. At Juicy Campus, a website all about spreading gossip and rumors, or Hot or Not.com, users can vote on the attractiveness of submitted pictures and make students who would not normally ‘bully’ or gossip attracted to the idea. Hot or Not makes it cool and fun to judge people based on their appearance and is very popular with my generation.
Even Gangs are now using Social Networking Sites to recruit and organize activities…seriously.

6) Buffered
It is really hard to walk up to someone and say to them: “You are a fat slut.” It is much easier to write that on someone’s Facebook wall—which someone did. Technology provides a way for students to be mean even more ‘behind the back.’ Many times, you can even post pictures, videos or send messages anonymously! This has changed the face of bullying because it allows people to be mean and not face the consequences—they can’t get punched back, they can hide it from parents and teachers by posting anonymously and do not have to say it to people, they can simply type a comment in a moment of passion when they are alone in their room!

It is really important to talk about these new aspects of bullying. I bring these issues up with all of the kids I mentor and teen groups I speak to. Make sure to discuss with them the ramifications of letting a friend take a sexy picture, disabling the Facebook wall or what would happen if they got in a fight with a friend.

Also give them resources if they know another student is being bullied. With the recent school shootings, it is important for kids to have a place to anonymously report bullying of any kind. They can do this at: ancomm.com.

I hope that this post has been relevant and informative, be sure to send it to any families or teens who you think might need it.

Stay informed,

Vanessa Van Petten

Source: Radical Parenting, Vanessa Van Petten