Hi, yes, glad to see you again. Ready for round three of October Awareness?
Good, because this week is all about bullying. We all encounter a bully once or twice in our lives. Sadly some people encounter bullies more than twice in their lives; sometimes its a daily occurrence. This is where October Awareness comes in.
No, I am not just talking about your 'classic bully,' where the 'nerdy' kid gets pushed around in the hallways and his/her books and papers get knocked everywhere. I am not just talking about the actual definition of "bully," which is 'one using superior strength or influence to intimidate someone.' I am talking about the very harsh sh*t that happens on the 'playground' (a.k.a. everywhere) nowadays.
In 2010, almost every news station was plastered with one of this decade's first suicides from a bullying act. Tyler Clementi was a student at Rutger's University who was recorded by his roommate during an intimate act with another male student. Tyler's roommate was put on trial for being the reason of his death, but the charges against him were acquitted, much to the dismay of many people. The crime was the start to what is called "cyber bulling."
According to the American Society for the Protection of Children, American SPCC, about 16% of high school students have been cyber bullied in the past year and 55.2% of LBQGT students have reported being cyber bullied. I remember, way back when in high school, bully 'specialists' would come to speak with my class and explained why bullying, cyber bullying specifically, has flared up so quickly: "Computer muscles." Being in front of a computer makes it easier for the bully to insult people. The bully does not see the actual effects his/her words have on the victim. "By being in front of a computer insulting others, the bully becomes less and less empathtic," claimed the 'bully specialists.' This is why you cannot read ten YouTube comments without seeing a hateful comment being made toward someone in the video or someone who had made a previous comment.
Two years after Tyler's death, another name took to headlines over another cyber bully suicide: Amanda Todd. Amanda was only sixteen years old when she took her own life after years of being targeted by cyber bullies. Her story became well known after her death when her suicide letter was found on YouTube. Amanda did not speak in her video, she used flash cards in order to explain her mental struggles due to the bullies that she faced daily and why she was making the video. About roughly two years prior, Amanda had befriended a guy online and their relationship grew friendly, until the day the 'friend' asked Amanda to send him a picture of her breasts. Believing that she could trust him, Amanda did as she was asked. The effects of this turned out to be devastating. The picture was leaked and Amanda was 'teased' (that is how the media would like to call it - but let it be noted that this 'teasing' was crueler than you can imagine) until she moved schools and towns. But she could not escape the photo, the 'teasing' or the name calling. At one point, Amanda attempted to commit suicide, but when she failed and came back home from a rehab visit, she came online only to find countless messages of people telling her to "try again" and "better luck next time."
That's right, bullying, in any form, is not something that can be 'brushed off' anymore. Students are not just knocking books out of hands anymore, they are encouraging the most harmful acts done to a human being.
I saw on Twitter a few weeks ago a story trending of a third grader who committed suicide in his home. His family knew about the torment he faced daily, that it was not just his fellow students, but the neighborhood kids. His family tried to help as best as they could, but their efforts were not big enough.
I saw on Facebook a Muslim father's angry outcry over the fact that his six-year-old son faced Islamophobic bullies in school and left this country (you know, the one with the best military, thus making this land the safest one for this young boy to be in) to the Middle East. I know that one of the presidential candidates has said some things about the Muslim people that some people agree with - but this is a kid who does not know why, under what circumstances, he was being targeted and was viciously attacked to the point where he didn't feel safe in a supposedly safe place.
If you have been reading my other October Awareness articles (Breast Cancer, Domestic Violence) then you will see that this one is a little different. This article is different in the sense that there is not many links or statistics being thrown at you, dear reader. That is because I remember these stories, about Amanda Todd and Tyler Clemnti (as well as many others) because my heart was broken after hearing the news. "Why? You didn't even known them?" you would say. And this is true, but what you fail to see is that all these people needed was someone to be there and give support - and that's what I would do if I were in these places with these people.
But I shouldn't have to wish this. What should have happened at these places, were people who stood on the 'side lines' and watched all of these callous acts occur should have stepped up and put a stop to it. Have we really reached a mark in our timeline of history where compassion and helping others are no longer a part of us, America? I urge you, millennials, when and if you have kids, teach them to be empathic; to be compassionate; to end cruel acts and the status quo of disrespecting the outsiders. And to you, Baby Boomers, I urge you to watch your children's actions and language - do they seem distant? Reach out to them and see what is wrong. Do they seem angry and use snappy language? Don't just punish them for it, but teach them to flip their language into being nicer. We should teach our children to not be pushovers but to also not push others over.
