As many of you know, the Netflix show, "13 Reasons Why" has taken the world and turned them into overnight crazed binge watchers. I caught myself being part of the popular sensation because everywhere I went I heard it was a "must watch Netflix show!" If you are anything like me, you know that high-school was the worst four years of your life, instead of the best like we are told it should be. Watching this show brought back many painful memories of what I experienced as a high-schooler. While the memories flooded, I found the show to have taught me a few things as well. I hope that for those who have watched themselves, and experienced bullying that they might relate to the lessons I learned myself.
Here are 5 things I learned from 13 reasons why. In no way is this article meant to be negative towards the lack of help I personally received, but it is meant to underline the truth of bullying and that we have to stop sugarcoating this worldwide issue.
1. I wasn't alone.
When someone is bullied they often times feel like the entire school is against them. I know for me personally, I felt like I had nobody to relate to because every corner I turned there was a rumor being told that was not true about me. From watching this show and of course growing older, I know that bullying is a worldwide epidemic that many teens suffer from.
2. My school did not do enough.
Bullying is a "hush-hush" topic. We all like to pretend bad things like that does not happen in schools. I know personally, my school did not do nearly enough to help ease my fear of even going to school. I remember being told, "Just avoid going near those who are mean to you." Well, that was a bit challenging seeing as I sat in class right beside the four girls who made my life a living hell. This lead to me refusing to go to school. I even remember the day I went to the office to drop out of high school. I felt like nobody believed me because it was me against a group of mean girls. So who would you believe? A group of girls who can lie for each other, or one single person? Think about it.
3. DON'T believe everything you hear.
We all enjoy our daily dose of gossip, whether it is simply saying so-and-so cheated on her boyfriend or making up a rumor to cause someone to want to kill themselves. We mindlessly gossip every day. However, no rumor is innocent. People can make up so many lies that they actual sound true. So, if you take nothing from this blog, please DONT believe everything you hear, especially if it sounds really bad. Get to know a person before you judge them and feed into petty gossip.
4. People are uncomfortable talking about bullying.
The victim does not want to admit they are bullied because who likes being the tattle-tail kid? The bullies do not want to admit they are such mean people because they deny they could ever be such evil people. The parents of the bullies do not want to believe their "angel child" can be so cold-hearted. The parents of the victims do not want to believe that their child is in such danger. Lastly, the school does not want to deal with bullying the proper way or even have the resources or will to do so. Therefore, creating a prison for the bullied victim.
5. We need to come to terms that bullying is real!
We have to teach our kids to be kind to everyone and stop spreading lies that can make a child lay in bed at night and wish they were no longer on this earth. We have to stop sitting behind a computer screen and making fun of a girl's body type or hate her because all her friends are guys. We need to teach each other to stop being so self-centered that they find pleasure in tearing other people down. Start reaching out to those who are having a tough time and start educating yourself on how to stop bullying from happening.
My hope for you is that if you were a victim of bullying either now or in your past, know you are NOT alone. You are strong and you are not the evil names you are being called. You are not those evil Facebook posts that claim you are such an ugly person. You are strong and I promise one day, those bullies of yours will be ugly (both inside and out) and going no where in their lives. Trust me, you are strong and will conquer more than they ever will.
