We live in a world where we are told to embrace our differences but are judged because of them. We live in a world where boys will be boys is an excuse for boys behaving badly, where females are scared to report sexual assaults, and where females are pressured to act and be a certain way. October is National Bullying Prevention Month, and is a subject that hits close to home. Throughout my childhood, I was bullied and even till this day I am judged for being different. I see on Facebook and even on the news stories about kids being bullied to the point where they end their lives. I would like to share some of these stories and hope to bring awareness to bullying so we can prevent bad outcomes.
Amanda Todd, 15
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According to NoBullying.com, Amanda was described as a happy, easy going person until a photo of her topless went viral. This caused a mass amount of bullying and teasing where she needed to change schools a bunch of times. It ruined her reputation, she had no friends and was even beaten up by other classmates. At one point she tried to kill herself by drinking bleach but was saved at the last minute. Months later she committed suicide and after her death, a YouTube video which she posted about the situation went viral with more than 17 million views. Even after death, the bullying and tormenting didn't stop. A few years later, a person was charged in connection with her suicide, according to BBC.
Tyler Clementi 18
According to TylerClementi.org, a site dedicated to Tyler's story, Tyler was passionate about his music and was excited to start his new journey as an openly gay man at Rutgers. One night he asked his roommate for some privacy because he was having a date over. His roommate turned his camera on and video-taped an intimate moment between Tyler and his date, then posted in online, inviting others to watch. Tyler became a topic of ridicule and several days later Tyler committed suicide. His roommate was convicted of bias crime and invasion of privacy and sentenced to 30 days in jail.
Megan Meier, 13
According to MeganMeierFoundation.org, Megan who battled with her weight, had ADD, and suffered from depression, started talking to a 16-year-old boy online on Myspace. Due to her recent friendship ending with a girl who lived down the block, she looked forward to talking to him. One day she received a messaged from the boy saying "I don't know if I want to be friends with you anymore because I've heard that you are not very nice to your friends." Megan didn’t know what he was talking about. This lead to mean things being said on Myspace, which lead to her suicide. After her death, Megan’s family found out that the boy was not real and was made by the mom of the girl Megan ended her friendship with.
Audrie Pott, 15
According to Rolling Stone, Audrie was at a party where teenagers were drinking and that’s where she was sexually assaulted by three boys. Pictures of the assault were posted that accompanied the bullying. Audrie thought her reputation was ruined and couldn’t be fixed. Eight days later she committed suicide. The boys who sexually assaulted Audrie were convicted of sexually assaulting and possessing photos of Audrie.
Reading these stories, brought back the memories of my bullying experience. I was born with ADHD and I was kind of the weird kid. No one ever wanted to really play with me because I would be more mother-like than a friend, but that was my personality. Since I had ADHD, I would walk around and get distracted easily, which made me different than all the other kids. I had huge glasses and a short haircut so I was an easy target. I used to get made fun of so much and it hurt. I would come home crying but I never fully understood the impact it would have on my life. When I was younger, I never fully understood why they bullied me or why it bothered me, but now that I am older, I can see the impact. I am currently battling with really bad anxiety and I doubt myself every day. The only thing that gets me through life is my family and my friends. Without a support system, I have no idea where I would be. This is why bullying prevention is such a huge issue for me. If you see someone being bullied say something because you could save someone’s life and impact them in many ways. If you are being a bully, I hope reading this makes you realize how much your words are not just words but they can really destroy a person.
No one should live in fear of being bullied or sexually assaulted. We should feel safe and comfortable being who we are and where we come from. We shouldn’t be scared to wear certain clothes because we distract the opposite sex or be scared to report when someone sexually assault us. We shouldn’t allow men to talk to women in a sexualizing or disrespectful manner. We shouldn’t target people because of their skin color or who they love. We should be loving and caring for each other. Bullying is not a joke.
To join the fight against Preventing Bullying and for more information go to Pacer's National Bullying Prevention Center.
