Blurr: Not sure if any of you have heard in the news, but there was a really sad story in my area just recently. A young girl in Grade 10 recently killed herself over bullying and cyberbullying she had received over a couple years. She posted a video on Youtube a month ago and just this week decided to end her own life. I watched the video the other night and was absolutely brought to tears and grief over this.
http://www.youtube.com/embed/vOHXGNx-E7E http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/rcmp-launch-investigation-into-death-of-bullied-b-c-teen-1.993029 I don't know about you all, but when I was in school I was also bullied. I managed to get through it, but I know that some people just can't take it. And nowadays with all the social media shit, it can be even worse once something gets up on the internet. When someone gets behind a keyboard, they feel emboldened and able to say whatever they want, regardless of the consequences. And that is wrong. Please watch the video and make sure you send it to everyone you know. Talk about the issue of bullying. And if you see bullying...STOP IT! Step in and take a stand against it! It won't every go away unless we all stand up for those who need us. If you don't try to put a stop to it, you're just as much a part of the problem as the bully. I know this is sort of out of character for me to post about this sort of stuff, but as I said, it really hit home for me and I want to do something. I'm so tired of bullying being in the news and people getting hurt or killing themselves over it. Enough is enough. It has to stop NOW! And it will only stop if we do something about it!
Bullying is indeed horrible, and, as this young lady's death shows, it leads to pain for many people: the victim, the victim's family, and all those who care about him or her.
Of course, bullying has led to suicide and homicide many times (including this young lady as well as the terrible events in Columbine Colorado and Virginia Tech) and it needs to be controlled.
What I think should happen is that those who are guilty of bullying need to have a record, just like any other type of criminal. They should have to carry this record with them permanently, and when they are applying for college or a job, they should be forced to report the record to the potential college admissions department or to a potential employer.
Imagine someone being told, "I'm sorry but with your criminal record of bullying, we are unable to accept you into this institution." I'm sure that will make the person reflect on what he or she did.
Imagine this being said before a job interview: "I'm sorry, but with your record of bullying, this company is unable to accept you. Best of luck in your future search." Of course, many jobs will be closed to the bully and his or her life will be quite difficult.
This may seem harsh, but bullying someone to death is basically a low-level form of murder, and the criminals (yes, to me bullies are criminals) need to be brought to justice. The only way these criminals can remove the record is through several years' worth of public service with organizations that prevent bullying. Without the public service, the record will NEVER be removed.
I really want to see this happen.
