Saturday, November 19, 2011

bullying


There are very few things that actually, really, truly piss me off and bother me. I'm a pretty easy-going chick, despite my constant snark and razor-sharp wit .

Bullying, however, I don't handle well.

I think it's because I was bullied as a kid. I was geeky, I was awkward, I was little. I had hair down to my butt, massive purple glasses (that I picked out and thought were the COOLEST), and a Power Rangers lunchbox. While most of those things sound awesome now, they apparently were enough for the kids on the bus to pick on me until I cried. It was awful...for some reason, on that bus I was a pariah, a target. At school? I was well-liked. Home? Naturally, my parents thought I was pretty cool. But that bus was hell.

Like most kids, I would have done anything to stop the bullying. And I did, by joining them. I turned into a nasty little thing come junior high, I'm ashamed to admit. My mum has openly admitted disliking me in eighth grade, and I don't blame her, because I was a snotty little shit.

It wasn't until high school that I suddenly realized I didn't have to be that way. That I could be nice to everyone regardless of class, clique, and couture, and still save face and be happy. There were still those nasty kids, of course, but when it was different. I think I had my college-epiphany of geekitude being cool a few years early, because I was an art kid, a drama nerd, a band geek.

I also outgrew most of the guys at my school, and there's something about a 5'9" woman in 4" heels that really takes the wind out of a bully's sails, I think.

So maybe it's my past that makes me so angry at bullies. Or, rather, maybe it's because I'm decent effing human being.

I recently read about a horrible murder a few years back of a beautiful young woman named Sophie Lancaster. She and a companion were jumped in England and brutally, savagely beaten by a group of teenaged boys.

Was she dating one of them, and he got jealous? Were they mouthing off to the boys? Were the boys trying to rob them?

No.

It was because Sophie and companion were goth.

Police say that the two were beaten so badly that at first glance, they couldn't tell which was the male victim and which was the female.

This sort of thing makes my blood run cold and burn at the same time. Such violence, for what? Because someone dyes their hair black and wears more eyeliner than the norm? Witnesses even say that the boys were celebrating their victory as they stomped and jumped on the heads of these two helpless people.

This sort of behavior needs to be stopped. I'm tired of beautiful, innocent people dying because they are different.

It's not always this extreme, but it is always painful.

Just do me a favor, guys, okay?

If you ever see any type of bullying, please do the right thing and step in? If you're afraid to, call the police or some other kind of authority to help. Don't turn away when you see some douchebag calling a gay person a fag, or making fun of someone for their appearance, or cursing at someone for their religion. Imagine how you'll feel when you find out the next morning that that person is now dead, or beaten, or missing.

Stand up to bullying. Only we can heal the hurt.

2 comments:

  1. You always post on such strong topics - I love reading your thoughts on bullying! :)

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  2. Thank you. ^_^ I want my blog to be my billboard. Or soapbox, I suppose. XD

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