24 12 / 2011
Bullying. I can’t stand how much I hate it.
Recently, I have read a post on The Shyness Project about a young girl, Sharon, who was a victim of being bullied, and how it contributed to her shyness. For years in school, she felt like she was a prisoner at school because of it. It was a struggle for her just to get through the day. She found relief in going into acting, and soon was able to come out of her shell, and overcome the effects of bullying. I commend Sharon for telling her story. Bullying is definitely an issue that needs to be addressed more.
About 11 years ago, I went through the same thing. I was a victim of bullying, mainly because I kept to myself, was a good student, and also because I had crazy curly hair that I did not know how to manage. At the time, I was humiliated, scared, and really just wanted kids to accept me. I felt like if I asked for help, that would make me a coward, or a ‘tattler’, and it would mean that I did not know how to fight my own battles. It also did not help that whenever the kids would tease me, many teachers would think it was because something was blatantly wrong with ME, causing me to be called to the counselor’s office often. I remember literally being spat upon as I walked by a group of kids. All I wanted was to be accepted, and it was a struggle just to get through the day without someone saying something terrible, or doing something to hurt my already damaged self-esteem. Looking back on it, I wish I had spoken up more and realized that this was something that I did not deserve. That’s the thing about bullying, though, many adults turn a blind eye to it because the victims usually suffer in silence. This is why many kids end up committing suicide from bullying. The victims feel trapped. Bullying is a serious issue and NEEDS to be addressed more. It does NOT matter if the child is different, NO ONE SHOULD GO THROUGH THIS. Kids can be extremely cruel, and it seriously saddens me that it is not getting any better.
It is good to know, however, that some big names such as Lady Gaga, are speaking out against bullying. Her Born This Way Foundation is to help victims of bullying, and helps kids know that they are not alone in this. The It Gets Better campaign helps LGBT kids know that there is hope for them. I don’t care whether you’re gay, transexual, quiet, loud, weird, black, white, asian, muslim, jewish, christian, or whatever you are…no one, NO ONE should be bullied. NO ONE should feel like they should go to the extremes to take their own life because the people around them are intolerant.
I’m a bit heated on this right now, but it is something that angers me to no end. Let me know your thoughts on the issue!
