Stop The Bullying

Originally posted On Facebook-

A couple of weeks ago a fifteen year old girl named Amanda Todd committed suicide making international news. I read about her sad story, and viewed the video she had posted on You Tube in regards to telling her story to others. I was struck by her cander, as well as her courage. But at the same time watching the video brought a lot of different emotions. One - sadness realizing that this young woman was now no longer with us, Two-Anger at not only her treatment, but the callousness of some of those who have posted in regards to her untimely death. The abundance of Apathy is staggering. The amount of sarcasm, and cynicism is also surprising. The attitude of "she had it coming" though angered me most of all. She made mistakes. Every one does. So don't try the Holier than thou My crap doesn't stink stance with me. Yes the internet gives a degree of anonymity. But that doesn't give someone the right to be a hurtful jack ass. That is purely a statement of someone who A) has never been through it, or B) is so numb and apathetic to life that one wonders how they will get through life with no one at all having that attitude. I have been through it. I have been in the shoes of Amanda, as far as being bullied and ridiculed and as I was to learn over the coarse of two weeks, hundreds of others, (That have been reported that is) Reading these various stories of the children, kids, teenagers and young adults who had taken their lives because of the amount of ridicule, and just plain callousness and non human treatment. The level of intolerance frightened me. It also reminded me of how tough Junior High and High school actually was. Especially to an outsider, or a person not of the status quo.

I have also been one of the friends of someone who has taken their own life and remembered how I felt when it happened. My buddy Jered and I had a friend named Sarah, who took her life. And it hurt both of us deeply. Unfortunately I have also gone through three more suicides in my forty years on this earth. I have also gone through the pain of three friends who were murdered, a drowning, a fatal accident involving a handgun, two drunk driving deaths, and four fatal automobile accidents, and literally watching someone take their last breath in their fight with cancer. Dealing with any loss never gets any easier. The stories of these kids I read about ranged in ages from nine years old to nineteen. Three quarters of these deaths; were suicides by hanging. Only one quarter were death by other means. The statements I've read that have been negative have gone something like "What an idiot? How stupid to take your own life. You do what you did you deserved to die." This was an actual quote from someone voicing their lack of sympathy in regards of Amanda Todd.What can I say to this person, and not be angry at the callousness, other than unless you have been there, unless you have gone through it, unless you have lived it you won't know, nor will you ever understand. It takes the experience to understand. It also takes being able to not just think about your self and think of someone else. I was bullied while I attended both O'Connell and later Alameda, and I allowed situations that were consequences from being bullied to allow me to make certain choices that had I been a bit more confident, I would have chose another path. But it was my own self preservation that kept me from taking a darker path. I swore early in my life- I wasn't going to end my own life. I would endure it no matter what. Still, I ended up getting my G.E.D. and dropping out at the end of tenth grade.
As a Father and Stepfather to the Five children I am fortunate enough to love and try to care for, it is alarming to me that this problem is not being addressed as effectively as we would hope, and that number of suicides from Bullying and Cyber bullying has risen every year. While schools need to be tougher on kids that are bullying there is little that can be done by those that do the bullying on the Computer or by cell phone. However it is important for us as Parents to also take responsibility for what our kids do, as well as teaching them the importance of tolerance. Whether it be at school, on a bus, or at home on a computer. I share that responsibility with Millions of other parents since this current phenomena is not indigenous to just the states but other countries. It's not enough, but to try to change the world you have to take it one step at a time. I may not be successful on a global scale, but if I can change the thinking of one child, or adult maybe I can make a difference so there isn't another kid who is bullied, or even killed due to intolerance. The Lives of Brian Deneke, and Sophie Lancaster taught the importance of tolerance, against any one perceived different, whether it be social class,social group or genre, race, creed, color, sexual orientation,political view, or practiced religion. I dedicate the video to the Memories of Brian Deneke, Sophie Lancaster, victims of Bullying that I have known through out my life, including my sons, and daughters, as well as the families of those who ended their lives due to Bullying and Cyber Bullying who appear in the video- And I remind all Stop Bullying take a stand, don't let these deaths and the deaths of other not in the video be in Vain.
Mitchell Wilson-11, Ryan Halligan -12, Billy Lucas-15, Asher Brown-13, Kameron Jacobsen-14, Jared High-12, April Himes-13, Alexa Berma -14, Alexis Skye Pilkington-17, Amanda Cummings-15, Ashley Rogers -15 , Hanna Kirkman-12, Kristina Arielle Calco -15, Alex Wildman-14, Cassiday Joy Andel-16,
Jaime Hubley-15, Samantha Kelly- 14, Jesse Logan -18, Seth Walsh-13,Paige Moravetz -14, Abraham Briggs- 19, Eric Mohat- 17, Maria Herrera-12, Mathew Alexander Epling-14, Celine Okwuone-11, Christian Taylor-16, Meredith Rezak-16, Rafeal Morellos 14, Julian Houts- 13, Michael Joseph Berry-17, Christopher Daoust-15, Daniel Medez-16, Iain Steele-15, Kimberly Lincezeski-12, Jon Carmichael-13, Sheniz Erkan-14, Stephanie Gestier and Jodie Gater-both 16, Felix Sacco-17, Timothy Winkler-15, Haylee Fentress-14, Tyler Clementi-19, Phoebe Prince-15, Megan Meier-13, Hope Witsell-13, Corinne Wilson-13, Rachael Nebblett-17, Chris Hedgier-15,Brandon Bitner-14, Brodie Panlock-19, Jaheem Herrera-11, Christopher Howell-17, Jerimiah Lasater-14, Sladjana Vidovic-16, Jamey Rodemyer -14, Jennifer Eyring-16, Jeffrey Johnston-15, Raymond Chase-19, Amanda Todd-15 and their families who have to cope every day with the loss....