Stop Bullying
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Posted By: Shenae Francis on November 29, 2010 There’s something going on in America. Its origin can’t exactly be pinpointed, it’s definition ambiguous, but it’s happening. It’s rampant and deadly. Viciously spreading like a pandemic, yet more lethal then any injection that can ever be distributed by a correctional facility; and it’s all over our nation’s schools: bullying. In light of National Bullying Awareness Month, television, internet and radio stations alike, have joined the fight against bullying. In the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area, radio stations stopped their music on November 15, 2010 and held on-air discourse that featured celebrities, psychologist, parents, teachers, victims of bullying, and bullies themselves. During one of the conversations I tuned into, radio personality Angie Ange, from WKYS 93.9, said something that enlightened me: “Our kids, our children, they’re not talking.” When I heard this, I immediately agreed with the emcee, but my mind had been focused on a particular point I’d been maintaining for a few weeks before the radio event, that traveled along the same message that Angie Ange was articulating: Not only are the kids not talking, the parents are either. Bullying is not new. It’s an ancient act that has been done on both an interpersonal and intrapersonal scale. Countries bully one another; people bully one another. It’s never been an accepted act, but it’s always been acceptable. But most recently, bullying has taken a sharp turn for the worst and has produced a string a childhood suicides. It’s been occurring in our youth for a few years now, but its occurrence did not ignite uproar from the masses or become a seemingly perilous act until recently. Far too frequently have our youth (ages 19 and under) engaged in this morbid act this year, prompting a social outcry. It seemed as though every week, another child had been succumbed to bullying. As bizarre as it seems, it’s true. Children are getting taunted, teased, and tormented, for things out of the control. Whether it’s their skin complexion, the way they dress, simply them being different, or their sexual orientation, children are being subjected to harshness in the schoolyard. But, as I said, this isn’t new. So why are so many children taking away their lives, before it’s even really begun? At first, I ruled it off as children being too coddled where it’s gotten to the point where they could not withstand social pressures. I haven’t written that off yet, but it’s something more serious than that. Children are not receiving the love, attention, and affection that they need to help them pull themselves up from their boot straps, so to speak, and transpire through bullying. More importantly, they’re not receiving the conversations that are necessary to get them through these rough patches. I was bullied, yet mother, who was also a victim of bullying during her childhood, always made sure I knew who I was, and what people were capable of. She always expressed specific principles about life that helped me through the years of torment. So I’ll share them here on this document, and hope that it will help someone else. The first idea that was always relayed me is that people will always find something to ridicule you about. She would tell me “You could be perfect, and you are in my eyes, and someone will still find a flaw.” Through my years, all 19 of them, I have expanded on this ideology: the world will try to hold you down, because there’s something in you that it doesn’t want everyone else to see, but as John H. Johnson, articulated, you must aim to “succeed against all odds.” Another thing my mom would tell me is that teasing/bullying does not stop; it’s revised and reformed into other senses that make it seem as though it’s not bullying, but it is. It sounds horrific, at least that’s what I used to think, but it’s simply reality, and that’s what people need to be prepared for. There’s bullying in school, in the workplace, in politics, and in the world. As humans, simply, we must prepare ourselves for whatever is in store. As age old adage goes, “nothing lasts forever,” and my mom made sure I knew that. She’d say, and still says, “Know that nothing lasts forever; the only thing that does, is my love for you.” I love when she conveys that point to me, but more importantly, I’m concerned whether others are relaying that basic message to their children, nieces, nephews, and neighbors. Do our children know that the only constant in life is change? I don’t know where the message was lost, where the conversation stopped, or even if it has stopped, but I know one thing that does need to cease, and that’s children killing themselves. Comedian and talk show host Ellen Degeneres made a striking and moving comment on an episode of her show that people should lament on: “One life lost in a senseless way is tragic; four lives lost is a crisis." It's more than four lives though, so this crisis is real. We have to take action and save our children. If an 11 year-old feels like there’s no hope, there’s no salvation, no future, something is really wrong in America. Each of us has to find a message to give to the kids; we have to help save our children. So here’s my message to every child: Albert Einstein was different; Martin Luther thought different; Abraham Lincoln looked different; Barack Obama is different. Different is a good thing. So children, dear to be different, challenge the norms, and be grateful for who you are, because no one can be you. America, 102 people die every minute in this world, let’s make sure none of them are children who commit suicide. If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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Shenae Francis
Howard University class of 2012 Member Since November 2010 |
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