Bullying

Many talk about bullying like it's something new, it's not. Bullying has been around for years, even in the past. The issue with today compared to the past is a lot of people believe that those who stand against bullying, calling for staff to do something about it, are weak, are cowards. People say kids was never like this in the past, no, that's false. In the past we carried a “man up” view to everything, which made victims of bullying have no outlet to express emotion. There was a reason people killed themselves in the past, some over economic, some over relationships, others was over bullying that could never be reported because of our ignorant view of how people should act. Even today we can see with any resistance against traditional views of the past, that a opposition will rise in favor of the old views, bullying and ignoring it is one of those old views.

One of the best things we organized to help victims of bullying was safe spaces. Many are against the formation of safe spaces out of a ignorant view that it makes the kids weaker, when the opposite is true. Safe spaces has helped many, including victims of bullying. No one seems to understand that when you have a place to get away and open up, it can help the pain of bullying. Safe spaces are needed, especially when you're in a school where anywhere you go is hostile because of the severity of the bullying.

I can speak on this from experience. Growing up through elementary to middle school I endured nothing but bullying. In elementary I gained a reputation for fighting because it took three grades before I couldn't handle the punching, the shoving, the name calling, and all the relentless attacks before I decided to fight back, then be blamed by the school for fighting back despite hearing and seeing what the others was doing to me. When I transcended from elementary to middle school, I was told by the school on the first day “we know your history, don't try and repeat it here.” The bullying continued despite isolating myself from the others. The more bullied I was, the more hostile I became, I fought back against bullies everyday. After three fights the middle school threatened me to either stop or I get expelled, which I couldn't do because my father wants me to get my education, but to me at the time it sounded good just to get away from the constant attacks. Just like my elementary school, when I was bullied they blamed me and did nothing to the bullies. It was coming close to my last year of middle school and the bullying increase ten-fold once the news got out that I was bisexual, I couldn't handle it anymore, I ended up getting in to another fight. Then, at a parents conference my father threatened to sue the school for their lack of action for the bullying and for their lack of helping me in my education. I went to another school for my 8^th, 9^th and 10^th grade classes, where the bullying was just as bad as my previous middle school. I was targeted constantly over being bisexual, all for wearing a gay pride bracelet. The school's reply “Why do you need to wear it? Why do you need to promote it?” as if being me was a crime, as if being proud of who I was is an issue in which that justified the bullying I endured. This school was no different than the others. I got bullied, I got in fights. The school never did a thing but blame me. The only time they rose up to deal with the issue was right after I got in a fight, all because they wanted to protect their image. The bullying I dealt with was not simply a few names here and there. I had objects thrown at me, I was called scum, fag, worthless, told I deserve to die, told no one would miss me, and I endured this constantly everyday. I had property of mine destroyed, things I owned wrote on. None of this was ever enough to have the school act against the bullies, instead they blamed me. Once I got to high school, I expected to be bullied, but never was. High school was when the bullying finally ended, I finally had peace. However most of my history is filled with bullying and depression. I didn't realize I was depressed until I reached 13, all the bullying (with the added abusive family I was raised under) kept me in depression till I hit 18. My entire childhood was nothing but depression and rage.

This is what I went through, and I know people who went through worse. When people say those who kill themselves over bullying are cowards, no, they're not. They're kids who was told they're weak while they got no help to fight against relentless attacks that no one should endure. How dare anyone belittle or demonize a single human being who asks for help, and how dare anyone back a bully and refuse to help victims. The more we refuse to help those who are bullied, the more we will see suicide stay a steady flow or increase. The cowards aren't those who call for bullying to end, or those who commit suicide because of bullying, it's those who refuse to help the victims in need.