. Colors can affect us in many ways. There are warm and cool colors, colors that can rev you up and colors that can calm you down. Red has always been a positive, "up" color for me. . But this morning, there's something that's making me see red. And that subject is bullying. . bull ying. . . There's been a report on the local TV and radio for the past 2 days about a young 15 yr old high school girl who killed. You can read a little about it here Bullied teen's death sparks campaign - Nova Scotia - CBC .... 
. Jenna was being treated for depression; she had her good days and her bad days; but she was working hard to overcome this condition. She was a good student and an accomplished musician who sang and played guitar; she even taped herself and put the clips online. But for the past year or two, she has been bullied relentlessly, so much so that she had left school -- at the school's suggestion! But the bullying continued. She received countless messages from school "mates" (for lack of a better word) telling her she was a loser, that she might as well kill herself because she was no good, etc, etc. She hung herself! . Jenna and her Mom had been working with the school system. After her death, Jenna's Mom went to the school, the school board and then to the local police with computer proof of this bullying. Need I say that all her efforts to date have been fruitless; so she's decided to go public with this story to bring awareness to this growing problem. .
I understand that we've tied the hands of our teachers and school authorities when it comes to discipline. But people, this is a young girls life! Dead at 15! Come on! If Mom has the messages with the senders names clearly in print, if all her friends and probably some of her teachers know who the culprits are, surely we can do something to hold the perpetrators accountable and bring justice to this child's senseless death.
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Bullying must be stopped. We are raising a generation of children who not only have a displaced sense of entitlement, but they also have little or no fear of authority. They're smart enough to know when we mean what we say; and theoretically smacking someone's hand doesn't frighten them at all.
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My children were never the victims of bullying, at least not for long. But I know kids who have been victimized. I'm angry! I'm angry with our school system, and I'm angry with our legal system. I'm angry enough that I'm entertaining thoughts of good-ole vigilante justice being a solution when the law falls short.
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We've got to protect these innocents!
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6 comments:
Loved your post! My heart, thoughts and prayers goes out to the mother of the girl.
Perhaps, the law should start holding parents accountable for the actions of their "children" ... then parents would take as much time educating and teaching their "children" kindess, understanding and compassion for others ~ as parents take in "raising" their careers ...
I understand why the laws were put in place to protect children from physical abuse .. but I feel they went to far in empowering children. We are creating a world of socially challenged; spoiled; and desperate (for attention) children
BTW your blouse is adorable, love the added touch of the necklace..xo HHL
Amen!!! The bullying thing is a whole different thing than when we were in school. The perpetrators are pros at it, they hit their targets when the hall are filled and they cannot be singled out. They bully in restrooms and against lockers when the adults are so busy keepin' order they go unnoticed. They gather and hit after school on online textin' and typing their ugliness. Yes indeed, they need to be held accountable and locked up.
Now, on a brighter note...that red blouse is just beautiful. I've made no bones about bein' quite smitten with red. I bet you light up a room when ya wear it!
God bless and have a wonderful day sweetie!!!
Kids have always been unspeakably cruel to each other but the all-pervasiveness of social media means that the bullying can be non-stop 24/7 which takes the stress of it to a whole new level. My heart goes out to that poor young girl.
I think it all begins at home. Too many times kids are having problems at home and take it out on others. Parents need to make sure their kids know that they are loved and also are taught to respect others. Schools cannot take all the blame. They are there to educate children but truly they should be taught how to behave before they even get to school. With family life changing so much today, kids are often lost in the shuffle. So sad...
There have always been bullies in school, but these days it's taken to a whole different level, because of all the latest technology. You can now be humiliated in front of the entire world, via YouTube. This story really saddens me, and I hope that very soon someone will be made an example of, and punished to the fullest extent of the law.
On a more cheerful note, love your red blouse. Whenever I wear red, I also feel very energized!
Happy REDnesday!
Carol
I agree that something has got to be done. But I don't see any efforts to that end. None. Sadly, it's going to take more situations like the one you wrote about to even get momentum up and moving.
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