Bullied
I read something today that broke my heart.
Phoebe Prince, a 15-year-old girl who moved to Massachusetts from Ireland, hung herself. She was subject to taunts, physical threats, and harassment on and offline. She was tormented on school grounds during school hours. And school officials knew about it and did nothing.
Phoebe was bullied. Relentlessly. And for what? Because she had the audacity to hook up with a senior? Because she upset the pecking order? Because she's different from everyone? It makes me ill.
I wasn't bullied much. I was picked on a couple times, but weren't most of us at some point in our lives? It's a fact of life. Life can be cruel, children can be more so. I was fortunate to have parents that cared for me. That told me to be strong, to ignore all the bad kids, and focus on being a good person. I'm sure Phoebe had friends. Did they have any idea?
Who do we put this on? On the bullies? The bullies' parents? Those officials who knew about the abuse Phoebe went through, and did NOTHING? I don't know. I just hope that if you're reading this, whether you're a teacher, a tutor, a youth advisor, a cop, or a parent...
If you see somebody being bullied, or if someone tells you that they're a victim of harassment at school, for the love of God, do SOMETHING.
Phoebe Prince, a 15-year-old girl who moved to Massachusetts from Ireland, hung herself. She was subject to taunts, physical threats, and harassment on and offline. She was tormented on school grounds during school hours. And school officials knew about it and did nothing.
Phoebe was bullied. Relentlessly. And for what? Because she had the audacity to hook up with a senior? Because she upset the pecking order? Because she's different from everyone? It makes me ill.
I wasn't bullied much. I was picked on a couple times, but weren't most of us at some point in our lives? It's a fact of life. Life can be cruel, children can be more so. I was fortunate to have parents that cared for me. That told me to be strong, to ignore all the bad kids, and focus on being a good person. I'm sure Phoebe had friends. Did they have any idea?
Who do we put this on? On the bullies? The bullies' parents? Those officials who knew about the abuse Phoebe went through, and did NOTHING? I don't know. I just hope that if you're reading this, whether you're a teacher, a tutor, a youth advisor, a cop, or a parent...
If you see somebody being bullied, or if someone tells you that they're a victim of harassment at school, for the love of God, do SOMETHING.
posted by Unknown at 9:48 PM
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