Emily Kelley / Roundup
Those who view themselves as the bigger, stronger and smarter group have always picked on those who they viewed to be of the lesser group. Bullying is something that’s just expected in the lives of teenagers. That’s just the reality of our society today.
But why is it only when five teenagers commit suicide in the span of a month does everyone suddenly starts to pay attention?
In light of recent events, I’m reminded of the most vivid memory I have of bullying.
I had a friend in high school that was openly gay, which was a big deal in our small town. He was a dancer and the people at school ridiculed him to no end.
Except there was an end, but one no one wanted. It ended with a rope around his neck. He was 15.
In the last 2 months, five reported cases of suicide due to bullying have been reported. September just happened to be Suicide Prevention Month.
It’s no longer an option to ignore and accept bullying in any setting towards anyone.
Schools, including Pierce College, need to offer more resources and more support in regard to harassment. Whether it’s Suicide Prevention Days, group therapy or harsher punishments for those who are accused of bullying, things need to be done.
Even if someone doesn’t commit suicide, they will still carry around the mental and physical scars of the abuse for the rest of their lives.
From a very young age, I was picked on for something or another. I was too scrawny, too shy or not as well off compared to my classmates.
In middle school, I would hide from a group of girls who would taunt me mercilessly, but they would always find me. They’d corner me, spit on me and call me names I cannot repeat. Nobody protected me. Nobody said a word.
And that’s why bullying prevention has to start with us, the students. Because try as the people in charge might, it’s not the schools that pushed Trevor Clementi and Seth Walsh, just two of the recent victims, over the edge. Their peers did.
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