A Lack of Human Decency

Bullying. All of us have probably experienced it at least once in our lives, whether we were the abused or the abusers. Lately, stories have been cropping up all over about young people being cruel to each other, sometimes even pushing each other to suicide.

That was just what happened in the case of Jamey Rodemeyer, a Buffalo teen who saw taking his own life as the only escape from his peers' hurtful words. Rodemeyer had already been targeted by bullies for his sexuality for years, but it was online posts from classmates saying things like, “I wouldn’t care if you died. No one would. So just do it :) It would make everyone WAY more happier!” that brought him to finally make the decision to stop living.

"Bullying kills." -Alicia R

I won't say that I want the people responsible for this death to die themselves. That would only bring me down to their level. But it is incredibly difficult for me not to think that the world would be a better place without disgusting idiots like this. I hope they carry the weight of their sin with them forever and wake up every day knowing that it is entirely their fault that a boy died at the age of fourteen.

But before losing all faith in humanity, it is nice to see that in a world dominated by bad role models like the stars of Jersey Shore, there are some celebrities who genuinely care about the well-being of others. At the iHeartRadio Festival in Las Vegas, Jamey's idol Lady Gaga dedicated her song 'Hair' to Jamey and has been very outspoken about her strong disapproval in his murderers and grief for his death.

And then there are the tales of a girl who was harassed for not inviting people to a party, a completely reasonable choice to make, to the point where she needed therapy, the boy who was unable to defend himself from bullies due to suffering from Aspberger's, and the girl who was being physically beaten and was not believed by school authorities when she tried to report it. What bullies do is trap people and make them feel helpless just like in the cases of those three. It's totally inhuman.

Other teens like Tyler Clementi and Jutin Aaberg have been driven to suicide by hateful homophobes, and it makes me sick to think that in 2011 people are still failing to accept each other for who they are. This world doesn't seem to understand the simple concept that there is nothing wrong with homosexuality, and hating people for it is no different from ideas as outdated as racism and sexism. Maybe this is because religion, which is supposed to motivate people to be kind to each other, is doing more harm than good. Apparently there is some unwritten law stating that God doesn't approve of two people being in a happy, loving relationship if they are the same sex, and hating gays is okay because it is God's way. Um...what?! Jesus was friends with figures as controversial as prostitutes, and I think pretty much every Christian agrees that prostitution is a sin. So even if one thinks homosexuality is wrong (a sentiment I strongly disagree with), that is no excuse for being mean to people in the name of religion. Sadly, Justin Aaberg's classmates did just that when they told him he was going to hell for being gay. Do I even need to explain why that's terrible?

"There is no need for people to bully others, it's just wrong and all it does is hurt other people. That's not fun." -Sarah L

I think it is especially important in the twenty-first century that people think about their words before they say them because now anyone can use technology to share ideas that they might not be comfortable saying in person. Not only can a Facebook status about how you were "soooo wasted last night" ruin your own career, but a rude message can haunt another person forever. You may not think it's a big deal when you insult someone, but you have no idea what the person receiving your comment might be going through. Your words may be the final straw that makes him kill himself or otherwise go insane. People can be more sensitive that one might expect, and nasty words tend to hurt more than physical injuries.

"There should be a law against bullying." -Hannah A

Please, consider the self-esteem of those around you.Junior high and high school are some of the toughest years of the average person's life, meaning we should be striving to increase teens' confidence, not lower it. Just remember that, for the most part, if you are nice to others, they will be nice to you as well. Is it really that hard to hold in your negative opinion of someone? I'm not saying that one should never disagree with others, but one should argue politely. And if there isn't a good reason to criticize someone, don't even bother; it comes across as arrogant.

Why is it arrogant, you ask? Just take a look at Youtube. Pick any video with a large number of comments. Now, how many of those comments are negative? Probably a lot. And out of those negative comments, how many are truly well thought-out? It would probably take several minutes of searching to find even one. Now, not only is commenting something like, "U R EPIC FAIL LOL!" rude to the person who made the video; it is also highly unnecessary. Do you honestly believe that anyone cares that you disliked this video? If so, then you think way too highly of yourself and are presumably the type of person who also tweets about how you just used the restroom or what you had for dinner. Let me get this through your head, internet people: NO ONE GIVES A FLYING SQUIRREL. When you say something mean, neither you nor the person you are talking do benefits from it, so what's the point?

But keep in mind that it's not only what you refrain from doing that matters, it's what you actually do. Not bullying is good, but let's take it a step further and go out of our way to be nice. Just letting a friend know you are there for him makes all the difference in the world. In Jamey's video, below, he describes how thankful he is for those who have given him love and support. If only there were more people like that, maybe this poor boy would still be alive today. Always remember that there is power in words; you can either change someone's life for the better or totally ruin it. Why on earth wouldn't anyone choose the first option? Just take the attitude of our dean, Mr. Miller, and remember that "Bullying is for squares." It's completely unacceptable at our school and should be unacceptable everywhere else.

Pics courtesy of CheshireTears, Happy Monsters, and iStock, respectively.

Also check out the following links. 

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20110925/NEWS01/109250359/Hateful-texts-voicemails-end-after-visit-school-psychologist

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20110925/NEWS01/109250357/It-wasn-t-fear-kept-bullied-teen-from-talking

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20110925/NEWS01/109250354/Bullying-leaves-tormented-students-helpless-parents?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Home

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/20/jamey-rodemeyer-suicide-gay-bullying_n_972023.html

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2011/09/jamey-rodemeyer-suicide-lady-gaga-pays-tribute-to-bullying-victim/

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2011/09/jamey-rodemeyer-suicide-lady-gaga-pays-tribute-to-bullying-victim/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39593311/ns/us_news-life/t/suicide-surge-schools-confront-anti-gay-bullying/