After having his 15 year old son commit suicide after years of bullying about his sexual orientation, both online and at school, a Ottawa city councellor says enough is enough. The article states how he wants to do more to fight bullying and help prevent the high rate of Teen suicides because of it.
Not only is my opinion a little harsh, but it is also fairly realistic. Not any offense to anyone, but "pink shirt day" isnt going to do anything against bullying like it did a few years back, you can't stop kids from talking mean to each other and you can't fight the on going natural need to fit in with the crowd, and in order for many teenagers to do so, they have to follow someone where they know they will be safe from that torment.
Not only was I bullied for a good few years of my elementary school life, but on some occasions, I was the Bullier as well. I know what it feels like to be out of the social norm, as well as apart of it, and being bullied made me a stronger person in the end as well. Not only did I choose to sway from the "cool crowd" I also chose to help with bullying, and try to stop the bullies at my high school.
Little happened.
Not only will it be impossible to get rid of bullying all together, but it will be even harder to get rid of it online. In the article they suggest doing something about the Facebook community and "Twitterverse" but there is no stopping kids from openly insulting and harrassing others. The protection of the internet is too enticing for kids who want to be accepted socially.
The article also states briefly the tragic suicide of Amanda Todd, the world suddenly got up in a fuss about bullying, when many children before her were bullied and commited suicide years before. Her problem, as well as many others, could have been solved by the simple monitoring by parents. Now a days, people are too busy blaming other people for their children's problems instead of themselves. If Amanda Todd and other teens turned off Facebook/Twitter at the first sign of Bullying, it wouldn't have escalated so quickly. If parents watched what their child is doing online, and kept an eye on what they do in general, then many of this wouldn't happen.
In conclusion, if parents want to do something about bullying, they should monitor their child's online activity, and make sure if someone is bullying, turn off all connections, and keep tuned in on their kids school life. Maybe then we will have less teen suicide rates.
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