Bullying a Hate Crime
Not very often do I get soap box and preach nor do I want too. However, this time is a little a different. As you know I write news on Detroit Examiner. Searching for this mornings news not only I find it but what I had found had turned this bright sunny day into a dark one.
Jamey Rodemeyer made today’s top news headlines. Jamey had made the news not for a crime that he had committed but for a crime that was committed against him which had led to this young man’s soul being gone at the young age of just fourteen. Jamey. Jamey just like any other teen had his social networks, friends and just your normal teen. Did I mention Jamey was gay? Due to his sexual orientation he had endured years of torment and teasing, in one word bullying.
Back in May of this year he had made an up beat and encouraging video “It Gets Better”, unfortunately it did not get better for Jamey or others who had lost their young lives to bullying.
Ryan Patrick Halligan, was thirteen years old when this young soul had left the earth when he had hung himself. The cause; online bullying. Another nine year old boy had hung himself in the school’s nurse’s office bathroom the cause; bullying. Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover also hung himself due to bullying, constantly being taunted from kids that he was gay.
Kids are cruel and now they are taking cruelty to a whole new level. As adults we do not wear rose color glasses and are fully aware that children can be bullies. Most parents try and help their child deal with bullying or explain why they should not tease and torment others. Like I said most adults and parents. Then there comes a parent who is to be an adult and role model for their child and acts more like the child by creating a fake profile to tease and torment a thirteen year old girl. The girl Megan Meier, committed suicide due to the actions of an adult, and I use that term loosely.
We are to be role models to our children. Most parents try their best. We are to teach our kids respect of others and most do. Then comes that one parent that acts like a child leaving us to wonder who the role model for their child is?
Paul McCartney had written the song “Ebony and Ivory” citing living together in harmony. Somehow, children had lost this concept along the way. Children and even adults need to learn it does not matter if Joey down the street is overweight or if Kathy stutters, if Jake is had darker skin or if Ray talks with an accent. It does not matter if the solider you stand next to fight is gay, you are there for a common cause not based on a persons own personal life choices.
That brings us to the U.S. Military notably a bully in their own right. The “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy of the militaries wisdom of keeping so called “dark secrets” has taken a fall this week when the policy has been eradicated in the military. Why should it of matter of what sexual orientation of a solider was? The military hushed it up for it was not to mentioned but yet at the same time while the military was having issues of soldier’s openly noting they were gay they did not have an issue with them fighting for this country and giving their life for it. That seemed to be okay. Bullies.
Today we have the internet and social sites. A play ground for people who believe they are self righteous and have the God given right to bully others.
Social site creators should have enough common sense to suspend accounts of those who use their site to bully others before another child is lost.
Children should be accountable for actions especially when it leads to death of another child. What did these children do to deserve to be pushed over the emotional edge so far that the only way the saw to have peace was to end their life.
There is no need to bully anyone. If you do not agree with a persons appearance, sexual orientation, race or whatever trait they may have do one easy thing Shut Up. Ask yourself how you would like to be that child in the corner who hides, the child who cries themselves to sleep every night not understanding what they did to deserve all the hatred they had received when all they wanted to do was make a few friends.
Personally, I am not a Lady Gaga fan but I do admire the woman for taking a stand against bullying. She has a point bullying is a hate crime.
Another child should not lose their life due to a few cruel kids running away thinking they can do anything to anyone. They should and must be stopped.
I will personally back anyone group or organization or anyone who takes a stand against bullying.
For the all the bullies in the world, you are not special, you are not important nor are do you have the right to dictate to anyone what they should believe. You do not have the right to hate someone and bully them because their skin color may be different, did you ever think just for one second you may look funny to them.
Too many lives have been lost bullying. Jamey had tried to make his voice heard and as he put it “What do I have to do to have people listen to me?” It is too late to save this child’s life but it is not too late to let his voice among the other children’s voices be heard.
We now need to be their voice and put an end to bullying.
I created a Facebook page called Stop Bullying for Jamey. Please stop by and like. Be the voice for Jamey and other kids who lost their life to bullying. Make your voice heard for them.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stop-Cyber-Bullying-for-Jamey/126962630736975
Jamey Rodemeyer made today’s top news headlines. Jamey had made the news not for a crime that he had committed but for a crime that was committed against him which had led to this young man’s soul being gone at the young age of just fourteen. Jamey. Jamey just like any other teen had his social networks, friends and just your normal teen. Did I mention Jamey was gay? Due to his sexual orientation he had endured years of torment and teasing, in one word bullying.
Back in May of this year he had made an up beat and encouraging video “It Gets Better”, unfortunately it did not get better for Jamey or others who had lost their young lives to bullying.
Ryan Patrick Halligan, was thirteen years old when this young soul had left the earth when he had hung himself. The cause; online bullying. Another nine year old boy had hung himself in the school’s nurse’s office bathroom the cause; bullying. Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover also hung himself due to bullying, constantly being taunted from kids that he was gay.
Kids are cruel and now they are taking cruelty to a whole new level. As adults we do not wear rose color glasses and are fully aware that children can be bullies. Most parents try and help their child deal with bullying or explain why they should not tease and torment others. Like I said most adults and parents. Then there comes a parent who is to be an adult and role model for their child and acts more like the child by creating a fake profile to tease and torment a thirteen year old girl. The girl Megan Meier, committed suicide due to the actions of an adult, and I use that term loosely.
We are to be role models to our children. Most parents try their best. We are to teach our kids respect of others and most do. Then comes that one parent that acts like a child leaving us to wonder who the role model for their child is?
Paul McCartney had written the song “Ebony and Ivory” citing living together in harmony. Somehow, children had lost this concept along the way. Children and even adults need to learn it does not matter if Joey down the street is overweight or if Kathy stutters, if Jake is had darker skin or if Ray talks with an accent. It does not matter if the solider you stand next to fight is gay, you are there for a common cause not based on a persons own personal life choices.
That brings us to the U.S. Military notably a bully in their own right. The “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy of the militaries wisdom of keeping so called “dark secrets” has taken a fall this week when the policy has been eradicated in the military. Why should it of matter of what sexual orientation of a solider was? The military hushed it up for it was not to mentioned but yet at the same time while the military was having issues of soldier’s openly noting they were gay they did not have an issue with them fighting for this country and giving their life for it. That seemed to be okay. Bullies.
Today we have the internet and social sites. A play ground for people who believe they are self righteous and have the God given right to bully others.
Social site creators should have enough common sense to suspend accounts of those who use their site to bully others before another child is lost.
Children should be accountable for actions especially when it leads to death of another child. What did these children do to deserve to be pushed over the emotional edge so far that the only way the saw to have peace was to end their life.
There is no need to bully anyone. If you do not agree with a persons appearance, sexual orientation, race or whatever trait they may have do one easy thing Shut Up. Ask yourself how you would like to be that child in the corner who hides, the child who cries themselves to sleep every night not understanding what they did to deserve all the hatred they had received when all they wanted to do was make a few friends.
Personally, I am not a Lady Gaga fan but I do admire the woman for taking a stand against bullying. She has a point bullying is a hate crime.
Another child should not lose their life due to a few cruel kids running away thinking they can do anything to anyone. They should and must be stopped.
I will personally back anyone group or organization or anyone who takes a stand against bullying.
For the all the bullies in the world, you are not special, you are not important nor are do you have the right to dictate to anyone what they should believe. You do not have the right to hate someone and bully them because their skin color may be different, did you ever think just for one second you may look funny to them.
Too many lives have been lost bullying. Jamey had tried to make his voice heard and as he put it “What do I have to do to have people listen to me?” It is too late to save this child’s life but it is not too late to let his voice among the other children’s voices be heard.
We now need to be their voice and put an end to bullying.
I created a Facebook page called Stop Bullying for Jamey. Please stop by and like. Be the voice for Jamey and other kids who lost their life to bullying. Make your voice heard for them.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stop-Cyber-Bullying-for-Jamey/126962630736975
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