It's A Cruel, Cruel World

            Sharpie scribbled words on the bathroom walls, rumors flying ninety to nothing, derogatory names being yelled in the hall; what do all these things have in common? Whether it seems like it or not, they’re all forms of bullying. When you think about it, we high school students witness these taunts, words, and actions on a daily basis. How many of us though, can truthfully say that we try to stand up for the victims? We’ve heard the stories about teen suicidal incidents, but most people don’t realize that those tragic catastrophes stem from the gossip, slander, and pranks we witness or even partake in every day. There’s no way to sugar coat the brutal fact that it seems as if it’s going to take someone to commit the unfortunate action of suicide in order for the people who deliberately hurt others to realize how yelling “whore” to the girl walking down the hall or playing a prank on that boy who’s to shy to stand up for himself (whether joking or not) traumatically affects the people that it is intended on emotionally hurting.

            Recently, a freshman at Rutgers University, Tyler Clementi, ended his life by jumping off the George Washington Bridge located in New Jersey.  Tyler, a homosexual student who, after a private video of him engaging in an intimate conversation with another man was streamed onto the internet, was tormented and bullied for months by fellow students. Events like these take place everyday, but no one really thinks about it much unless they’re actually involved. Granted, nothing like that has ever happened here at Lake Hamilton where we are supposedly known for our “atmosphere.” According to various staff members, Lake Hamilton consists of a no bullying tolerance policy, friendly attitudes, and safe environment. Numerous fights, rumors, cliques, and pranks take place or exist here at our high school on a daily basis. These things are due to different views on what’s accepted towards race, sexual orientation, or even the amount of money you have. Consider that those very things are actually what surround us here at Lake Hamilton, and I think it’s safe to say that our so called “atmosphere” needs some cleaning up.

            Many of us are oblivious to the fact that the foundation for these events, such as that of Tyler, has already been laid. It was laid the moment you were born. As children, we are greatly influenced by the people and ideas that occur in our households. Whether that means having a particular dislike for a certain race or believing that everyone who shops at stores other than Chanel and Juicy Cotour are below you, these beliefs and opinions you are exposed to and taught at an early age carry on through your life, becoming more and more accepted as you grow up. As highschoolers, we tend to befriend the people whose beliefs, hobbies, and opinions match our own, causing groups of people who accept those commonalities among each other and have a narrow mind when it comes to “outsiders” perceptions of right and wrong. Then the tiny things no one gives much thought to, whether it is a word mumbled under your breath or the gossip you can’t help but spread, begin to add up. They add up to the point where you believe that death is the only escape from the pain you suffer every single day. You see, no one thinks about the consequences of their actions. We are humans, not mind readers. We don’t see the pain our actions cause others. It takes some shocking eye opener, like a suicide, for people to stop and think, “Wow, maybe I was a little cruel.”

            Phoebe Prince moved to Massachusetts from Ireland at the beginning of her freshman year of high school. After being degraded day after day by the other girls who called her a “stupid slut”, Phoebe ended her life. This young girl was in high school. Phoebe went through some of the very things we see here at Lake Hamilton everyday such as name-calling.  According to the anti-bullying website, teenangels.org, the number of teen suicides has dramatically increased over the past few years.  These sons, daughters, friends, and students, like Phoebe, killed themselves to escape from their lives. Their lives were filled with the very words, writings, gossip, and jokes that we see everyday. These things are happening all around us, yet no one seems to do anything about them and the people doing the bullying don’t even think about how much they are hurting the victims.

Let’s be honest here, if we don’t start thinking about how it would feel to be in that other person’s shoes and take a hint from stories like that of Phoebe’s and Tyler’s, something tragic is likely to happen. Lake Hamilton is supposedly known for its “atmosphere.” Think about all those people you see bawling their eyes out in the bathroom stalls and the ones who everyone just loves to upset. It’s those people, those boys and girls, the ones who are hurting, who we need to look out for. We need to start standing up to those jerks that push people to their limits and also take a look at our own lives and how we would want to be treated. It’s those kinds of actions that need to happen in order to prevent the odds of the day when we’re all either dressed in black or sitting in the emergency room thinking, “If only…”

 

By: Candace Boehm