Teenage Bullying Is Far From Entertainment

Every now and then, the words of a stranger profoundly impact my life. I came across the following paragraph the other day and haven't yet been able to clear it from the chambers of my mind.

It truly resonated with this former teenager, who still remembers his own troubled adolescence even though it transpired some seventeen years ago.

These are the heartrending words composed by an ordinary mother after her teenage son took his own life - another senseless victim of cyber bullying. "October 7, 2003 will always be the day that divides my life.
Before that day my son Ryan was alive. A sweet, gentle and lanky thirteen year old fumbling his way through early adolescence and trying to establish his place in the often confusing and difficult social world of middle school. After that day my son would be gone forever, a death by suicide. Some would call it bullycide or even cyber bullycide. I just call it a huge hole in my heart that will never heal." Cyber bullying refers to a vicious act of harassment occurring via the Internet - in chat rooms, on social networking sites or through email messages.
Years ago being pushed around on the school playground or teased in the cafeteria was considered bullying.

But this is drastically different.

Cyber bullying quickly and deliberately destroys the character and integrity of a young teenager in a very public forum - one that's hard and often impossible to erase. Isolated incidents are no longer the case as high schools and universities all around the country are plagued by the epidemic - possibly even in your town.

Unfortunately, it's a subject people rarely speak about until a teenager takes their own life.

Whenever the trailblazers of the world create a product or service for the betterment of society, someone inevitably finds a way to use it against each other.
Sites like Facebook, YouTube and MySpace were established to allow people from all across the globe to connect in a positive manner.

Yet now they've become tools for the younger generation to use in their biased assaults against one another.
I'm sure many of you are now familiar with Tyler Clementi - an ordinary college freshman at Rutgers University who possessed an amazing talent for playing the violin.
His young life was filled with promise and opportunity, until a video was released over the Internet of him and another teen in a private, sexual encounter.

Posted by fellow classmates just as easily as uploading photos from their summer vacation, they cared little about the potential consequences.

A day later, Tyler took his own life. The bullies of the world rarely personalize their victims. Perhaps if they did they might better understand that we're all human beings - someone's son or daughter; a cherished friend or classmate. Those victimized don't deserve the pain and suffering inflicted upon them and their families by individuals who believe tormenting those who are different will make them feel better about themselves. A group of 12th graders at a Northampton High School were recently asked, "why do people engage in bullying behavior?" Some of the answers were surprising: "There doesn't always have to be a reason. People don't even always dislike the people they're bullying, it's just something they have fun doing..

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It's not really something they even care about - it's just like something they can do, and then friends join in, and it's almost like entertainment, I guess.

" Entertainment, huh? Try telling that to Ryan and Tyler's families. Doctor Richard L.
Gross of the American Academy of Child and Adolescne Psychiatry says, "We are all either bullies, bullied or bystanders.
" Don't allow yourself to become a sedintary bystander. Talk to your teenagers, even if they're not eager to listen.

Remind them that we're all part of the human race - inhabiting the same planet; made from the same flesh and bones.

Because of this, we're all worthy of the respect, compassion and tolerance we desire for ourselves.
As humanity continues to battle each other for dominance, the time has come to change the face of social bullying before another parent is left with a huge hole in their heart that will never heal.