The Only Solution Is You by Andre Wilson
Whether or not to take your own life for being who you are; this is a situation faced by a staggering number of teens everyday as a result of cyber bullying. It is very easy to forget that behind a monitor is a person. A person that has true feelings. In The Chronicle of Higher Education, Rebecca Koenig stated “high schoolers and middle schoolers … they’re not mature enough to deal with the fact that what I say on this screen can hurt someone on the receiving end” (2014). Cyber bullying is a problem that requires immediate attention because we are the only ones who can stop the teen suicide rate from rising.
In 2011 at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas, Lady Gaga stated “I wrote this record about how your identity’s all you’ve got when you’re in school…Jamey, I know you’re up there looking down on us. And you’re not a victim, you’re a lesson to all of us” (2011). Jamey Rodemeyer, a joyous and openly gay teen, received an enormous amount of hate, every day, for simply being himself. He committed suicide in 2011 because he was being severely bullied in school and online for being himself. Before Jamey committed suicide he sent this tweet to Lady Gaga: ‘Bye Mother Monster. Thank you for all you have done. Paws up forever.” Lady Gaga stressed in her speech that she will not stop until bullying is made illegal. Bullying isn’t something a lawyer, principal or even a parent can stop. The only effective solution to the problem is ourselves. Many organizations strive to make a change by creating a new law or act, but have been unsuccessful because laws are already established to prevent discrimination. According to The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, “bullying overlaps with discriminatory harassment which is covered under federal civil rights laws enforced by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)” (2014). With laws already in place to prevent harassment and discrimination the suicide rate among teens should not be rising. In an article by Brown University Child and Adolescent Behavior, a study shows that “the rate of suicide among teenagers has nearly tripled since 1960” (2003). The only solution is through us. We are the ones who bully; We target others we see as different, and we are the ones causing this number to rise. In an article by Brown University Child and Adolescent Behavior, a study shows that “the rate of suicide among teenagers has nearly tripled since 1960” (2003). You can only enact so many laws, and with the suicide rate among teens nearly tripling since 1960, the laws clearly do not prevent bullies from seeking out their target.
If you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say it at all. This is a saying we’ve all heard dozens of times growing up. But it is the easiest way to save a life. According to the same article, “each year, almost 5,000 young people, ages 15 to 24, kill themselves” (2003). We are the ones causing this number to steadily rise. It is very easy to forget that behind every monitor is a real person with real emotions. Even though it may seem like it, our actions aren’t just momentary. Commenting that someone looks fat in a photo can make you feel good about yourself in the moment, but these actions have a lasting effect. “Fat cow, MOO BITCH.” You’re probably thinking, “where did that come from and why would he say something as obscene as that!” This is most likely the exact same thing the sophomore student who received this message was wondering. A peer posted this message to the student on her school’s own message board. And that wasn’t all, to make it even worse the victim also suffered from Multiple Sclerosis. The anonymous poster wrote to her “I guess I’ll have to wait until you kill yourself which I hope is not long from now, or I’ll have to wait until your disease [MS] kills you” (2005). In an article in Paediatrics and Child Health, Douglas Vanderbilt stated that “victims of cyber bullying have more depression, psychosomatic complaints, medication use and suicidality. Long-term consequences in adulthood of being bullied as a child include psychosis, depression, poor self-esteem, and abusive relationships” (2010). When you bully someone the effects it may have don’t come across your mind. These long term effects are just a few of the causes that lead someone to contemplating suicide.
The rapid advancement of technology has made it that much easier for a bully to target someone. Take the app Yik Yak for example. It allows users to anonymously post directly to other users. With the app just over the past months gaining in popularity, it has already begun to cause major problems. In a Mondaq Business article, Noemi Chanda stated, “unfortunately, problematic technology usage in schools has recently become quite common. Users can down vote or report content, but they cannot block other users” (2015). Enabling users to be seen as anonymous has recently become an increasingly popular trend among app developers. By allowing users to feel freer in voicing their opinions and thoughts, it just adds fuel to the fire. Even though you’re anonymous, what do you feel commenting “gay”, “ugly”, and “fat” on someone’s post will really do? Is it supposed to help anything? Make them change themselves? Or just make you feel better? When you’re online and you feel the urge to comment something like that, the easiest way to fix the problem, is to think before you make that instantaneous decision that can end in the loss of a life.
We are constantly reminded through peers, family and even pop culture to love one another. So why must it be different online? Why is it ok to praise those who are comfortable with their identities face to face, but then tear them apart online? Yes, it’s anonymous. Yes, other people do it. Yes, it will make you feel better about yourself in the moment. But that doesn’t make you any better of a person. The problem isn’t how we can inform more people about bullying. That subject is taught to exhaustion in schools and in our own homes. People know what it is. People know they do it. The problem is that they can’t be held accountable for it and that’s why it continues to grow. So, I say to those relentless online bullies, your words have been heard, your words have hit people hard. Here’s the thing, your words can not damage any more people. Why? Because you are the only person with the power to stop it. We can easily end the problem now. Think before you type those few words, and a life might just be saved.
Works Cited
Are there federal laws that apply to bullying? (2014). The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. Retrieved from http://www.stopbullying.gov/laws/federal/
Chanda, N. (2015). Yik Yak: Anonymous posting app being used for cyber-bullying. Toronto, Canada: Borden Ladner Gervais. Retrieved from https://global-factiva-com.mutex.gmu.edu/redir/default.aspx?P=sa&NS=16&AID=9VIV000400&an=BBPUB00020150601eb61000mz&cat=a&ep=ASI
Keith, S., & Martin, M. E. (2005). Cyber-bullying: Creating a culture of respect in a cyber world. Reclaiming Children and Youth. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.mutex.gmu.edu/docview/214193728?accountid=14541
Koenig, R. (2014). What you need to know about Yik Yak, an app causing problems on campus. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://www.lexisnexis.com.mutex.gmu.edu/lnacui2api/results/shared/controller/permalink.do
Lady Gaga sings tribute to bullied teen at festival. (2011). Cable News Network. Retrieved from https://global-factiva com.mutex.gmu.edu/redir/default.aspx?P=sa&an=CNNWR00020110926e79q009ye&cat=a&ep=ASE
Teen suicide. (2003). Brown University Child & Adolescent Behavior Letter. Retrieved from http://openurl.ebscohost.com.mutex.gmu.edu/ article&issn=1058-1073& =The%20Brown%20University%20Child%20and%20Adolescent%20Behavior%20Letter,%201995.&aulast=Lipsitt
Vanderbilt, D., & Augustyn, M. (2010). The effects of bullying. Elsevier. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com.mutex.gmu.edu/science/article/pii/S175172221000071