A few weeks ago I published four short plays addressing cyber-bullying and verbal bullying in our schools. My hope was that if teens and their teachers read these plays (and performed them in their classroom) it would maybe open a dialogue about this deadly practice.
In “You’re Fat, You’re Ugly…” Aanya is a beautiful, talented student, much like Amanda Todd, who is driven to attempted suicide by her peers’ relentless bullying. In “Cyber-Hate” Cathy is the victim of bullying that leads to violence. “The Bullies” is about boys who bully.
I wrote these plays depicting different variations of bullying…..Fiction based on dry statistics.
And now in today’s headlines we read about Amanda Todd, (age 15) a beautiful young girl who just couldn’t take anymore. She felt her only option to escape this form of terrorism (bullying) was to take her own life. It saddened me and my love and prayers go out to her family and friends. This pointless loss of a young woman’s life also outraged me. Amanda’s cry for help (I assume) was a previous attempt at suicide by drinking bleach. Her stalker-bully wrote a message to her, “Try harder.” What kind of monster does this??
‘Amanda Todd, a Vancouver-area teenager who posted a story to YouTube last month about being cyber-bullied, was found dead Wednesday night in Coquitlam, Canada. Authorities believe she committed suicide. Amanda’s video tells a heart-wrenching story of the bullying she was subjected to — both online and off. “In 7th grade,” she begins, sharing her message on cue cards, “I would go with friends on webcam [to] meet and talk to new people.” At one point, a stranger flattered her into flashing the camera…..
One year later, a man contacted her on Facebook, threatening to send around the picture of her topless “if [she] don’t put on a show.” Terrifyingly, the stranger knew everything about her: her address, school, friends, relatives, and the names of her family members. Soon, her naked photo had been forwarded “to everyone.”Amanda developed anxiety, depression, and anxiety disorders, she says in the video, followed by a path into drugs and alcohol.’ ~~ Huffington Post
We, as the adults, MUST take control of this deadly game that teens are playing. Maybe the bullies need to see their parents go to jail for their actions. After all, these bullies are just children, and the parents are ultimately responsible for their child’s behavior. The buck stops at the parents’ door step.
STOP THE BULLYING!
SAVE LIVES!
More resources re: Bullying, Cyber-bullying
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