Bullying

Jared High. Born September 23, 1985; died September 29, 1998 at the young age of 13. Megan Meier. Born November 6, 1992; died October 17, 2006 just three weeks short of her 14th birthday. Phoebe Prince. Born November 24, 1994; died January 14, 2009 at only 15 years old. These three individuals ended their life early due to malicious people that found pleasure in seeing them suffer. Bullying is an increasing issue in the world today. Schools are trying to get this situation under control, but are they actually helping? It’s more than just giving the kids facts and forewarning them about consequences. You have to bring reality to them and show them what their actions could potentially lead up to. Bullying needs to be stopped and the only way to do that is to give everyone a little taste of actuality.

Bullycide; A suicide caused as the result of depression from bullying. Jared High felt like there was no way out of this bullying, so he resorted to what they call a “bullycide”. It all started May 6, 1998 after school. As Jared was making a phone call to his brother for a ride home, a boy named Brutus walked into the room. Brutus was a well-known bully to the school and Jared tried his best to stay clear of him; however, that evening- without any provocation from Jared - the bully turned extremely aggressive towards him for no apparent reason. Brutus shoved Jared –who was about half his size – into walls, pushed him to the ground, continuously kicked him, and relentlessly stomped and punched the young boy all for about ten minutes. Even with serious head, neck, and shoulder injuries, Jared suffered worse from emotional trauma than physical. Jared soon developed depression and eventually made a very extreme decision to end his life.

People tend to think that a bully is a person who physically harms someone such as the story above consisting of Jared and Brutus, but that is not the only form of bullying. Cyber bullying is also a major form of bullying nowadays. Whether it’s “Facebook”, “Myyearbook”, or some other social networking site, almost every teen has some sort of an account through a social network. Megan Meier suffered from cyber bullying in 2006 through “Myspace.” Soon after opening an account, she received a message from a person claiming to be a 16 year old boy named Josh Evans who lived nearby but was homeschooled. However, what began as a promising friendship soon turned unpleasant as compliments turned to insults. After discovering messages coming from Josh’s account posted to “Myspace” saying things as cruel as “Megan’s a slut or Megan Meier is fat,” things took a tragic turn. Feeling too much stress and frustration, Megan hung herself in her closet on October 16, 2006. Six weeks after Megan’s death, the Meier family discovered that “Josh Evans” hadn’t actually existed. All along, it was a neighboring family that the Meier’s considered to be friends. “The biggest tragedy of this whole thing: An adult did it,” Ron Meier said.

In 2009, Phoebe Prince was not only a victim of physical and cyber bullying but was also a sufferer of verbal bullying. It all started with rumors, a love triangle, and dirty looks in the high-school bathrooms. Nine individuals basically “bullied Phoebe to death.” From risky threats to things being posted on social networking sights or even said to her face such as “Irish whore,” the bullying simply became so intolerable that it was impossible for her to remain at South Hadley High School. “On January 14, Phoebe was harassed and threatened in the library and hallway. As she walked home that evening, one of the “mean girls” drove by and threw a can of red bull at her,” District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel said. That night, Phoebe’s sister found her body hanging in the stairwell. The nastiness hadn’t ended there however. Her tormentors were so immoral that they had the courage to post vicious comments on the dead girl’s memorial page. After months of the community simmering about the fact that no charges had been pressed, the bullies finally received consequences. Seven of the nine teens were charged with a number of crimes ranging from criminal harassment to stalking to civil rights violation. One juvenile was charged with assault of having a dangerous weapon – a red bull can. Two males– one 17 and one 18 – were also charged with statutory rape.

Actions have consequences. Whether it’s ten years in prison or forever living with the fact that you drove someone to suicide, everyone receives some sort of punishment for their actions. Brutus, “Josh Evans,” and the nine individuals involved with Phoebe’s death will always know they pushed a person to their own death. If you witness any bullying whether it’s a vicious rumor spreading or actual physical harm, report it to a trusted adult so that it can come to an end. Bullying needs to be stopped, and the only way that can happen is if everyone works as a team to cease the nasty behavior.