My name is Hanna Brasseur, and I am a junior at Seminole Ridge High School. I’m writing to you today regarding the problem of bullying. Too many deaths happen each year because of youth-related suicides. I know you think that there are perfectly adequate programs and hotlines available to help the victims of bullying, but the effectiveness of these programs has gone down in recent years. Over the years, there has been an increase in youth suicides due to bullying.
For example, in my freshman year here, my best friend posted on Facebook that she was going to kill herself. She didn’t want to live anymore because of the bullying she received at home from her family. She felt like she had no one to talk to. The worst part was that she never told me anything about what was going on at home. However, our other friend stopped her before she could harm herself due to the fact that her family couldn’t accept her, which was why she felt as if she shouldn’t live anymore. By accepting her, I mean that she is bisexual, and her family didn’t support that. This can be categorized as emotional bullying. Her family frowned upon her choices, and neglected her opinions and/or ways of life. Just because you are different, it doesn’t mean that it’s OK for others to put you down or make you feel bad about yourself. That, my friends, is one of the many types of bullying we face in our everyday lives.
You would’ve figured that in modern America, people should feel welcome and accepted by society. But no, not everyone is because of bullying. This means that we have a lot of work to do… We should start by eliminating bullying, completely. Bullying occurs in many forms, such as online, at school, in a workplace, etc. Some say that bullying toughens the weak, but it doesn’t; it does the complete opposite of that.
Bullying can be compared to the Domino Effect. It starts at one point, and then causes other bad things to happen. One of the worst types of bullying is cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is the worst because it takes place on social media, which means that everyone will see it. When everyone sees what is going on online, they most likely won’t do anything to stop it, out of the fear of becoming a victim themselves. Or they may even join in to fit in with everyone else. People don’t understand the consequences of their actions. In this situation, the consequence would be a loss of another innocent life. The bullies have to live that the rest of their lives, thinking about the death they caused. To say the least, justice has not been served.
There are over two million bullies in American schools! Who knows how many we have here at Seminole Ridge? What goes on behind the scenes here will always remain a mystery to me. There are plenty of other stories online about teens who committed suicide because of the bullying they faced at school and online. A parent should never have to bury their own child!
School shootings can also be linked to bullying. Take into consideration, the Columbine school shooting. There were two teens, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who were victims of a severe case of bullying. They planned months in advance for the school shooting. On April 20, 1999, they put their plan into effect. They killed 12 students and one teacher. After they finished their massive killing spree, they killed themselves. Not even a year after the school shooting took place, the bullying started up again.
You would’ve figured these people learned from their mistakes, but instead they continued to bully one another! As parents, you set an example for us, like how to act and/or treat others. By supporting the no-bullying campaign, and mentioning it and contributing to it, you will have saved thousands of lives. Just doing little things, like speaking to large crowds of people and spreading awareness, will already do so much! Also, stick up for those who feel like they don’t have a voice or are being put down!
So set a good example for your child and defend those in need of a real-life superhero. Join the fight for justice by clicking on www.stopbullying.gov.
Hanna Brasseur, Loxahatchee
