Bullying is the use of force or intimidation to frighten and impose authority over others. This behavior is often asserted to make oneself feel superior over others and it is done through constant harassment and threat that is hurtful. Bullying can also be done in groups, which is called mobbing. Bullying is a very serious matter that many of us have taken lightly, where we should put an end to this behavior as soon as it surfaces. There are many kinds of bullying, ranging from cyber bullying, emotional bullying to physical bullying. [Teacher’s note: Good summary of the types of bullying.] Many victims become depressed or even commit suicide as a result of being bullied.
I once knew someone who was bullied. Her name was Amanda. She was new to our school but she made friends quickly as she was a delightful and friendly girl. Everyone was fond of her, teachers and peers alike. She was studious and cheerful. Everyone wanted to be her friend. Yet, her sudden popularity did not change her kind personality.
One fateful day, she confided in her online friend all her secrets. She trusted him a lot and the last thing she expected was to be betrayed. As they were from different schools and different countries, there was nothing to be worried about, she thought. The next day, however, when she went to school, she noticed that every student who walked past would shun her. It bothered her but she decided to shrug it off. She saw her usual group of friends and approached them but her friends told her off straightly, declaring the end of their friendship. [Teacher’s note: Good build-up of tension.]
Shock was an understatement. Amanda had absolutely no idea why her friends were behaving that awful way. With each passing day, fewer and fewer of her peers spoke to her. Sometimes, her friends would cast a repulsive and repugnant scowl at her. Some would spit vulgarities at her. One student even whispered a condemnatory comment in her ears and that was the breaking point. “Go to hell,” he muttered unabashedly. She dashed to the bathroom immediately and sobbed convulsively until it was school dismissal time.
Upon reaching her house, she rushed to her bedroom and switched on her laptop, planning to tell her online friend what had happened. When she got on to the website, she realised that he had blocked her. Feeling defeated, she could not stop the steaming hot tears streaming down her pale, blood-drained countenance. She had to talk to someone desperately. She went on her Twitter page, hoping to pour her deluge of sorrows. It had been a day since she last logged on but her notifications flooded with mentions. She carefully scrolled through them, reading the tweets one by one.
Realisation then hit her like a whip on a horse. She finally pieced the puzzle together. Ironically, it was her ‘trustable online friend’ who spilled all her secrets online, smearing her reputation. Her world became an increasingly unfamiliar place inhabited by darkness and evil. She could no longer tolerate the bullying and negativity so she plucked up courage to move to another country, hoping to start afresh. However, little she knew that her secrets were already plastered all over the Internet and made known to her new friends and old, constantly serving as painful reminders every single day of her life. Depressed and lonely, she took her life within a short span of seven months.
In retrospect, I deeply regretted not helping her when I saw her being bullied in the hallways of our old school. I would expect the bullies and her ‘online friend’ to be remorseful and come clean but that never happened. Her ‘online friend’ was neither found nor identified. Her parents were immensely upset of their failure to consider the full extent of this incident’s repercussions, which resulted in the loss of their only child.
Her story is one of the many reasons why we have to do everything within our means to stop bullying. Many commit suicide due to bullying and those who have not taken their life and moved on continue to suffer from psychological trauma even years after. We all should be entitled to live in a happy, respectful society where everyone understands and accepts one another regardless of any perceived or real imperfections. We should love our crooked neighbours with our crooked hearts.
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