Bullying Essay: over the Edge

Over the Edge

Kenneth Weishuhun, a fourteen year old boy, committed suicide on April seventeenth of this year. He never gets to celebrate his fifteenth birthday, or see his sophomore year, or his own graduation. He will never have a family of his own and it’s simply because people cannot accept others. He was our age, in our grade, in our state and only a few towns over. Iowa boasts itself as the only Marriage-equality state in the midwest, but this does not dictate the acceptance of gays, and Kenneth’s family will tell you that. Millions of teens all across the US are bullied each day for a multitude of things. Looks, money and Sexuality top the charts for the things a bully will look for in their victim, but what does that matter? So they don’t shop where you do, how does that affect you in any way? If they happen to be on welfare, does that make a difference in your life? And as for who they choose to hold a relationship with, it doesn’t matter to anyone who says the hurtful things kids say to one another. Students will go to great lengths to hurt another, but at what cost? Students in South O’Brian High began picking on one student simply because he was gay. They went so far as to make an anti-gay Facebook page, and torment him through the anonymity of the internet, as well as in the halls, after class and even following him home, with texts and emails. When it gets this far, so far that there is no possible way for escape from a bullies hurtful words, where does one turn? Many think the only option is for them to leave the world entirely. Think about that; feeling so low so worthless and so unloved, that you would rather be dead, than go on. It’s a hard reality to grasp, but if we don’t, where does that leave bullying victims? Alone? Drowning with nothing to grasp and nothing to hold. I’m here because I want to tell you why you need to be their preserver. How hard is it for you to tell someone you think they look nice, or that you think they have nice hair? Is it so hard to fish a simple compliment out for them? And, is it is just impossible for you to say anything nice, why not say nothing? That way, you’re not lying and you’re not hurting anyone’s feelings. Now, don’t get me wrong, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and it’s okay if you and another person are not on the best of terms, but there is no reason to send hate, spread rumors and push people to suicide. There isn’t a reason, and there is no way to justify being the force behind an act that leads to the death of another human being. And what became of the Bullies? The ones who sent messages to Kenneth’s personal phone saying things like “God hates Fags” and “You’re better off dead”. Well, his mother says that they have since apologized and taken down the hate-page online. She did not press charges. But think for a second, is this what it takes? The death of a young boy who is just beginning to find himself, to make someone realize what they’re doing is wrong? They weren’t sorry when they pushed him in the halls and they weren’t sorry when he was stared down and laughed at in the locker room, and they weren’t sorry as they typed out hateful messages to send him. The were only sorry after it was too late, and then what does the apology mean to that mother that will never see her son smile again? I want to make a difference. I want to tell students (both the bullied and the bullies) that there is ways to change. No one should have to go through what Kenneth did, but if you do, speak up. There are many people willing to listen, and I hope, after today, many more. And for those saying the hurtful words, please remember; There is a real person with a real life and a real family who loves them on the other side of that computer screen, and you have to be careful with what you say because if you don’t know them, and what they’ve been through, you may be the one to break them. And if it’s already too late, if you’ve already said things that hurt someone, apologize. It’s that easy. Apologize before it’s too late, and we lose another young person because people were inconsiderate.