Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Is the media attention surrounding bullying helping or hurting?

by Jan Shoop

Today’s Question: Is the media attention surrounding bullying helping or hurting?

I received a message from the 12 year old daughter of one of my Facebook friends. It made me think about all the articles I had recently read in the media and viewed on YouTube. Most of those articles and videos were written by experts or about the victims. Many of the videos showed actual scenes of children and teenagers being bullied. Do these videos help or hurt bullying?

I read few articles written by teenagers themselves; unless they were the victims. So -- I thought Cheryl’s message would be worth posting.
(Reprinted with permission from Cheryl’s mother)



“You know bullies are emotional terrorists.... So you shouldn't bully because imagine how much you are hurting the other person. You don't know that person and what happens when they're not at school what if they starve themselves or get hur...t by they're family. You don't know that person so DON'T do it because you have no idea how bad it can make them feel and do they really need you be mean to them just to top it off what they already go through??? Think of that next time you say a hurtful word or push someone down. I hope I just made a few people think about their actions and help stop the hate in this world.”
~ Cheryl


11 Reasons Why Empowerment Trumps Bullying:  www.simpleparenttips.com

Are you a teenager or parent? We’d like to hear your thoughts. Post them in our comments section.

Think others should read Cheryl’s message? Forward it to Facebook or email her message to your friends.