I am posting posts from my other blog here as a reference to my next one. Stay tuned will be posting within 12 hours. Thanks for your patients!

Alice

TUESDAY, 16 OCTOBER, 2012
Stop Bullying in any form!

This one is going to be more serious.

I have been doing a lot of reading in the last couple of days. I found a few sites that I like and will post the links later.

What is truly upsetting is that so many don’t realize what happened to this poor girl. So many don’t realize that the “blackmailer who sent the pictures” was NOT a bully, he was a pedophile. A grown man going after a 12 year old girl!

Yesterday I asked what happened to this man for what he did. Well I guess he got away, wasn't put in jail! Heard this on the news about a hacker group thinks they found him and the police are looking in to it. I don't agree with them publishing the info they found, they should have given it to the police. This group should have just posted that they think they found him(in case they where wrong) and info sent to the police. The guy said yes he had the pictures but he never bullied her (although he his guilty of child pornography and maybe blackmail). Here is the article:


cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/amanda-todd-tormentor

The bullies are the one who taunted and scared this little girl. For years. They should be punished. The schools she attended should have a mandatory course on what abuse and bullying can do. I know not everyone was involved. The ones who did nothing may have been afraid to speak up for fear of reprisals. They should have realized as a group they could have halted it, without violence and then reported it. The “boy” and his girlfriend, bullies yes but far worse I believe that is a form of sexual abuse and then physical abuse. They went out of their way to seduce this now troubled young girl, than they beat her up for it. All those involved should be punished. Those who watched and did nothing should pay for that also. Then they left her there, by herself, with no help. Who leaves an injured person like that?

Why are our children becoming so uncaring? What are we doing to teach them that? What makes them think they are better than everyone else? Even adults? I believe they think they are smarter. They know more than most adults realize. I have seen preteens do and say things that would shock me if an adult did or said it. Some of the things they might learn at home or school. But I believe they are learning from each other.

There are a lot of good kids out there, and if we want them to grow to be good adults we have to stop the bullying and any who will harm them.

I found this definition of a bully:




bul·ly1 [bool-ee] noun, plural bul·lies, verb, bul·lied, bul·ly·ing, adjective, interjection noun

1. a blustering, quarrelsome, overbearing person who habitually badgers and intimidates smaller or weaker people.
Some outdated means are:
2. Archaic. a man hired to do violence.
3. Obsolete. a pimp; procurer.
4. Obsolete. good friend; good fellow.
5. Obsolete. sweetheart; darling.

Now here is cyberbully:


cy·ber·bul·ly  [sahy-ber-bool-ee] verb (used without object), verb (used with object), cy·ber·bul·lied, cy·ber·bul·ly·ing

1. to bully online by sending or posting mean messages, usually anonymously: The 12-year-old had been cyberbullied for almost a year.

How ironic it says “12-year-old”. The one thing I don’t see in these definitions is untruths. How many young people (and adults) go online and see that their classmates/friends/family are saying they did something or said something they didn't say or do. And then others pass it on and before you know it “everyone believes” and then people they don't know are pacing it on, the bullying starts. The sad part about this is many say ignore it, your real friends and family know the truth. Young people thrive on friends and try to make new ones all the time, that’s how they grow and hopefully learn, how can they if this is out there. For some reason kids (and adults) believe everything they read even on the internet. And many will not take the time to know someone, to realize what they read was a lie. These situations harden youths and adults. They stop believing anything they see. When someone does tell the truth, they don’t believe them. When someone who is hurting cries out for help, no one listens. Amanda cried for help by posting that video but it never drew attention she needed until she died. I can imagine some of the terrible things she must have read after she posted that video. It makes me cry just thinking about it. I find it hard to believe that not one of her fellow students (from any of the schools she attended) didn't see this video and not try to help her or tell their parents. If the parents said she is just trying to get attention, the kids could have told someone at school a teacher, counselor. These kids knew it was truth! If they did tell someone I they didn't do anything, what is that teaching these children?


We teach our kids not to take candy from a stranger, not to talk to strangers or get in their cars. We do this to keep them safe. Why can’t we teach them that the internet is always safe? Like radiation. Good when used properly for killing cancer but deadly if used wrong. Or like the burner on the stove is good for heat and cooking food but don’t put your hand on it. Everything good has a bad side that is the way of the world. They have all this knowledge and no way to process it. When in doubt they act, they don’t think of the repercussions, they probably don’t know them. We have to teach them that what they see isn't always right. Everyone has it or is doing it, doesn't make it right! Teach them when in doubt; ask!

Here are a few sites that might interest you:

facebook.com/FamOnlineSafety

facebook.com/BullyingStopsWithUs

facebook.com/Stopbullyingandcyberbullying

www.safekids.com

missingkids.com some good internet safety tips here

On-line Safety kidshealth.org/teen/safety

I hope that some will get use out of these links and remember to pass them on. I will have a link section just for internet safety on the left of my blog. I will be keeping my eyes open for more, if you have a site you think should be on the list please let me know.

Well good-bye for now, thanks for listening, remember pass the word.
Stop Bullying!
A

MONDAY, 15 OCTOBER, 2012
For Amanda Todd


I can’t believe what I have been seeing and hearing today!

On the news and the internet! Some of the comments I have seen. Shameful! Is this what we are teaching? Who cares? It is her fault?

A young girl commits suicide because she believed that her life was not worth living. The pain she has lived through in the last few years made it impossible for her to believe things could get better. The glimmer of hope from a boy turned into a nightmare! He and his girlfriend should be punished as well as all the others involved.

The schools are not doing anything to teach kids that treating others like trash are harmful, damaging. (I believe schools and parents should be teaching this) Every school she went to the problem rose again. What about the parents and guardians of the students causing her pain, they agree with how their charges dealt with her? We hear stories like this all the time but it isn't stopping. It is getting worse!

It started when she was 12 yrs. old. On the news they say a man convinced her to take off her top. Really a man asks a 12 year old to take off her top and she is blamed for it? Than more or less blackmails her and still it is her fault? He passes the pictures around to people she knows and loves, and it is her fault? I DON’T THINK SO!!

What happened to this man? Is he in Jail? How come someone wasn't at that school, teaching these children the dangers of chat rooms, the internet and cell phones (e.g. sex-ting) Explaining what can happen. (Has happened). There are predators out their waiting for them. Not all of them adults. Tell them to report people asking them to do things. If not to their parents, then have a site set up. I bet a lot of these kids don’t want their parents knowing they were even in a chat room. They should also tell them that it isn't their fault if they fall for these deranged people. They are children; all they want is approval, acceptance which is what predators offer. Come on, even adults have fallen for creeps like these!

The only difference between Amanda and others is she wasn't physically harmed by this creep, if she was, would they still blamed her? He did enough damage but her fellow students more or less finished her off. They did even more damage than he did. Made her live miserable until she moved and then another group of kids decided to start where the others left off. The boy and his girlfriend I hope they throw the book at them, and all that where there and participated and even the ones who didn't do anything to stop it.

I saw one comment on Facebook about making real live friends. Considering how things played out do you think she would have found a real friend? Seems like the few she had turned on her.

I saw one comment on YouTube “who cares”, come on really, are they that uncaring? I care! Others also care. We should all care! We are losing young people, our future. There are a lot of good kids out there but every day they are becoming outnumbered.

All these kids who went along with the group and bully and teased and harassed this young girl are going to grow up to be adults. (Plus many more that we don’t know about). Are these the kind of people you want representing you? Watching over you and your children, teaching them and your grandchildren? Making laws? Running schools, churches, government?

Now they are saying they don’t want to criminalize Cyber-Bullying. I thought we already had laws against bullying of ANY kind. Our children aren't worth criminalizing bullying? Well I think they are! Every adult out there should want to protect the young! You shouldn't have to be related, we are all, of the human race, aren't we? They are all our young. Even in the wild animals protect the young! We have to punish those who do wrong, even the young. Or they will grow to adults and the cycle continues.

Needless to say I will be watching to see what happens.
I want the world to help me and others spread the word.

Bullying of Any Kind Not Acceptable!!!

I feel for Amanda’s family, that they have to see some of the terrible thing posted (including the “famed pictures”) I hope they realize that there are those of us who want this kind of thing to stop. I hope they do criminalize Bullying, and make it “Amanda’s Law”. It saddens me that she took her life but let us hope her story saves many more.

Please no matter what country you live in please share! Lets get the word out to everyone!
No to bullying!!!!!!
Thank You very much,
Alice M