Bullying: Easily Accessible But Hard To Fix

Gabriel Taye was 8-years-old when he hanged himself on Jan. 26. The school informed his mother that he had fainted in the bathroom, but failed to mention why. A video on the internet surfaced of Taye being bullied, in the same bathroom, two days before his death. As of now, no charges have been filed.

People want to blame the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why saying it encourages suicidal behavior because of its graphic scenes, but fail to realize children were committing suicide long before the show aired. Life is uncensored and people need to see that.

At 8-years-old, I didn’t even know what suicide was. Instead, I worried about learning my multiplication tables, so I could be allowed outside to ride my bike. It seems like the days of playing outside doesn’t exist in today’s youth. With technology advancing rapidly, I feel social media plays a part in this. We often hear of children being bullied until they kill themselves. 11-year-old cancer survivor Bethany Thompson killed herself because she was being bullied over her appearance. Does that make you angry? Because it should.

As a parent, I’m angry. I wish I could give those bullies a taste of their own medicine. They need more than just a chancleta. I don’t see the people who need to be held accountable facing charges. I did my research on children who committed suicide and most of them tried to reach out to their school, but the schools just brushed them off. That’s unacceptable. The bullies, the bullies’ parents, and the school should face charges.  

Everything a child learns is taught at home. Children don’t grow up to become bullies, unless the behavior was learned. Parents should be raising decent human beings who will grow up to be useful to society, and not part of the prison system.  

How about the school? Why aren’t schools monitoring students more? Why are they brushing off students who come for help? Someone is not doing their job, and I can tell you for a fact it’s not the parents fault, which many people like to blame.  

I can say I was bullied from elementary until high school. I know what it’s like to feel like an outcast. I know what it’s like to have people stare at you and spread rumors. I know what it’s like to feel like you’re alone in the world.

I wish I could say you forget these things as you get older but I’d be lying. You learn to cope with these feelings. You become more resilient. You’ll figure out your true purpose in life and why you’re meant to be here. This doesn’t just go for children. This is for anyone dealing with depression or feeling alone. I want you to know you are not alone, and I need you to know that you are loved.

The way the laws of the universe work is that whatever a person puts out into the world will come back. Karma is inescapable. These individuals, who like to inflict emotional and physical pain, will be dealt with accordingly.