How do you feel about cyberbullying?

[CyberCubed]

So I've been reading these articles on CNN about how these 15 year old teens are committing suicide because of being cyberbullied for a year or so. These kids have never met each other in real life, and only online, yet the hate they got depressed them so much they killed themselves.

To be honest I feel really sorry for kids 16 and younger who are cyberbullied. They take things they read online far too seriously and get hurt and depressed over it, or in extreme cases suicide.

It's hard to believe someone would kill themselves over someone insulting them online, but then you have to realize these kids are young and probably already suffer from depression.

[Storm Eagle]

I would assume that anyone in their right mind wouldn't have a high opinion of it.

[BubblyShell22]

I think cyberbullying, like any form of bullying, is horrible and really needs to stop. Sites like Facebook and Twitter have given bullies another outlet to torment people outside of school, and it's getting out of hand.

[Leo656]

On one hand, I do think people in general should have a bit thicker skin and no take things people say so personally, either in person or over the internet. Of course, that's easier said than done, and it's coming from a guy who used to throw hands with anyone who looked at me sideways, so I understand the natural reaction is to sometimes overreact.

But on the other hand, I also think people, in general, need to treat each other better, especially the current "younger" generation (people who are right now between the ages of 10 and 25). I seriously don't know who's raising - or doing a half-assed job attempting to raise - these kids and young adults. I know some people are going to take offense to this, but I don't care: A fairly large number of teenagers are flat-out pieces of sh*t with no respect for anyone. To them, hurting people's feelings or trying to embarrass them is funny, and they get off on it. Now, I may come off as kind of a hypocrite, because in my circle of friends we can be kind of playfully antagonistic. Basically, when I was in high school, anyone who couldn't handle a little good-natured teasing wasn't cool enough to hang out with us and that was that. But if we didn't like someone, or they didn't want to deal with us, we didn't go out of our way to antagonize them, either. I've never, ever understood people who genuinely derive pleasure from making other people feel bad about themselves, and I don't like bullies.

I do think it's stupid that someone would kill themselves, or in some cases shoot up a school or something, because people were mean to them. That's a tremendous overreaction. But at the same time, there absolutely is a cause/effect relationship at work. Having a mild form of paranoid schizophrenia, I can empathize with many of the people who have hurt themselves or others over being "mistreated". I can't condone it, but I understand it, the pressure to "fight back" and "show them all". Actually taking that step is going too far, BUT a common thread in many of those cases is simply, if people had treated someone else the way they wanted to be treated as a human being, this person may not have hung themselves or shot up a school. Yes, the ultimate fault lies with whoever decided to overreact in such a way, but people simply don't do those kinds of things for NO reason.

I feel the internet has only made things worse. It's no longer like it was for most of us, where for example a kid might get caught picking his nose, everyone would make fun of him for a few days and then after the weekend was over it'd be forgotten. Now someone would record it on their phone, upload it to every kid in school's Facebook page, there'd be a dozen memes about the nose-picker kid, and it'd be online forever. In some case the bullied kids even have to move to get away from their tormentors, but it no longer matters because the kids from their old school can just get the kids from the new school to pick up the harassment. It's like a never-ending shame spiral; you do one stupid or embarrassing thing and it follows you forever. Under those circumstances, I absolutely understand things like the teenage girl last year or so who hung herself after nude photos of her surfaced online. It was a stupid thing to do, and killing herself was excessive, but at that point she'd moved and done literally everything that could be done to stop the torment, and it wasn't like those photos were going away. Thanks to the internet, you only make one mistake and your life is "ruined". A lot of people say she should have just "got over it". How, exactly, was she supposed to do that, when moving to an entirely different state, going to a different school etc. only made things worse? I don't think she should have killed herself, but I'm not sure what options she had, either. She was going to be f*cked with her whole life, for ONE mistake, and that isn't fair. So I understand it.

For what it's worth, most people I know say flat-out "anyone stupid enough to kill themselves over being bullied deserves to be dead." I don't really agree. I was bullied as a kid until I was all but forced to beat the sh*t out of everyone I thought was "disrespecting" me, and for a while nobody really wanted to deal with me at all, because I was a "lunatic", BUT at least the bullying stopped. So I guess my perspective on it is a bit different from most people. Things shouldn't have to be that way.

I do agree, most people should be "tougher", but it's SO much different now from when I/we were kids. I just think people everywhere would do well to stop and consider someone else's feelings and situation before passing judgment on them or flat-out treating them like sh*t.

[Kas]

I don't think the problem are bullies, but they are that people who ignores others who, for some reason, are not able to defend themselves or ask for help. There are many people responsible for those children and teenagers (such as parents and teachers) who do nothing even if they're asked for it. Then, victims will be still bullied, and bullyies will keep being jerks because nobody does anything about it. People who are not able to defend themselves against any aggression (verbal or physical), either responding, ignoring or asking for help, clearly has a problem that I think parents and teachers should be concerned about, and they should help them to learn how to do it. Learning to deal with these kinds of problems is part of the education and personal growth of each individual. Somebody who is able of commiting suicide for something like that is somebody who really needs help, there's something wrong in them. It is very simplistic to say that they are cowards and go, but that's what a lot of people think.

However, I understand that in case of cyberbulling is more difficult take action on the matter because is relatively new and more difficult to identify for earlier generations.

[Type 97 Chi-ha]

Can't these cyberbullies be reported, as is the case for people who make threatening phone calls or letters?

[Davetello]

It's extremely cowardly and despicable, like all forms of bullying.

[Storm Eagle]

Originally Posted by Leo656

On one hand, I do think people in general should have a bit thicker skin and no take things people say so personally, either in person or over the internet. Of course, that's easier said than done, and it's coming from a guy who used to throw hands with anyone who looked at me sideways, so I understand the natural reaction is to sometimes overreact.

But on the other hand, I also think people, in general, need to treat each other better, especially the current "younger" generation (people who are right now between the ages of 10 and 25). I seriously don't know who's raising - or doing a half-assed job attempting to raise - these kids and young adults. I know some people are going to take offense to this, but I don't care: A fairly large number of teenagers are flat-out pieces of sh*t with no respect for anyone. To them, hurting people's feelings or trying to embarrass them is funny, and they get off on it. Now, I may come off as kind of a hypocrite, because in my circle of friends we can be kind of playfully antagonistic. Basically, when I was in high school, anyone who couldn't handle a little good-natured teasing wasn't cool enough to hang out with us and that was that. But if we didn't like someone, or they didn't want to deal with us, we didn't go out of our way to antagonize them, either. I've never, ever understood people who genuinely derive pleasure from making other people feel bad about themselves, and I don't like bullies.

I do agree, most people should be "tougher", but it's SO much different now from when I/we were kids. I just think people everywhere would do well to stop and consider someone else's feelings and situation before passing judgment on them or flat-out treating them like sh*t.

I can see your point about people needing to be thicker-skinned, and I get that people--especially guys--have a tendency to rib on others just for the heck of it. Still though, there's still such a thing as crossing the line even with jokes.

Back in high school, one of my friends told me about how he heard someone talk about me always being so serious and that nobody can joke with me. That's not necessarily true, but whoever said that might have tried joking me in a manner that's unacceptable, and there is such a thing as doing so. Guys at my high school had a tendency to rib on others, but when most of them did it to me, it came off to me more as bullying than anything. So when you try to tell them that their joke is unacceptable, they didn't seem to be able to grasp the concept that some things just weren't meant to be joked about. They think they can just say whatever, and then think that things are copacetic as long as they just say they were just kidding, even if they really weren't.

To be honest though, there have been times where I've wondered if people might be making more of a big deal about bullying. I don't remember so much emphasis being put on it when I was younger, and some might say that it's just another way that kids are being mollycoddled these days.

[Dirty Blond]

I'm for trolling, but against bullying.

[Whatswiththeheadbands?]

Originally Posted by Dirty Blond

I'm for trolling, but against bullying.

Same. Trolling isn't really hurting any one, if it isn't taken too far, but cyberbullying is hurting people, no matter how far you take it.

[Icebot]

I would say cyberbullying is just as bad as physical and emotional bullying, especially if your feelings get hurt.

[NameGoesHere1066]

I got picked on and harrassed periodically through out my school years and honestly it gave me a bit of a temper problem. There was a point in elelmentary school where no one could critisis me without it angering me where I'd get in a fight. High school was bad for this and even my immature early twenties was peppered with sensless brawls at clubs or bars or other social places I would go that I always managed to come across some mouthy c*nt that would disrespect me or one of my peeps and I would go off.

I was never a bully but I will admit that if I was in a fight with a girl I didin't like and she happened to be alone without her "back-up" I would instigate a fight with her or be aggressive. Not mature I know but I'm afraid I fell into a thugish way of doing things particually in the neighborhood I grew up in. I lived in the projects when I was younger and boy if you didn't show you were tough you better not ever go outside your house by yourself. It was absoultely a neccsity to find a group of friends and stick with them for protection. And you would back them up no matter even if it didin't directly involve you. I actually got into a lot of fights just because I had to back up another friend. My younger borther had it worse he got severaly bullied in our old neighborhood and till this day he still has some serious anger mangament issues. Whati s funny that when he went to a new school he became a serious bully himself even though he was bullied once. He harrassed this one kid so baddly that the kid finally took a glass bottle and smashed him in the face with it. Gotta say my little brother deserved it because he would always beat this kid up when this was trying to go home and it was pretty much self defense on the kids part. My younger brother had to get his lips stitched up and he two front teeth were nocked out. He got his teeth replaced even though my mother thought he should go the rest orf his life toothless for for hurting this kid. My younger borther got expelled and for a while it seemed he wouldn't finish school.

It's a visious cycle, bullieing and harressment either cause kids to withdraw and become miserable people, or they snap and kill themselves, or kill their tormentors and learn the only way to survive is to bully someone else weaker than you. My younger brother even said that he wanted to show people he was tough. Cyber bullying a kind of after my time but I have experienced some of this as an adult. Kind of why I do not like social networks.

Anyway here is an amusing Foamy the squirl video on the subject of bullying.

Spoiler:

Do other countries have problems wit6h violently bullies and tormented kids lashing out killing people or is it just here in the USA?

[plastroncafe]

Trolling is bullying.
Bullies deserved to be called out and punished when ever they raise their heads high enough to be noticed.

And routed out when they're not.

[Type 97 Chi-ha]

Originally Posted by plastroncafe

Trolling is bullying.
Bullies deserved to be called out and punished when ever they raise their heads high enough to be noticed.

And routed out when they're not.

This is what trolling is.

[Shark_Blade]

Cyber bullying is so easy to avoid imo. Just block the user or choose ignore function.

I don't understand the fuss, real life is much more challenging.

[Coola Yagami]

I think the deal is the kids are already depressed, nobody likes them, including family, they get bullied and insulted 24/7 in real life. The straw that breaks the camel's back is you can't even go online without taking some flak, which is ten times worse since you can be anonymous and say things ten times worse than you would ever say to them to their face like 'I wish you would die' or 'you deserve to be raped' and other sick stuff like that. And thus the poor victim, probably already suffering severe depression and possibly other mental issues, decides to end it all.

That just sucks and unfortunately kids are too young to understand that 'this dude's got problems, we should back off' or think it's funny when someone does off themselves until reality sinks in when he/she stops showing up at school.

[Dirty Blond]

Trolling is an art form.