A video that went viral on YouTube then spread throughout Facebook as a forward has impacted many lives and has brought a new spotlight to bullying, an issue that should never be put on the back burner anywhere.
The video was made by Jonah Mowry because he is a victim of bullying himself. In the video Mowry holds up a series cards that tell his story. One card tells about the self-harm he started inflicting upon himself in the second grade because he had been bullied all of his life. Another expresses the fear he had about starting the eighth grade. At the end of the video he shows a card that says he will not commit suicide in spite of the constant bullying, because he is stronger than that, even though he previously saw suicide as a way out. Mowry ends the video with a card that says he has a million reasons to live, but the sad part is, not all kids think this way.
According to Americanspcc.com, “Each day an estimated 160,000 students in the United States refuse to go to school because they dread the physical and verbal aggression of their peers.” Eight percent of 8th graders in the U.S. miss at least one day of school per month for fear of bullies. Six out of ten American youths witness bullying at least once a day. Why is nothing being done by people who witness the bullying? Because they are silenced by their fear that they will be the next targets of bullying if they say anything.
Mr. Nate Lanik, AHS math teacher said, “There is an unknown number of people who are affected by bullying in our school. I would think it is probably higher than what I expect due to stuff that happens via Internet and texting that as a teacher I don’t see directly; the physical or stuff done in class, not as much. I would presume that there are students who don’t go to school [because of bullying] but I don’t know that for sure. On any given day I would say there could be five or ten kids who stay home or do not go to school for that reason.”
According to Thinkquest.org, “Victims of bullying may experience many immediate mental or physical health-related consequences. Studies show that victims have more anxiety, sadness, sleep difficulties, low self-esteem, headaches, stomach pain, and general tension than their peers who are not being bullied.” Bullying can also go to such an extreme that the victim, like Mowry, will have thoughts of committing suicide. A term that comes from Thinkquest.org, “bullycide,” is used to describe a suicide that takes place because of bullying. However, the issue goes even deeper than just affecting the victim.
While society often focuses on the victim, the children doing the abusing have severe consequences too. According to Thinkquest.org, “Bullies are more likely to get involved in other harmful activities, both as a child and as an adult. While they are young, they may steal or vandalize property, start or join in on physical fights, become injured in a fight, skip school, carry a weapon in order to scare others, or use alcohol or other drugs. They are five times more likely to be taken to criminal court and to be found guilty of a crime.”
What is the reason for bullies doing what they do? Well, one study on Livescience.com states that, “Bullies were more likely than non-bullies to live in families without two biological parents, such as living in single parent families, living with extended family members or with foster parents. Such situations may mean bullies, in some cases, do not receive as much attention at home.”
Bullying is not a problem that happens only places away from Alliance, Nebraska; it occurs here too and that is why Mr. Lanik’s advisory class watched the video of Jonah Mowry. When asked about the video of Jonah and why he chose to show it to his students, Lanik said, “It shed light on an aspect that not a lot is known about. He was reaching out in terms of [needing] help and he was releasing emotions that he has kept deep inside. This was his way of handling his stress that he had. Jonah made a video like this out of extreme desperation and felt like he had no other way to turn.”
Alliance High counselor Coach Travis Hawk has not seen the Jonah Mowry video, but he understands what goes on in AHS. He said, “I see more conflict than bullying. My definition of bullying is one perpetrator and one victim. I see more of two people in a conflict when they are really doing the same things [to each other]. In my experience in this position I can only think of three or less true bullying situations. It is possible, however, that victims do not go to school because they are being bullied. Fortunately, we have the alternative school where they can receive education in a different venue.”
The alternative school is one positive solution; however, we can all do something to prevent bullying from happening at AHS and to stop people who are bullied from having to leave AHS or from going to extreme measures of self-harm.
Mr. Lanik said, “The best way to prevent bullying would be to educate and to enforce the consequences of being caught. It is tough now that [the world] is becoming so technological because everyone has computers now. Cyber bullying has increased, but physical bullying has decreased. My message for all of the students and the community is to not do it. Even if you think it is sarcastic and funny, some students will take that the wrong way. Even if you presume it is a joke, it might actually be bullying. Face to face you can detect sarcasm, but online or texting you can take it anyway you want. Students may mean one thing but a student may take it another.”
Coach Hawk added, “I think the best way to prevent bullying is education, educating parents on signs of their kids being bullied or if they are a bully. Bullying has also gotten better because kids are much more acceptable of differences than they used to be. My message for students and the community is that we need to respect similarities and respect differences. To be a functioning community we must have differences. Also don’t live your life in a way that it will hurt someone else.”
If you see someone being bullied stop it, if you’re worried you will be the next victim, tell a teacher or an adult; together we can counteract bullying. This is a problem that needs to be stopped. Jonah Mowry sparked a new awareness of bullying, but don’t let this consciousness fade away. If you want to learn more go to http://www.stopbullying.gov.