Cyber-Bullying

[LollipopChainsaw]

Cyber-bullying is something that is horrible, but unfortunately isn't given enough serious thought. 44 states have laws against bullying, but only 30 include cyber bullying (even then, most of them just make schools have bullying polices).

Why can't all states just make it illegal? How many poor people have to kill themselves to bring it to attention that this is a serious issue?

If you were to google cyber-bullying over 8,000,000 results come up, a lot of them have suicide in the summary.

I have never been bullied online, but even I know the damage it can do. If anyone here is going through this torture I just want to tell you not to listen (or read). They're wrong about whatever they're saying about you. You are an amazing person, and far better than they will ever be.

[Flamez]

Was never cyber bullied myself. The internet was only just becoming the monster that it is today in my last few years of school.

I have done a fair bit of study on the topic itself though in my teaching degree. Definatley the hardest type of bullying for a teacher and school to combat due to its discreetness, and this is just assuming a school environment. Cyber bulling can be carried out by complete strangers, and if you include these cases I think almost anyone who has used the internet on a regular basis has been cyber bullied (myself included). The anomity the the internet brings can and has brought the worst out in people.

oh, and I hate all of you as you are all worthless people and no one loves you.... is what I would say if I was a cyber bully

[SoulBlazerFan]

People tried to cyber bully me, no one that really even mattered. I've come to the logical conclusion that anyone who needs to bully someone else is just a sad sack that feels the need to take out his problems on someone else to make him feel better because he is lowly and pathetic. Then again, that's just my stance on it. I don't take it too seriously if it comes my way.

[Blade]

Never been cyber-bullied, so I can't say much about it, but I've been bullied at school.

Anyway, waiting for Psycho's input.

[psychokind]

I'm waaaaay too old for this. when I was at the bully-age, there wasn't even internet

[inferiare]

I have. Not in the way you'd think is the norm, but I have. I found out that "friends" were talking shit behind my back and mocking me between themselves as well as mouthpiecing through our mutual hobby. I found out, and was incredibly hurt.

Then again livejournal roleplayers can be petty bitches, so I guess that's no surprise.

[SoulBlazerFan]

inferiare wrote:

I have. Not in the way you'd think is the norm, but I have. I found out that "friends" were talking shit behind my back and mocking me between themselves as well as mouthpiecing through our mutual hobby. I found out, and was incredibly hurt. Then again livejournal roleplayers can be petty bitches, so I guess that's no surprise.

That is why once I was out of AOL Rping years ago, I never really got into it again elsewhere. Too many people think their the "shit." I hope you layeth the smacketh down upon their sorry asses.

I remember once going into a room with two people who considered themselves "Elitists." All they did was bash everyone else who was trying to have fun, and talk about how one of them once used a medical text to do 16 posts on the single blink of one eye. Didn't even so much as RP once the entire hour they were there.

[inferiare]

Sort of. I called them out on their bullshit on a public forum. I don't think I ever saw someone try to text me or call me as much as one of the admins did that day to apologize because they never thought I'd find out and the fact that they should never have done it in the first place.

[SoulBlazerFan]

An admin was involved too? Thats screwed up. I love how people do that kind of stuff and then feel bad about it afterwards, but only because they were caught in the act. Gotta love people like that.

[Jason Tandro]

Cyber-bullying is the lowest form of cowardice. At least with the old fashioned time you ran the risk of somebody standing up to you and beating the hell out of you.

That being said, I also think the PARENTS are partly responsible for cyber-bullying, at least in younger kids. If they can't monitor their children they leave them in situations that could result in it.

Don't get me wrong, I understand teens and pre-teens consider their cyber life the one place they can be secretive from their parents and I don't encourage parents to overtly invade their children's privacy (at least once they reach a certain age,) but there was one instance where a girl had complained to her mother about people being mean to her on MySpace and she just flatly IGNORED it and told her to grow up. So she ended up shooting the person doing it. Wonderful parenting.

[LollipopChainsaw]

Shoot, I've read a couple articles where parents WERE involved. Like a parent was helping her daughter bully another girl online.

[SoulBlazerFan]

Gloomy Gurl wrote:

Shoot, I've read a couple articles where parents WERE involved. Like a parent was helping her daughter bully another girl online.

I remember that. Was that the one where they picked on her so much she ended up committing suicide?

[LollipopChainsaw]

Yup, that's right

[Miss Prime Blue]

People can be douches on the internet, but I don't think it amounts to "bullying". You can easily block most of it, anyway.

Ignore, maybe not so much, but you don't have to put up with online bullying as directly as in-person bullying.

[inferiare]

4channers bully people. Yes, as ridiculous as the OMG YELLOW VAN EXPLODING video is, it's true to an extent. People who claim to be part of Anonymous do it too: spam facebook/mysoace/wtfever accounts, hack into them, plaster gay porn on their walls, tell their friends and family that they're gay and in the closet (when the person they're bullying really IS in the closet and waiting for the right time to tell their families), etc.

Not bullying and easy to ignore? Definitely bullying and making people commit suicide over it.