Ellen Degeneres, one of my favorite people on television, has been voicing her views on the matter of cyberbullying. Though normally known for her great sense of humor, we see a serious side of Ellen as she speaks about this problem, becoming so grave in our country, it is leading young kids to take their own lives. Check out what she had to say:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBUMugqDRHg
What are your thoughts?
What Ellen is saying is completely true. Bullying is a crisis that is causing lives to be lost and destroyed. Cyber bullying is just another way for people who are ignorant and close-minded to put other people down because of their own insecurities.
ReplyDeleteIt's a tragedy that society is validating discrimination and cruelty to groups of people for being different. In order for the epidemic of cyber bullying to stop people need to open their eyes and realize that diversity is a good thing. Also, people who see bullying in any form occur need to stand up against it and do something other than join in on picking on the victim.
I completely agree. My heart is also breaking upon hearing these tragic stories. We are living in a society where diversity should be celebrated, and unfortunately this is not always the case. Even worse is that the cyber world allows for those fueled by ignorance and hate to seriously hurt other individuals in enormous ways. One anonymous, cruel post can send a child's life into a downward spiral. I agree with Dan that anyone witnessing bullying needs to stand against it if this epidemic is to end. Especially in the digital world where it can be difficult to find individuals who are bullying others, those who are aware of what is going on need to step up.
ReplyDeleteWhat are some ways we can encourage students to speak up if they witness an act of cyberbullying or bullying in general?
DeleteWe need to explain that by speaking up, we can save lives. Also, we can explain that we would want someone to speak up for us if we were in trouble. It's such a small act that can have such a huge impact. It's important to teach students the value of kindness and compassion. The saying "treat others how you would want to be treated" is well known for a reason. Kindness is contagious and if one by one people spread that kindness we can erase so much hurt.
DeleteI completely agree with Ellen on this issue. Not only is cyber bullying a serious epidemic over the internet, its getting worse. Many kids get bullied at school then have to go home to endure being bullied more at home, online. This leaves no safe haven for the child, compounding the effect's of the bullying.. I beleive that social sites such as facebook have obigations as good digital citizens to monitor and prevent bullying on their sites, if a brick and mortar business can be held to standards of providing a safe, accessible public areas, so too should sites whose business is social interaction. Education and regulation is the way to beat cyber bullying, Parents should treat un-monitored or un-filtered social sites the same they treat establishments that sell alchohol, and not allow their child near them.
ReplyDeleteEllen is loved by so many! Because of this, she has the abiity to really make a difference on this topic. We need to get the message out there that saying hurtful things is way more than just words. We don't know how others will interpret those words. They can hurt way deeper than we even realize. It's important for the victims to know that there is help and they are NOT alone. What Ellen is doing in wonderful and we need more people who are passionate about this subject. We need to teach our children kindness and the importance of love and respect. Hopefully small acts will go a long way.
ReplyDeleteWOW, Diana! Thanks for sharing this with all of us. What a powerful message to everyone! It is most definitely our OBLIGATION as adults, parents, mentors and teachers to spread this word. We assume our kids won't be "the ones" who are participating in this mean-spirited behavior or at the tail-end of out. We have to do more as a society to share our knowledge and that is what you are doing on this blog. Thank you!!!
ReplyDeleteEllen feels strongly about this topic because she has had personal experiences with bullying and has voiced these experiences on television. I think it is SO great that she is speaking out against this terrible thing that is happening to so many kids. I know many many people love Ellen and her voice will reach millions, which is such a blessing to us all!!
DeleteHow often do we tell kids to "Chin up" or "Just try and ignore it." Bullying, whether it takes a physical, verbal, or cyber form is humiliating and degrading for the victim. Cyberbullying has changed the face of bullying because it pervades all aspects of one's life. Even after leaving the classroom, students come home to a place that should be a safety zone, and yet continue to get tormented. As Ellen so powerfully pointed out, this takes a tremendous toll on the well-being of any young person. All the more reason to educator our students on appropriate digital behavior, by teaching them compassion, respect, and responsibility.
ReplyDelete-Andrea R.
It's so hard to believe that we are now well into the 21st century and we still have so much to say about the way people treat each other. Slavery was 'abolished' years ago, but people don't seem to be human unless they are continuously putting down others for being different, as Dan mentioned in his above comment. I strongly agree with Nia and Dan's opinions about celebrating diversity. Our country was founded on that, and besides, the world would be a boring place if we were all the same! I can only agree with and extend Jenessa's comment about treating others the way one would like to be treated with another phrase I try to live by: "Why can't people just get along? " It's so much easier to live with acceptance and tolerance. I agree with Dan S. that it starts with parents because children learn by imitating; so many ignorant statements come out of children's mouths and you know just by listening that they are only repeating words they've already heard from someone else. Not only do parents need to monitor what they say, they need to be vigilant about everything their children do, especially on the internet. Sharing personal experiences and not being afraid to show true emotion is such a vehicle in getting people to really listen to what you have to say about a certain topic. I agree, Diana, that Ellen is so popular with people because she is so honest. Every single person in our society has to obligation to make sure that no-one's rights are infringed upon by bullies, either on or off the web.
ReplyDelete