Monday, October 10, 2011

October is ALSO Bullying Prevention Month



I don't know if this is the correct ribbon for celebrating this month, but teal - according to Wikipedia, represents anti-bullying awareness, which seems to be the closest thing to it.  Although....indigo blue is for supporting targeted individuals, which includes those who have been bullied or harassed.

Which seems a very consistent topic to go along with Domestic Violence Awareness month.

I came across this video on Governors Journal (GoJo for short), and was so impressed by it, that I want to add my support to the cause by posting it here.

Minnesota has made the news with its own conflict relating to the issues of bullying, particularly for those who are LGBT.  These issues have gone from the school room to the court room for resolution, with the conflict dividing the religious right conservatives who disapprove of what they characterize as the gay agenda from those who are rallying in support of a more understanding view of gender and sexuality.  From Fox9 News in MN covers it here:

October is National Anti-Bullying Month

Updated: Friday, 01 Oct 2010, 11:38 AM CDT

Published : Friday, 01 Oct 2010, 8:12 AM CDT
by Karen Scullin / FOX 9 News
MINNEAPOLIS - October is National
Anti-Bullying Month, bringing more attention and to bullying in
communities. Clearly it's an effort that won't go unnoticed given the
tragic news of the suicide of a Rutgers University student who was
cyber-bullied.
But it's not just national. Certainly, Minnesota has its own bullying issues.
Justin Aaberg was a student in the Anoka-Hennepin School District. A few weeks ago, his mother discovered he had committed suicide
. While no one knows for sure the reason, Aaberg's friends say he was
harassed and bullied at school for being gay -- one incident even
getting physical.
That Rutgers student, Tyler Clementi,
was cyber-bullied. Images of him having sex with another young man
were live streamed over the internet by two other teens. He was just 18
when he jumped off the George Washington Bridge .
"Are
they cold blooded intentional killers? No," said former prosecutor
Kimberly Guilfoyle. "Did they act with reckless disregard of this young
man's feelings, of his privacy of his humanity? Yes, and look at the end
result."
According to a group called WiredSafety.org , cyber cruelty has been linked to at least 36 suicides by young people in the last four years.

3 comments:

  1. Anti-bullying month, eh? Does that include cyber-bullying? I guess that means the gunloons shouldn't leave comments.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, Baldr, it DOES include cyber bullying - you might want to tape a teal or indigo ribbon on your computer monitor!

    The pro-gunners are still welcome to leave comments; they should keep the offensive language to themselves.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm taking the governor's advice with our cyber bullies, perseverance.

    ReplyDelete