Post by Admin on Dec 4, 2012 16:24:19 GMT -8
Lately, suicides and murders as a result of bullying and hate crimes has been brought forth to media and public attention much more frequently and highlighted in a way that the general public is finally becoming slightly more aware of it. This can have both positive and negative effects. On the positive side, there's the awareness and people paying more attention to the issue. On the negative side, the attention it gets is often detrimental. Many people are unsure about who to blame and who should help. They don't know whether ostracism and bullying should even get the attention to begin with because it has always been happening in the background to many, many people. It's been happening all around the world, in all cultures, and all through history. Some would even think it's a natural part of "growing up". Nobody really had a way to deal with it and so, nobody wanted to pay much attention to it. Speaking from personal experience, I can't even bring up a serious topic of discussion with friends on a casual occasion without them changing the topic in a matter of minutes.
Not many people want to empathize with the fact that the meek acts of bullying can still have debilitating psychological effects on the victims. Those who live through it grow stronger, yes. Stronger and more defiant of social rules. When it goes far enough, people can become anti-social, lonely and impersonable for long term.
We've had helplines available for a very long time... but how many people actually feel compelled to use a helpline when they're on the verge of suicide? For anyone who has experienced complete rejection from everyone around them, it's difficult to believe that anyone out there is available and willing to listen to the story of the person who is supposedly disliked by "everyone". When a person gets singled out from a social group, it seems a logical to that person to say "nobody likes me". Social support becomes so few and far in between that it seems helpless to even try to start searching. Such helplessness instigates the downward spiral of thoughts and emotions that lead to depression and suicide if unattended to.
The internet has made social rejection easy, fast, and spread like wildfire in any connected social network. Anyone can be "socially killed" in a matter of minutes because information can be publicized so easily and shared so quickly. The internet made bullying easier and it's about time that it presented a solution to it. I believe this online community could be it. This online community can let all victims of ostracism know for a fact that they're not alone because people are being socially rejected all over the world.
Such people are difficult to find because the natural reaction to being socially rejected is to hide yourself, hide everything that anyone ever teased, insulted, and attacked you for. As a result, people are forced to conform to the social norm if they're able to and hide their uglier experiences with society that nobody seems to want to know about. This will be the online sanctuary in which everyone is free to share their social problems and, most importantly, formulate solutions for their predicaments. Members of this can be as anonymous as they choose because people who have been socially defaced can feel anxious about their own identity. You don't need to let anyone know who you are, what you look like, or where you live. In fact, I advise that you don't share so much information openly. If such information is important for giving readers the context that is needed to understand your messages, then please do so. If not, please take care of yourself and your identity.
I noticed the trend of people making videos on Youtube regarding their own tragic stories of bullying and ostracism and most of it is full of tears, hiding behind cue cards of written words to tell their story. Such things are tough to talk about without crying which is why writing is used. Although having a video in which the person behind the story is visible can be much more personable and serves as proof that the person is real, there are many more victims of such experiences that cannot find the will to participate in such an act. I am one of those people. I've written about my past plenty but I can never find the opportunity to talk about it extensively in person and I certainly don't have the will to bring it up to people with a camera now that my experiences with bullying and ostracism have passed so many years ago. Right now, I just want to help those who are suffering from the same and if I could, end the pain of ostracism and bullying for everyone.
Let's make open minds and open hearts the social norm in this online community. If we could teach the world to do the same, we can have world peace. Just like that. Easier said than done, as with any grand dream... but this is one dream worth sharing. With this one website, we can relieve the pain of social rejection from many, many lives. Achieving that alone would be an achievement for all of humanity.
I know that a world in which everyone is always respectful to each other is far too much to ask for. It's not within human nature and survival instincts to have such an ability to stay emotionally stable at all times. We all feel threatened sometimes and we act out in rash ways when we do; however, simply being aware of that can help people accept their own illogical behaviours. Best of all, we can understand and forgive each other and everyone else for their seemingly unjustified behaviours too. That, my friends, is how we can be genuinely open-minded.
Not many people want to empathize with the fact that the meek acts of bullying can still have debilitating psychological effects on the victims. Those who live through it grow stronger, yes. Stronger and more defiant of social rules. When it goes far enough, people can become anti-social, lonely and impersonable for long term.
We've had helplines available for a very long time... but how many people actually feel compelled to use a helpline when they're on the verge of suicide? For anyone who has experienced complete rejection from everyone around them, it's difficult to believe that anyone out there is available and willing to listen to the story of the person who is supposedly disliked by "everyone". When a person gets singled out from a social group, it seems a logical to that person to say "nobody likes me". Social support becomes so few and far in between that it seems helpless to even try to start searching. Such helplessness instigates the downward spiral of thoughts and emotions that lead to depression and suicide if unattended to.
The internet has made social rejection easy, fast, and spread like wildfire in any connected social network. Anyone can be "socially killed" in a matter of minutes because information can be publicized so easily and shared so quickly. The internet made bullying easier and it's about time that it presented a solution to it. I believe this online community could be it. This online community can let all victims of ostracism know for a fact that they're not alone because people are being socially rejected all over the world.
Such people are difficult to find because the natural reaction to being socially rejected is to hide yourself, hide everything that anyone ever teased, insulted, and attacked you for. As a result, people are forced to conform to the social norm if they're able to and hide their uglier experiences with society that nobody seems to want to know about. This will be the online sanctuary in which everyone is free to share their social problems and, most importantly, formulate solutions for their predicaments. Members of this can be as anonymous as they choose because people who have been socially defaced can feel anxious about their own identity. You don't need to let anyone know who you are, what you look like, or where you live. In fact, I advise that you don't share so much information openly. If such information is important for giving readers the context that is needed to understand your messages, then please do so. If not, please take care of yourself and your identity.
I noticed the trend of people making videos on Youtube regarding their own tragic stories of bullying and ostracism and most of it is full of tears, hiding behind cue cards of written words to tell their story. Such things are tough to talk about without crying which is why writing is used. Although having a video in which the person behind the story is visible can be much more personable and serves as proof that the person is real, there are many more victims of such experiences that cannot find the will to participate in such an act. I am one of those people. I've written about my past plenty but I can never find the opportunity to talk about it extensively in person and I certainly don't have the will to bring it up to people with a camera now that my experiences with bullying and ostracism have passed so many years ago. Right now, I just want to help those who are suffering from the same and if I could, end the pain of ostracism and bullying for everyone.
Let's make open minds and open hearts the social norm in this online community. If we could teach the world to do the same, we can have world peace. Just like that. Easier said than done, as with any grand dream... but this is one dream worth sharing. With this one website, we can relieve the pain of social rejection from many, many lives. Achieving that alone would be an achievement for all of humanity.
I know that a world in which everyone is always respectful to each other is far too much to ask for. It's not within human nature and survival instincts to have such an ability to stay emotionally stable at all times. We all feel threatened sometimes and we act out in rash ways when we do; however, simply being aware of that can help people accept their own illogical behaviours. Best of all, we can understand and forgive each other and everyone else for their seemingly unjustified behaviours too. That, my friends, is how we can be genuinely open-minded.