There are many things about the internet that we are unaware and far beyond that the words that are posted on here are seen by a multitude of people and are permanent. They essentially never go away. From websites like myspace to facebook, and 4chan to forums, people feel like they can say things which are actually incredibly hurtful to others.
The problem with cyber bullying is that people don't see the consequences nor do they see what they are doing to other people. Much like the traditional bullying it feeds off of other peoples pain, and in most cases the bully is attempting to forget past pains and to raise themselves up to a different level, or a better level than they were before.
Cyberbully creates an image of what this problem can due to teenagers these days. There is much reliance on technology to communicate and when the digital world is used to pick on others it is impossible to get rid of. In the movie the main character sets up an account on a popular social network. After her brother hacks the account she begins to be ridiculed by her classmates along with her own friend who creates a false account to spread rumors that aren't true, only fueling the fire. While it can be argued that this is merely a movie and much of it would never happen in real life, the fact is that this is a real issue and most people do not recognize it. At the end of the movie he provided this statement:
Thanks to help of people like Tina Meier and the Megan Meier Foundation, 34 states now have anti-cyberbullying laws in place.
If there needs to be a law put into place concerning harassment of minors on the internet how much more harm are we doing to those around us in our day to day interactions. In a blog entry posted in 2011 the complications of how we treat others was exemplified by its other. It was titled: I'm Christian Unless Your Gay. It does target Christianity as a religion for its hypocrisy in rejecting people who are different or people who don't live the same lifestyle. It is a call, however, that extends far beyond Christianity and to everyone, Jewish, athiest, pagan, or Christian. We are all humans, we all deserve to be treated as humans. Yes people have problems in their lives, people follow certain beliefs and hold certain desires and dreams. Is it our job to judge them because of this? No.
The author of the blog posts in the article:
You see, I live in this community too. And I’ve heard the hate. I’ve heard the disgust. I’ve heard the disdain. I’ve heard the gossip. I’ve heard the distrust. I’ve heard the anger. I’ve heard it all, and I’ve heard it tucked and disguised neatly beneath a wrapper of self-righteousness and a blanket of “caring” or “religious” words. I’ve heard it more times than I care to number. (Danoah.com, I'm Christian Unless You're Gay)
This isn't about the hypocrisy of religion or attacking groups of people for their biased perspective on issues. Its about loving unconditionally, accepting people for who they are, and building each other up rather than tearing one another down. This is what has put in me the desire to help those that most of society see as sub-human. Next time you think about someone, trying to find something positive about them and see them as a human. Even if you're just posting it on some forum and you're 'completely anonymous'.
No comments:
Post a Comment