Category Archives: Teen Violence

09.20.14
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Back and Ready to Rock.

I’ve been neglecting my blog for quite some time – “real life” can really interfere with my social media and internet addiction.

It’s definitely time for me to start expressing myself here once again. This tiny corner where I share my thoughts helps put a lot of issues into perspective, and it is simply a comfortable place to VENT sometimes.

There are so many interesting topics surrounding our daily lives. We are living history every day – AMAZING, SCARY, INFURIATING, FUN, CRAZY – you name it, it’s out there and we are all a part of the story.

Some of the topics that interest me are charities and causes, Anti-Bullying, the Arts, social change, mental health awareness, current events, and whatever else may catch my attention (IFLS, after all).

I WELCOME COMMENTS – keeps it interesting. I’m all for open discourse. By no means do I think everyone will share my opinion, but I do hope that people will engage and upgrade the conversation by commenting on a post, or even emailing me directly! We are always learning and growing 🙂

If you want my take on a specific subject, feel free to hit me up! Not sure whether I will have anything of value to say on the subject, but I will try my best.

Fair Warning – I’ve been collecting graphics and memes for as long as I can remember (psp tubes anyone?), and I plan to upload my favorites as often as possible. I also have the tendency to share random photos of my dogs (hey, everyone has their quirks – no apologies).

GERONIMO. That is all.

11.18.13
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HAZING as BULLYING

HAZING as BULLYING

Recently, unless you have been living under a rock, or in the woods preparing for a Zombie Apocalypse, some NFL and college football players have ‘come out of the locker room’, and their teams have come under fire, after very serious allegations of hazing have surfaced.

Everyone seems to be weighing in on the topic, so I figured why the hell not?

Heck, Jeremy Shockey has been telling people about this issue for YEARS.

Definition time for those of you who don’t know but think you may have a good idea:

Hazing: humiliating and sometimes dangerous initiation rituals, esp. as imposed on college students seeking membership to a fraternity or sorority.

Bullying: to use superior strength or influence to intimidate (someone), typically to force him or her to do what one wants.

Based on these two definitions, the separation between hazing and bullying is that bullying has no purpose of initiation, but otherwise, hazing and bullying are the same abuse of power.

Some disagree, based on the premise that hazing is something that eventually STOPS once you are considered part of the team/group/fraternity/club, and its intended goal is to promote solidarity and shared experience between members based on a sense of belonging since everyone has been through the SAME initiation.

In that vein, Hazing is TECHNICALLY a more socially accepted term considering the negative connotations that are attached to the word ‘bullying’.

So where is the line drawn? Do you feel that hazing is simply bullying that society deems as acceptable?

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The high-profile parties to the current controversy have brought this distinction to the forefront of our current life debates.

The Miami Dolphins suspended Richie Incognito over alleged bullying and harassment, after, over a prolonged period, he is said to have repeatedly abused tackle Jonathan Martin, leaving voicemail messages on his phone which included such abuse as, “Hey, wassup, you half n—– piece of (expletive)…” and “(I’m going to) slap your (expletive) mouth. (I’m going to) slap your real mother across the face (laughter).”  Incognito had even intimidated Martin into paying $15,000 for a meal in Las Vegas that he didn’t even attend.

FULL STORY

According to one op-ed piece in the New York Times they are one and the same:  “Hazing is simply another name for bullying, and it is unacceptable in all its forms. Bullies will do only what bystanders allow; it is a group process and a social dynamic that grips a victim’s entire world.”

I URGE you to read this quick post on Hazing and the top Myths surrounding such practices.

Hazing is not limited to certain areas or disciplines – the military, athletic teams, marching bands, professional schools and so on all have a history of hazing members.

Hazing is not authorized by universities or the NFL, most of whom have strict no-hazing policies.  However, group sports and fraternal organizations, traditionally, have their own internal guidelines, their own “initiations” to supposedly strength their bond.

Even NFL players have stated that they EXPECTED to be hazed, whether same did or did not actually happen.

EXAMPLE: When Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith reported to his first training camp two years ago, he anticipated being hazed by veteran teammates. He “had heard the stories and watched shows like HBO’s “Hard Knocks” that glorified the behavior and was prepared to be rudely welcomed to the NFL”. To his surprise, since of course the Ravens are AWESOME anyway, the rookies were welcomed by leaders like Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and Terrell Suggs, who made it clear that the team had more important things to worry about. STORY HERE.

My sorority, Tri Delta, has a no-tolerance policy for hazing – unlike some others whose pledges would have to do embarrassing, yet not harmful, activities.  However, I witnessed a lot of hazing in the other Greek organizations.  Usually, this was light-hearted, such as making new pledges clean the house, or sing in a public place; however, there is a MUCH darker side.

There are times when hazing goes so over the line to amount to assault, battery, and even permanent physical and mental injury.

Take the case of Cameron Fagen, 19-year-old Grand View college student who was a member of the BOWLING team.

First thought? Seriously, hazing in BOWLING? What do they do, roll you down the lane? Put itching powder in your bowling shoes?

NOPE. THEY KICK THE SHIT OUT OF YOU AND BREAK YOUR JAW!! 

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Fagen has sued the university (GOOD!) after he was severely beaten by a group of fellow athletes AND IT WAS CAPTURED ON VIDEO!. Apparently, the incident “started after some rough housing among friends. It ended with duct-taped Fagen punched, kicked, beaten with a broom handle and rolled up in a carpet before being left bleeding and injured in a dorm common room. The diminutive Fagen suffered a broken jaw.” (Des Moines Register)

HE IS DAMN RIGHT TO BE SUING – it’s freaking criminal!  The video is DISGUSTING and shows a total lack of humanity in every damn person in that room. It is assault.  It is battery.  I think the students who did this act were definitely not HAZING – they went way too far to call their actions something less than repulsive, inhuman and sickening (actually more like, they went insane).

The Huffington Post refers to this incident as BULLYING. Other outlets claim HAZING.

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE???

05.28.13
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Here we go AGAIN. Tragic Child Suicide In New York Linked To Bullying.

Does it EVER end?

Authorities have confirmed the tragic suicide death of a 12-year-old  in New York was due to the relentless bullying she was subjected to for several months beforehand from classmates.

According to Gabrielle Molina’s suicide note and accounts from her sister, 15-year-old Georgia, the seventh-grader took her own life because of persistent cyber-bullying, slut-shaming, and name calling from her middle school peers. It had just become too much.

HERE IS THE FULL TEXT OF THE ARTICLE, and I’ve highlighted the parts that really hit me, and ranted on a few.

Her SISTER Georgia found Gabrielle after she’d hanged herself inside her bedroom.

Georgia had been sworn to secrecy, told not to reveal the abuse to their parents, though they knew Gabrielle was having some trouble at school.

RANT INSERT:  REALLY???? Sworn to secrecy?? How many other siblings are out there keeping such “secrets” from the people who can help most – parents, friends, teachers, even anonymous tip lines, and groups like NVEEE.org.

The girl was often taunted by classmates over her appearance – victimized both face-to-face and online. Fellow students who sent the upsetting messages are currently under investigation as officers removed computers from the Molina home in order to have them analyzed. Several students have been questioned since the incident, but no charges have been imposed.

Associates of Gabrielle said she’d got into a fistfight with another girl that was videotaped and posted on YouTube; she had a history of cutting herself and had recently broken up with a boyfriend – providing the bullies with fodder.

RANT INSERT:  TWO WORDS – CYBER BULLYING.

Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott said that a preliminary investigation did not show any serious bullying problems at the school.

RANT INSERT:  HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! EVERY school has bullying problems – stop burying your head in the sand.  Are teachers so afraid of being blamed or coming to false conclusions that they just pretend this doesn’t happen? That these kids are ok?

How do you define a serious bullying problem? Any bullying should not be tolerated and should be considered serious as it can stem from its own environment of abuse or mental illness.

Bullying has always been a problem, especially in middle school when socialization seems to be the most difficult. Physical, emotional, and psychological threats make it difficult for an individual to get through the day and focus on their academic work. With technology pusillanimous bullies can post hate-speak and degrading taunts about a person with some anonymity. Often times there is little schools can do to protect the victim as many school officials will say unless the acts occur while on school grounds, there isn’t much they can do to deter it.

Parents have addressed a call for action, demanding something more be done to protect their children from this type of victimization as daily threats and assaults can lead to depression, lessened self-esteem, eating disorders, anxiety, sleeplessness, drug and alcohol abuse, effect academic performance and overall well-being, and, in extreme cases, suicidal tendencies.

RANT INSERT:  OK, what exactly does a “call to action” mean? Hey Guys! Stop bullying! Seriously. 

Parents need to be PROACTIVE, and actions speak louder than words.

That is all.

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Scorpio:

Daily Overview for May 28, 2013

Overview

A choice that seems trivial may not be all that trivial! This could shape quite a bit for you in the coming days and weeks, so make sure that you are thinking things through with care. If you really ponder the issue, you will begin to see where things are going for the future.

01.08.13
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Pennsylvania Student creates Anti-Bullying MUSICAL

Day 8:

It’s always a good day when I read about anti-bullying efforts led by kids, for kids.

It’s the peers that really make the difference.

Please visit NVEEE.org so that YOU can MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

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ARTICLE HERE

A 17-year-old Hanover High School student wrote a few songs and some short scenes for a school project last October. More than a year later, Zachary Terrazas’ small project is a full-fledged musical and will be performed at Hanover High School in Pennsylvania on Jan. 12 and 13.

After Zachary held workshop performances of his anti-bullying musical, “The Victim,” in August at the Gettysburg Community Theater, he was given the opportunity to bring his work closer to home.

“I’m really excited about doing it in my hometown,” he said.

“The Victim” shows the cycle of bullying through scenes and music written and co-directed by Zachary.

The anti-bullying musical, “The Victim” will be performed Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. and Jan. 13 at 2 p.m. at Hanover High
School Auditorium, 401 Moul Ave. Tickets are $7 and can be purchased online in advance at
http://www.gettysburgcommunitytheatre.org or by calling 717-334-2692. For more information on the musical, visit
victimthemusical.weebly.com.

Zachary said he hopes that his work will inspire the audience to stand up for people who are being bullied and to understand that their words have power.

“Think before you speak,” he said. “Make sure you’re not causing pain.”

“What we’re trying to do is give as many opportunities for people to come see it, to get to watch it, to get a feel for what the musical is and the message behind it,” Zachary said.

Proceeds from ticket sales will go to the Pennsylvania Student Equality Coalition, an organization working to have state officials pass the Pennsylvania Safe School Act. According to the Pennsylvania Safe School Act website, the act would make Pennsylvania schools safer by addressing issues involving bullying, cyberbullying and harassment.

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Scorpio:

Daily Overview for January 08, 2013

Overview

A difficult person will not be as difficult as usual if you approach them with a rational argument. Also stay positive about it, because assuming they will be stubborn or refuse to listen will only make matters worse. They could surprise you with their reaction!

http://www.eveningsun.com/localnews/ci_22327572/anti-bullying-musical-comes-hanover

01.08.13
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High School Senior creates Twitter Account to fight bullying that tweets compliments to friends and classmates.

Published on Jan 2, 2013, Jeremiah Anthony, high school junior and creator of @westhighbros, a Twitter account that tweets compliments to friends and classmates.

Read Full Article

Jeremy’s Statement:

“For most people, the idea of kids and technology conjures up images of sexting and cyber bullying. I started @westhighbros to end cyber bullying at my school and to make it a better place to be in general. Let’s face it, school is for learning but socialization happens more often that studying. Our Twitter account is here to prove to every single doubter of the goodness of people, but especially teens, that people my age can do great things with technology. We’re here to show the world the power of technology and the power of positive word.

Let me back up a bit. I started @westhighbros in late October of 2011. I ran the account by myself for three months then asked one of my friends to join me – throughout the year we added more “bros” as contributors are called and we built up a decent following. We have everyone from the local newspaper to the local US Congressman follow us on Twitter and friend us on Facebook. Despite these high profile follows, our greatest joy is when parents of our classmates follow us on Twitter or friend us on Facebook. It gives us the parent stamp of approval. Right now we stand at about 850 followers on Twitter and 1,500 friends on Facebook, and yes we know every single one of them. Well there you have it, the story of @westhighbros, the world’s first compliment account. Now let’s talk about what we actually do.

Simply put @westhighbros and (the Facebook version of @westhighbros) writes compliments (we call them comps).  We write comps mainly to our classmates at Iowa City West High but we’ve been known to write to the principal of our cross town rival, the President, and to celebrities. Most of the time people respond with a thank you and a follow. This is our method of eliminating bullying.

The USA started a war on bullying with a massive campaign on how to stand up to bullies.   Newsflash, it isn’t working.  Bullying is still a problem.  And, even more frightening, we regularly hear news reports about bullying being a factor in teen suicide. While it may be impossible to eliminate bullying completely; my goal is just to impact one person.  Even if it’s just a small change in their life, the second I know I have done something for someone, I know my goal is accomplished. You might be thinking this idea is dumb but ever since we started our Twitter and Facebook pages, bullying has decreased by over 60% at our school.  By no means is my way the only way, but for my school it worked. I encourage anyone reading this blog post to think just for five minutes of ways they can help spread their own comps.  Just a simple five minutes can change your whole community, it certainly changed mine.”

Jeremiah Anthony is a junior in high school. He is a self-proclaimed “normal kid in a world, who likes seeing the beauty in people.

11.21.12
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Terrible news out of Homestead, FL. Another child. Another Shooting. :(

November 20, 2012. Tragedy in Homestead school as a 13-YEAR-OLD girl was shot to death by a fellow student on a school bus in Florida.

These stories make me extremely sad, sick and drained every time I hear of another child lost so early in life.

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Here’s the story:

Miami-Dade Police Charge 15-Year-Old Boy With Manslaughter After Fatal School Bus Shooting. The 13-year-old succumbed to her injuries after being shot on a private school bus by another student, police said.

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Why in the world would a 15-year-old have a handgun in school/on school bus?? Do parents need to step up and check their child’s belongings before sending them off to school – a supposedly SAFE place?

Even more devastating – Lourdes had her 7-year-old sibling on the bus as well, police said.

RECAP:

Full story and link here.

Video here.

Police are ruling the death of 13-year-old Lourdes Guzman-DeJesus from Miami, Florida an accident.

The student found herself on a private school bus when she was fatally shot by a classmate, at around 6:45 a.m., on Tuesday, November 20.

Police have 13-year-old DeJesus’s shooter in custody, and ruled the death accidental.

Jordyn Alexander Howe of Homestead had carried a weapon on the bus and was showing it off to his classmates when the gun discharged, police reports say.

15-year-old Howe was a student at Somerset Academy Silver Palms in Homestead. CBS Miami reports that he will be charged as a juvenile. He was arrested for manslaughter and for carrying a concealed firearm.

The shooting took place as other 8 students found themselves on the bus. The vehicle was traveling to the Homestead area, in southwest Miami-Dade County.

According to Huffington Post, Guzman’s 7-year-old sister was among the other students besides her, when she was shot. Guzman attended Palm Glades Preparatory Academy, and her sister was on her way to Summerville Advantage Academy.

She was flown to Miami Children’s Hospital immediately after the shooting, but passed away in hospital care. Her schoolmates are being questioned by the homicides division at Miami-Dade police, regarding yesterday’s events.

“The children, they’re already shaken up over what they had to witness and on top of that you have to question them. So this is going to take a very slow and tedious process,” MDPD spokesman Det. Alvaro Zabaleta clarifies.

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WHEN WILL THIS STOP? The child who had the gun was apparently showing off to his friends. Did he know it was loaded? Did he shoot directly at Lourdes? How did he GET the gun!!!

Comments welcome.