Stories of Those Bullied
There have been many famous cases and stories young men and women bullied during their childhood. Every case had a lasting impact on these children and in some severe cases, the bullying led the victim to commit suicide. Many people do not understand how detrimental bullying can actually be. Here are some famous stories about children cyber bullied and what happened to them.
Megan MeierMegan Meier was a 13 year old girl who was tragically effected by cyber bullying. In 2006, Megan and her friend, Lori Drew had a falling out. Lori's mother blamed Megan for the fight. The mother created a false profile of a young boy who she named Josh. Megan became very close with "Josh." The plan was for Megan to fall for him and she did. Megan liked Josh a lot and would confide in him [12]. The young boy Megan liked became mean, manipulative; calling Megan names and sharing her secrets on the popular social networking site: Myspace [10]. Many rumors and lies were being posted electronically on Myspace about Megan, including sayings along the lines of, "Megan is a slut" [14]. This had detrimental effects on Megan, who had a history of depression. Because of the cyber bullying she received, Megan committed suicide. This tragic case however, led to the Megan Meier Cyber Bullying Prevention Act.
After Megan's death, her family created the Megan Meier Foundation to "Bring awareness, education, and promote positive change to children, parents, and educators in response to the ongoing bullying and cyber bullying in our children's daily environment." http://www.meganmeierfoundation.org/index.php Jade PrestJade Prest, a teenage suffered severely after being a victim of cyber bullying. The bullying all started over a misunderstanding with a friend over a boy. Jade ended up being terrorized through chat rooms, text messages, midnight phone calls, threats, attempts of intimidation, and the silent treatment. Students even sent a box of fake drugs to Jade's house in hopes of labeling her as a junkie or drug addict. The cyber bullying caused Jade many problems. She suffered with eating disorders, depression, panic attacks, fear, dramatic weight loss and gain, and grades dropping. Jade even resorted to cutting when her self esteem and self confidence dropped. Jade ended up switching schools and enrolled in counseling. Eventually the bullying faded and Jade was able to push past it and was able to heal. Today, Jade is working towards getting her childcare degree and becoming a teacher [8].
Ryan Halligan13 year old Ryan Halligan's case of bullying ended similarly to Megan's: in suicide. Ryan, from Essex Junction, Vermont had a learning disability and was not very athletic. The bullying started in 5th grade and by 7th grade, the bullying spread online. Rumors were spread that Ryan was gay and in turn, created more bullying. Ryan, like Megan, befriended a girl online who betrayed him and shared his secrets. The bullying became so bad that Ryan committed suicide. He was 13 years old [10]. For more information, check out the site created by his family:
http://www.ryanpatrickhalligan.org/
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Billy WolfeBilly Wolfe, a sophomore (2008) in Fayetteville, Arkansas was a victim of both bullying and cyber bullying. Billy was bullied for years. The bullying became so bad, it got to the point where he was afraid to go to school fro fear of getting beaten up. In one particular instance, Billy was punched in the head and this was recorded. The video spread throughout the school. Students from Billy's school also created a webpage titled, "Everyone That Hates Billy Wolfe." The school did nothing to stop the bullying, saying that Billy was the aggressor [10]. The school even refused to do nothing when Billy was assaulted in wood shop class. One of the junior high boys hit Billy in the left cheek and Billy lost consciousness. The school refused to class the police even when Billy was spitting out blood [2].
Below is a clip of the NBC: Today Show interview with Billy Wolfe (taken from youtube.com) Kylie KenneyKylie Kenney was only in middle school when the cyber bullying started. The bullying eventually got so bad that she transferred schools, twice, and was even home-schooled for a semester. Kylie was in 8th grade when 2 fellow students created a web paged titled, "Kill Kylie Incorporated." Posted on the site was sayings along the lines of, "Kylie must die" and "Kylie is gay." It took the school 9 months to discover who created the website. Those 2 students were suspended and handed over to the police due to the death threats posted online. Kylie was scared, humiliated, and ashamed Students even hacked her screen name to send messages to other girls in the school. The bullying was so bad that Kylie sough professional help. She lost two years of her life dealing with the bullying which lasted from 8th grade until sophomore year in high school [21].
In 2012, this video was released March 30th in theaters every where. Check out their website at:
http://thebullyproject.com/indexflash.html
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