IIRC, the Day of Silence movement mentioned classroom-related things weren't really covered....more of like, conversation, than anything.
Nope. I was abnormally small in my early teens. I was bullied, but I decided to do something about it. It wasn't silent, but they did bleed. Violence isn't the answer? Kick someones ass when they have been pushing you around and come back and tell me it didn't work.
And yet your post is one of the only antagonistic ones in the thread. Why? Because being called a "******" or a "queer" is somehow fundamentally worse than being called a "loser?" Hell, the latter probably gets called "******" and "queer" also. Why do believe that homosexuals are bullied differently than any other victim? 'Cause I don't.
In my school days I witnessed a particularly bad example of why this approach doesn't always work. The bully wasn't about to back down or lose face, and the victim, it was like he was releasing years of pent up rage. Each blow met with an ever more vicious retaliation. It just kept escalating and escalating. Both came out pretty bad from the experience, physically and socially. And the bullying didn't end. Also, to get back to the topic at hand, and I don't want to make a generalisation here, but you have to bear in mind that gay guys aren't exactly known for their fighting skills. This is why the silence thing is a great idea. It may seem like a whole lot of nothing, but you have to understand that underneath all of it solidarity is the most tremendous force for change.
Bottom line, you do what it takes. If you can't do what it takes, then fucking examine why you're being such a mockery. It's just high school. The shit will end in a few short years. It may seem cold to see things this way, but until you've been in the real world, you don't know what life is like. People who get ostracized and bullied end up doing well for themselves. High school =/= actual real life. The jocks I went to school with are beer-bellied and balding. I'm intelligent, kept myself in decent shape, and I was better off 10 years later, than they were. I'm still better off 15 years later. If someone can't look at things in perspective to the degree that they off themselves, then they are either mentally unstable to begin with or wholly consumed with the high school hierarchy. If it's the latter, then if they are so consumed, why not play the High School game? Why not do what it takes to get along with the cool kids? Why not prove themselves? In the end, for most of us, we graduate and the world changes. It's a shame that kids go to such extremes. But it's definitely not because they have life figured out. They are just trapped thinking that high school somehow represents life. It doesn't.
Pretty much this. I've been goin to college here in Modesto and pretty much everyone is chill about stuff and pretty accepting no matter who you are. It's good vibes once the HS drama is over. Also I'll support this but still agree with those who say you should voice your opinion instead of staying quiet about it. There was this huge fight at my old highschool my mom told me about where a girl got a concussion all because nobody said or did anything to stop it, including parents. Silly HS kids.
But you only know this having left highschool. Hindsight is 20/20 etc. A person still in highschool generally doesn't have the life experience to understand.
I have a few friends on college campuses that took part, but as much as i wanted to support the outrage against bullying, this was pointless. Bullies, sexual predators and other scum of the earth feed off the silence. If the answer isn't violence, neither is your silence. Bullies cower when faced with a victim that doesn't give a damn anymore. Bullies retreat from a victim that says, "No." crowd city hall, school board meetings and don't just wait for your turn to speak and be polite. tell the school boards, tell college administrators that if your child ever comes home and whispers the word bully, you'll bury the school in so much litigation they'll have to raze buildings and open up a new school system under a different name. i saw how the MA school board meeting went- school board telling parents when to shut up and declaring they had no right to speak at the meeting. that's bullshit. gay, straight, popular, unpopular...any school or situation involving a threat to a child, the parent can speak uninterrupted to them. i was bullied in grade school. every day for almost a whole school year, i came home whimpering and screaming because while i waited for my bus, a punk-bitch of a 4th grader pushed me down and kicked me in the fucking balls. i told teachers, i went to the principal. it wasn't until my parents demanded to see this bully and made sure he understood what would happen the next time i came home in pain did the bullying stop. the only silent protest that works is when you block doors, when you impede normal activities. just sitting at home and being mute doesn't help any victims. it's kinda like agreeing to not spend money on a particular day when money is desperately needed for AIDS research. it's a waste of effort. do something. be proactive.
Instead of silence, how about just continuing to be supportive of those who are homosexual, bisexual, etc. Or how about just acting out against bullying? In high school I would actually stand up for kids getting a hard time, or even initiate conversation with the kids that were quiet and teased. As someone who grew up shy and teased for being so weird, I know how it feels to be excluded, but I can only imagine what it's like growing up with being LGBT. Many teens who are LGBT have no support group - sometimes they fear their parents, so kids who are bullied at a younger age lack the support group most kids that age have. Teen suicide is a serious issue, and those who call hotlines because of a conflict of their sexuality and social/domestic life are actually categorized as a high risk. Good on those of you who do the vow of silence - it shows dedication. Just try to be more proactive in your school and help out.
Silence get's nothing done. I think the dead deserve better, like victory & progress. Being silent is just a reminder of them being gone in vain. Be loud & use your voice for them , since they can no longer be heard. Then mourn.
Haha... I had a gay friend in high school who beat the living shit out of that particular generalization.
