Pigtails For Peace! - Maisie Kate Miller's Story

This was a great article I found about a young girl who took a passive-resistant approach to the girls bullying her. Also a great example of how the cyber world can also be used for bringing people together to fight bullying. It's worth it to read the whole article, but I'll give you the abbreviated version anyway!

Maisie Kate Miller, far right, and some of the girls in her photography class who showed pigtail solidarity.

Maisie is a 15-year-old sophomore at Marblehead High, right here in Massachusetts. She was being bullied, though was commonly bullied though she didn't usually let it bother her. On a particularly hard week, one her classmates made fun of her hairstyle - pigtails - stating “Who wears pigtails still? What is this, kindergarten?” Maisie’s mom, Joanna Miller, told her to just let it go: “Don’t give it any energy.”

Instead of fighting the girl back by returning the mean-ness she received, she decided for a more passive approach - she decided to wear her hair in pigtails for the rest of the week. She posted her plan on Facebook and headed to her after-school job. When she came home she was surprised to see that she had over 500 hundred notifications and friend requests supporting her plan. 

Tons of kids at her school - girls, boys, even a teacher or two, plus a dog! - all decided to wear pigtails. The bully didn't show up that day, but backed off from bullying Maisie anymore. Maisie even got messages from people saying this girl had been bullying them as well but because of her pigtail movement, hasn't been bullied since.

Maisie is “someone who sticks up for people,’’ said Loren Weston, the counselor who leads the anti-bullying group at their High School, “and that’s why this response.”

Cyberbullying has only upped the ante, making it possible for Dharun Ravi, the former Rutgers freshman who set up a webcam to catch his gay roommate making out, to disseminate his handiwork in a way that led to Tyler Clementi’s suicide. But here Maisie has shown us that social media can also be the bullhorn that amplifies the word “no” and stops the intimidation.


Click Here for the original article

Another Teen Suicide Due To Cyberbullying

Erin Gallagher was only 13 when she decided to take her own life due to cyberbulling she was experiencing on the website ask.fm (which seems to be the website for cyberbullies..)

Gallagher's death is the "third high-profile apparent suicide linked to cyberbullying in a matter of weeks," the Irish Examiner writes.

Earlier this month, Canadian teen Amanda Todd committed suicide after enduring years of being bullied online and offline. In a YouTube video posted in September, Todd described being blackmailed, taunted and assaulted by online acquaintances and schoolmates alike.

Just six weeks ago, another Irish teen, 15-year-old Ciara Pugsley, took her own life after "being bombarded with hate messages" on ask.fm.

Erin was found by relatives Saturday, and only 24 hours after telling her cyberbullies she intended to commit suicide.

A Facebook page has already been started as a tribute. Her older sister Shannon poster, "I love you darling. It's so hard to say you're gone. Everyone's heartbroken. I couldn't have asked for a better sister. You were a stunning girl. No one deserved what you went through," she wrote. "I'm sorry that I couldn't prevent it. Love you with all my heart."

Click Here for the original article

Should Bully Victims Fight Back?

Catherine Adam, a mother from Burnaby, British Columbia says children being bullied should be fighting back, but at what cost? She moved her and her seven-year-old son out of Burnaby and into Port Moody BC because he was being relentlessly bullied at school, however the school systems encourage a "don't hit back" policy which she says is pandering to bullies. The problem is that usually when the victims come forward they're also being punished in the same way the bullies are, but for what?

"The punishing of both the victim and the bully when caught empowers the bullies to escalate and makes the victims reluctant to come forward," Catherine said. "It happened to my son for over two years prior to getting shoved face first into a toilet."


Catherine spoke out about White Rock mom Lara Fominoff, whose six-year-old son fought back when confronted by a much older bully, but received the same punishment. As reporter Cassidy Olivier noted, Fominoff told her son never to start a fight, but if someone started one with him, he had the right to defend himself. A Surrey school district official, however, was quoted as saying violence of any kind is unacceptable and that, if kids are pushed or hit, they're simply supposed to report it to the appropriate authorities.


"I refuse, in eight or 10 years, to be a grieving parent of a teenager who just committed suicide like so many others that have been in the news recently and regularly," Catherine stated in an earlier article. She added that the recent high-profile suicide of Lower Mainland teen Amanda Todd, after prolonged bullying, showed she was absolutely right in refusing to accept the "pap" she felt she was being fed by Burnaby school officials.

"That to me is the absolute root of all this bullshit, that if the kid who is the victim fights back or even reports it, they get punished, too," she said. "And that teaches the bullies right from the age of six that they can get away with this crap."

Shouldn't we be teaching children to stand up for themselves? And not punish them when they're defending themselves against the people who should really be getting punished. If it wasn't for the fact I've seen this happen with people I know I'd question the validity of it because how can schools be so stupid? Even the government has laws for defending yourself which allows "a person to use reasonable force in her or her own defense or the defense of others."





Click Here for the original article

FOX8 Project - Bullying Satistics

Starting Tuesday Oct. 23, FOX8 will take on The FOX8 Bully Project. They're going to be covering tons of stories related to bullying as well as talking to groups dedicated to stopping bullying. It'll be going through the month of November, so check them out. Below are some statistics Fox has provided.

• More than 160,000 U.S. students stay home from school each day from fear of being bullied.
• Bullying directly affects a student’s ability to learn. Students who are bullied find it difficult to concentrate, show a decline in grades, and lose self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-worth.
• Students who are bullied report more physical symptoms, such as headaches or stomachaches, and mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, than other students.
• In some cases, bullying has led to devastating consequences, such as school shootings and suicide.
• Bullying affects witnesses as well as targets. Witnesses often report feeling unsafe, helpless, and afraid that they will be the next target.
• Bullying is a communitywide issue that must no longer be ignored or thought of as a rite of passage. Students, parents, and educators all have a role in addressing bullying situations and changing school culture.
• The two keys to creating change are: increasing awareness that bullying has lifelong impact, and giving people the tools they need to respond effectively.
• Students can be especially effective in bullying intervention. More than 55 percent of bullying situations will stop when a peer intervenes. Student education of how to address bullying for peers is critical, as is the support of adults.
• Silence is no longer an acceptable response to bullying. Adults, students, and educators can no longer look away when they see bullying. Ignoring it won’t work. Everyone needs to be empowered with options to respond.

Check out their Facebook page!

Bullying - Caused By A Mental Disorder?

This is a great article from Dr. John Grohol about bullying and mental disorders. Some might wonder if bullies don't actually have some sort of a mental disorder that causes them to be so cruel and ruthless to others without considering the consequences. Well, studies from Brown University show that might actually be the case.

After analyzing responses from a parent survey, the researchers found that those who were considered bullies were more than twice as likely to experience depression, anxiety and ADD/ADHD.


Because of the survey nature of the study, the researchers couldn’t say whether the mental health problems might be a contributing causal factor of bullying, or whether such disorders are a result of someone who engages in bullying behavior.

It might be time to start focusing more on helping the bullies, and maybe the number of victims will become less and less over time. Though previous studies show that both bullies and their victims have suicidal thoughts three times more often than your average child.

Bullying is never an excusable behavior. Studies like this help shed light on the complicated dynamics at play with this behavior, and offers parents and professionals ideas on how to help reduce it.


Click Here for the original article

Mom Arrested For Bullying Daugther's Bullies

Never mess with an angry mother! Rebecca Sardoni was arrested after fighting back for her daughter when she found out she had been being bullied. Though that might not sound like a bad thing, Sardoni actually boarded her daughters bus and got physical with the students that were bullying her 9-year-old. 

Sardoni brought the bullying to the attention of school officials when she learned the attacks were beyond just bullying and becoming physical. Her daughter was so humiliated that she couldn't even bring her self to speak about it to her mother, but rather had to write it down to tell her. Sardoni felt the school wasn't doing enough to prevent the bullying from happening and wasn't taking the matter seriously enough. That's when she decided to take matters into her own hands.

She reportedly climbed onto the bus and demanded to speak to the boys that were bullying her daughter. She then proceeded to then slap them and slam one of their heads into the window, and as she states, "[The boys] weren't the ones who were suffering; my daughter was." 

Sardonia has been charged with assault, criminal trespass and making terrorist threats.


Click Here for the original article

The Man Who Blackmailed Amanda Todd?

The man who allegedly was the one who blackmailed Amanda Todd with screenshots of her bare chest when she refused to do provocative things in front of a webcam was finally tracked down. He, however, denies any connection to Amanda Todd and pushes blame over to an anonymous man who goes by "Viper." 

Oddly enough, this man was had a court hearing this week for "charges of sexual assault and sexual interference of a person under 16".. unrelated to the Amanda Todd case. 

He claims Todd came to him for help to track down the hacker, and he did everything he could to try to help. He also stated that he is "really pissed off and annoyed" that he's getting the blame for the case. 

NJAnon, the group trying to find the responsible parties for the Amanda Todd suicide, don't believe he's as innocent as he may want you to believe, and says his claims are "bullshit". 


Once a scumbag, always a scumbag if you ask me.. 




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Anti-Bullying Flash Mob

Because who doesn't love a good flash mob?? 

This was done in honor of International Anti-Bullying Day to promote acceptance and to use social media as a positive tool to fight bullying.

Malala Yousufzai Attacked For Western Thinking

A true story of standing up for something you believe in. 14 year old Malala Yousufzai was attacked by members of the Taliban after standing up for women's rights in Pakistan. She spoke out promoting women's rights and education. She was shot in the head and transported to a hospital in England that was well equipped for such an injury. However the Taliban is still out to get Malala and vowed to 'finish the job' because of her radical western thinking. 
Rallies have even taken place for people in support of Malala. Tens of thousands of people gathered in the streets to show their support, organized by a political party who is calling her the "daughter of the nation".

I think it's amusing that a group of probably 40-something + year old men are afraid of a 14 year old girl whose only weapon is her words.


Click Here for the original article

Canadian Teen Amanda Todd Commits Suicide After Being Bullied

Amanda Todd was only 15 when she committed suicide earlier this month. The teen from British Columbia had been cyberbullied for years, and even moved schools to try to get away from it, but with no improvement. Amanda even created a silent video where she tells her story through hand written flash cards detailing her bullying experience. 

She used online chat rooms to meet new people, however when a man pressured her to flash him, he then used the photo against her and posted it everywhere online. Amanda was devastated but the damage had been done. She was further bullied in school after sleeping with a boy, which she admitted was a huge mistake but had believed the boy 'really liked' her. His girlfriend then beat her up with a crowd of people cheering. That reached to Facebook as well and people posted that 'she deserved it.'

Amanda had struggled with depression and anxiety and had resorted to harming herself before she eventually committed suicide on October 10th, 2012.



Click Here for the original article
Click Here for Amanda's original video

Teenager Bullied While Taping Segment On Bullying

Maryland Teenager, Preston Deener, was about to tape a segment on bullying for a local news crew when he ended up being bullied. Three boys came up to 15-year-old Deener and started attacking him right before he was about to go in front of the cameras.

still of Preston running from one of his attackers

Preston stated, "[One of them] came up to me and pushed me out of the way and said 'What are you recording?'" 

The reporters turned the cameras on, but not before one of the boys actually hit Preston in the head. However the cameraman did catch one of the boys chasing after Deener while he ran onto school ground where he knew he'd be safe. He did end up fighting back one of the bullies that had tackled him, but the real kicker is that it was Deener who was suspended for fighting! Though the school is working on finding the boys who bullied him.

I thought it wasn't illegal to fight back when you're being attacked? Obviously this school has their priorities out of order! And the worst part is it's not even the first time I've heard of the victim getting punished. What's wrong with these schools?

Click Here for the original article & video

Tyler Clementi Foundation

I think it's important to share the stories of people who have been victims of bullying to help bring to light the problems bullying can cause and to help stop incidences like this from happening in the future.

Tyler Clementi was a smart and musically gifted student who, after graduating high school, went on to attend Rutgers University. Just a few days before he left for college, he came out to his parents about being gay. 

Unfortunately, because of his sexual orientation, Tyler became a victim of cyber bullying. His roommate at Rutgers set up a webcam to video Tyler while having sex. He then posted the video online encouraging others to watch. Just a few days later, Tyler jumped off the George Washington Bridge, killing himself at only 18 years-old.

It's too bad a closed-minded individual had to drive someone to suicide just because he was different. Check out the Tyler Clementi foundation which promotes safe and respectful social environments in homes, schools, churches, and online just to name a few. They are an ally to the LGBT youth community and anyone who supports them.



Click Here for the Tyler Clementi Foundation website

New Anchor Responds To Bullying Email

Jennifer Livingston, a news anchor for WKBT in Wisconsin, received an email regarding her weight that she decided to respond to on air, seeing as October National Bullying Prevention Month. This is the letter she received:

Hi Jennifer, It's unusual that I see your morning show, but I did so for a very short time today. I was surprised indeed to witness that your physical condition hasn't improved for many years. Surely you don't consider yourself a suitable example for this community's young people, girls in particular.

Obesity is one of the worst choices a person can make and one of the most dangerous habits to maintain. I leave you this note hoping that you'll reconsider your responsibility as a local public personality to present and promote a healthy lifestyle.

A piece of Jennifer's response was as follows:
You don't know me. You are not a friend of mine. You are not a part of my family. And you have admitted that you don't watch this show. So you know nothing about me but what you see on the outside. And I am much more than a number on the scale.

Jennifer also brought up the fact that such remarks are teaching children it's ok to bully, and that  you child might then go to school and call someone fat. 

I admire her strength to address something so personal in a public manner, and to turn it into a lesson for people everywhere. Check out the original article and the video attached of her public response.



Click Here for the original article

Anti-Bullying PSA Video

A great video for anyone who has felt the terrors of bullying. A lot of positive messages from some big name people, including those who have felt the effects of bullying like Ellen Degeneres or Adam Lambert. Take a look, and remember..


"You didn't do anything to deserve being bullied, and there is a whole world waiting for you filled with possibilities." - Barak Obama

"It gets better but it's up to you!" - Adam Lambert

Jamey Rodemeyer - It Gets Better

Jamey Rodemeyer was a 14 year old boy from Williamsville, NY. He was bisexual, and was bullied frequently. He blogged often about the troubles he was having with bullies and even made videos to help support and reach out to others that were feeling the same way. It was about a year ago that he ended up taking his own life because, as for many teens, the bullying was just too much for him to handle. Below is a video Jamey recorded to help reach out to others, though it's too bad he didn't take his own advice. Hopefully his message will reach out to someone who might be in the same position, but still has the option to choose life over suicide.

The Effect Of Bullying On A Child's Brain

There's a lot of great information on this site about bullying, how to prevent it, and how to help change situations. There's some great videos that address all sorts of subjects. As Carrie Goldman says bullying triggers the pain center of the brain in children, causing children to be more fearful and anxious in everyday situations. And the more the bullying happens, the smaller the trigger can be that will effect the behavior. She talks about a boy she interviewed who was bullied so badly as a child, that now, being a working adult, the smallest thing can cause paralyzing fear, like if someone even slightly questions his work. Any kind of remotely threatening situation can cause problems for people who have been bullied - that's why it's important to stop bullying, and to get psychological help for your children if you know they are being bullied (as well as if they are a bully!) to prevent things like personality or anxiety disorders later in life.

He's just a short list of tips for parents from Carrie Goldman:

-Recognize the problem

-Teach empathy

-Be present at your child's school

-Look for warning signs

-Create allies, not bystanders

-Block and delete online bullies

-Prevent against physical attack

-Get the school involved

Click Here for the original article