Stop It!

Don’t judge a book by its cover. It is such a simple phrase that has been told to us over
and over again, but yet we forget it. Each day there are thousands of kids who walk through their
schoolhouse hallways afraid. Afraid of what is to come because they are judged and bullied,
their lives deemed worthless by society. School is supposed to be a place of safety, a place where
children go to get an education to succeed in life, a place that is supposed to support them in
their growth as human beings. Unfortunately, the world has twisted and the reflection of school
has become a negative view; a house of hell, the concentration camp, the slaughterhouse.
Society is constantly changing, but humans seem to be two steps behind when it comes to
acceptance. Every school is diverse in its own way; the key is to accept people for who they are,
not to judge their lives. They are not perfect and neither are you, stop acting like God because
you have no reason to cause everyone to be afraid of you. Humans gloat about how we are the
superior species because of all the magnificent things that are possible because of ourselves. We
gloat how we have evolved into beings of superiority but we constantly stoop down to the level
of the animals. We are territorial, marking out our distinct boundaries and when a person invades
into a set perimeter, the opponent attacks the unknowing victim. Life has become a jungle and if
you are not careful where you step, you may end up as someone’s next meal.
Being dinner of a carnivorous animal is a metaphor of high school bullying. In the
present, bullying has become much more extreme due to technology. With the use of technology,
all the sabotage is sneaky, like an animal hunting its prey. The bullies wait for the perfect
moment to strike, the moment when it will tear their victim down to nothing, the moment where
it will hurt the most. Unfortunately, the main targets of bullies have been homosexuals,
impregnated teens, and the mentally deficient. All have had to live in fear; afraid to be who they
really are because people choose to judge them instead of getting to know who they truly are.
There is a girl with red nails that you called a slut because she is pregnant at 15. No one
knows she was raped by her neighbor. No one knows that she is afraid to give up the baby out
of fear because her religion forbids murder. No one knows that she was thrown out on the street
by her parents for being impregnated. No one knows that she wanted to be doctor, but now will
spend most of her time raising a baby as a single mother. No one knows and no one bothers to
know, because it is just so much easier to laugh and spit in her face, it is easier to be part of the
problem than it is to be part of the solution.
There is a boy in the red baseball hat that you just called a retard because he is part of the
special education program. No one knows that his birth mother was addicted to cocaine while
pregnant with him, resulting in his birth defects. No one knows that he is living with his sixth
foster family, just waiting to be thrown back out on the streets. No one knows all he wants to do
is draw, to create something so spectacular that people will believe he is worth it. All of this in a
boy who has a couple issues that people are unable to tolerate. So society tosses him aside like a
broken toy; unworthy, pathetic, useless.
There is a boy with a red hoddie that you just called a faggot because he is gay. No one
knows that all he wants to do is be accepted by those around him. No one knows that his father
beats him thinking that he can beat the gay out of him. No one knows that he is afraid to live and
afraid to die. No one knows that he takes a razor blade to his wrist three times a week to cope
with the pain. No one knows his hopes and dreams because people either ignore or taunt him. No
one knows that he has written a suicide note and plans and hanging himself tonight. Society has
driven him to the point where killing himself is, what he believes, the only option. And no one
cares because he is attracted to the same sex.
All three were examples of typical teens that are bullied. None of them would speak up
out of fear. Fear of being judged by their peers, by their teachers; for being a rat, a snitch, a
coward. Humans were given two eyes to distinguish right from wrong, a voice to speak up for
those who are unable, hands to make a difference, and a mind to make up a choice. So use what
was given to you to do what is just. To stop the bullying that is plaguing America. To end
teenage suicide and self-mutilation. To stop the deep, red, blood from flowing from the veins of
your peers. To evolve form animals into actual, decent human beings. To end the fear that
paralyzes the body. To become a hero. To save a life.