lilred8

Guest Writer

At first, I couldn't decide what my speech would be about, so as usual, I went to my mother for help. She said to choose a topic that means something to you. I had no idea what she meant, so I went to the teacher for help, and I got the same answer. Then, during class later on that week, we had a discussion about values. That was when it clicked. I would always sit down and pour out all the things that came to my mind. One of the most common topics was self-esteem.

First of all, I'll tell you what self-esteem is. Self-esteem is your own personal view of yourself and your own view of self-worth. Many teens', especially girls', self-esteem drops around middle school and high school. A person's self-esteem will often drop when others bully or tease them. People feel trapped and alone when this happens. I would know. I have been teased and it doesn't feel good. You might ask why teen girls especially drop in self-esteem. It is, I believe, mostly because girls are bombarded with visions and ideas of feminine perfection, in magazines, and on the television.

What happens when your self-esteem drops? I'll tell you. Many people start hanging out with the wrong crowd, doing drugs and alcohol. Some teens even think about suicide. In the Canadian National Alcohol and Other Drugs Survey of 1989, 64% of women ages 15-19 said that they started drinking to be sociable, 17% said they started so they could forget their worries, 39% said they started so they could feel good, and 29% said they started so they could relax.

Also, according to Health Canada, people commit suicide for a variety of reasons, including depression, feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, negative attitudes about self, social demoralization or fragmentation, social isolation or lack of solid social network, unemployment, terminal diseases such as AIDS, genetically-based mental disorders, or biochemical imbalances in the brain.

In North America and most European countries, suicide is ranked among one of the top ten causes of death. There were 3,941 suicides in Canada in 1996 -- almost 11 per day. Young men are the most likely to commit suicide; the suicide rate of 19 per 100,000 among young men age 15-19 was almost twice as high as the 1970 rate.

Other than people turning to drugs, alcohol, or suicide, people just take it out on the students that teased them, as demonstrated in the famous shooting in Columbine. I don't know why those students went crazy and shot people, but I have a pretty good idea. I think their peers teased them and one day they just snapped, turning against everyone, then taking their own lives.

The whole meaning of this speech is to say to people, don't be cruel. Don't tease people for what they're wearing or how they look, because it really hurts them. Who knows if one day they will turn to one of the things I have mentioned. If you just be as nice as you can, everyone will just be, well, happy.

By: lilred8