Author's Note: There are lines of a song called "Nothing to Lose" by Billy Talent throughout the article.
There are some great Whyvillians in Whyville and then there are some bad. Some of these Whyvillians make other Whyvillians sad and angry on the inside by the rude remarks they approach each other with. This makes my friend and I very upset, as probably it makes many other people mad. Before you decide that you aren't going to read this article, stop. You might think that this is just a stupid rant disguised as an article. Well, it sort of is, but we are trying to get a message out of this. Bullying is serious. Whyville needs to change. We need better people in the world.
We wrote this article not just about people in Whyville needing to be a little nicer, but to bring awareness that bullying can not just emotionally harm someone but physically too. A few months back hung herself because her neighbor trashed her on Myspace. Other kids have killed themselves, or got really depressed because they were being bullied. They just can't handle it. What you do and say makes a difference in their life. What you do effects them.
It's not just about a little debate about a topic that has gotten a little out of hand, I'm talking about name calling and very insulting comments. Even if what they say isn't true might be true to others. If someone says, "Go back to your cardboard box you poor piece of trash," that would hurt someone who was a bit more on the poor side. I once had a teacher that said, "Emotional pain is the worst. Each time you hurt someone emotionally they get a scar. If you say someone is fat it hurts them and they get a scar that says that. People remember what you say. If you look inside someone's soul you will see lots of scars." I think that is totally true. Do people stop doing it? No.
"There's nothing to gain,
And I can't fight the pain"
Whyville is full of rude people, and it seems they just want to start fights to be big. Big fights over little things. A person that I will not name almost started a fight because someone was wearing a hair that was remade. Who cares if a face part is remade? If it looks good to you it's fine. Rare parts are fine for making money, but you shouldn't care if someone is wearing an original. Why can't people realize that sometimes first impressions can be a little crooked? Why can't they just take a second look and get to know someone instead of bashing them on their avatar's looks or how many clams they have? I just don't get it. If that isn't bad enough more and more people become mean because they look up to the people to do this. Oh, and what really makes me mad is when someone actually sticks up for them self and they get reported.
I feel some people that have been on longer than average Whyvillian think they are better. "I have more clams, and rare face parts, therefore I am better than you Newbs." I don't think that is right. They intimidate you, and you just sit quietly in the corner trying to blend in.
"I'd always walk home alone,
So I became lifeless
Just like my telephone"
Then, when a hot topic sparks in the room you try and share your opinions, you get shot down. First, the most popular person in the room says comments like, "Shut up no one was talking to you." Then that is the sign for the rest of the 'posse' to pounce on you. "Yeah leave you newb." It is like the movie Mean Girls being played by people online over and over. Even though you may be on the Internet, it still can hurt someone inside and sometimes, out. Words can be powerful. So, the next time you're about to go and say, "BYE UGLY NEWB", think about how it may really affect that Whyvillian.
"There's nothing to lose,
When no one knows your name"
This is to the people who constantly bully people. Soon, they will figure out that what they do will hurt them in the end. When you get to full of yourself you make people think that you are unapproachable. The people who think you are the best person in the world give you power. Sometimes you can control their opinions, it's hard to resist peer pressure, so you take control. Over time some people might see who you really are. After time who you really are shows. These people might step up and start to dislike you. You shouldn't rely on other people to make opinions and feelings for you.
When I see bullying happening by certain people I badly want to tell them off. Like if someone says, "Everyone copies her look and talks like her," I want to scream! Why does the world always has to revolve around them!? It doesn't, but everyone still acts like it does. Another thing I'd like to say to anyone who constantly is rude and creates fights is how would you feel if you were in so and so's position now? Yeah, furious . . . So, why even do it? Because some day it's going to just come back and hit them in the forehead and what will they say? Nothing. They'll just feel the pain others had felt because he/she decided to be rude.
When someone says you're ugly, how do you react? Most Whyvillians react by responding with rude comments such as, "SHUT THE beep UP." It's kind of sad if you think about it. People are so stuck-up, if they don't like something or they don't get what they like, they respond rudely. I mean, we have to face the facts: You don't always get what you want.
From what I see everyday I think that a group of mean people only talk amongst each other. I really think that they just do that to a person who would get interested and start to get in to the conversation. That is their plan, an excuse to start a fight. "Don't but into other peoples' conversations, now leave us alone." You defend yourself and it goes back and forth.
I have a question for you if you start these fights, "Do you enjoy getting a good comeback? Do you like it when you feel like you have one, when you actually just hurt that person? Do you even care?" When it comes to a Newbie asking for clams you don't have to go at them like a wild dog. You could politely say no. Don't give excuses and say you get asked that all the time and it's annoying. Try and be a nicer person, because the world needs more of those.
"There's nothing to gain,
And I can't fight the pain"
The sad thing is, most of these people should be mature enough not to argue about a stupid online website. They should have their own busy lives, and not spend their time on Whyville picking fights. I am talking about 16+ years old. I don't think these people are like this in real life. I don't they have enough nerve to go up to a random person and start cussing at them. Talk, and no action.
My mom says something after my sister calls me fat. "It's sad that you feel so bad about yourself that you think that saying that about a person will make you feel better about yourself." Saying something bad about a person doesn't mean it is true. The person who says these mean things might have real problems in their life. To vent how they feel, they take it out on people. Like my family always says, "Treat others how you wish to be treated." A lesson that you learn in the primary grades. Why do we forget those simple rules in our teens?
Depression. What are some reasons people get depressed? Death, problems in their life, weight, and things that people say. You could have made that girl drop out of school. You could have made that boy kill himself. Your actions did that. Because you bully, that happened. Simple cause and effect.
"Teachers said "It's just a phase"
When I grow up my children
Will probably do the same"
If you want to break free of your friends' grasp, do it. Don't care about what your friends might think. If they start to hate you, then I guess they weren't true friends. If they don't respect what you think, I doubt they will respect you. I wore skull shoes because I liked then in 5th grade. My best friend called me emo and hated me. She would let all of her friends cut me in line doing recess. That might seem like a tiny problem compared to others but it was a big deal in my life then. That fight lasted months, but then my friend started to like skulls. Now, we are best friends and I can tell her everything. Real friends have little fights, but in the end they need each other.
Well, we hoped that this article opened your mind enough to realize that bullying can hurt someone. If you read this and you think you totally agree with us. Don't say it, do it. This was something we felt strongly about, and we're brave enough to share our opinions. At first we had a hard time deciding whether to put our names or not. We were afraid that we would get trashed about it. We decided to take our own advice. Share our thoughts, and if people don't like that, so be it. Next time your fingers start to type a hurtful remark, take your hands off the keyboard and think. Could this possibly make someone kill themselves?
"Kids just love to tease,
Who'd know it put me underground at seventeen"
