Bullying is a word that almost every kid dreads hearing. The outcast is the person that bullies aim for, a person who is deemed as not being good enough or not meeting someone’s standards. Some dread this act so much that they tragically take their own lives. If only the students saw it sooner. If only the parents knew what their kid was going through at school. If only the victim spoke up.

Bullying in schools today has become a national crisis. Being a sophomore in high school, I see bullying happen every single day. When one hears the word bullying, most people think of a student getting beat up for their lunch money, as this is what movies typically have made bullying out to be, but this is not the case.

I witness people getting bullied without any physical contact. There was this girl I used to know who would get harassed by groups of mean people, and every time she walked passed them, they always had something hateful to say. They would laugh at her and even post stuff about her on social media. Little did anyone know that girl was me.

Bullying happens in many ways; sometimes, it is unexpected and catches us by surprise. Bullying is not always with the teasing and pushing as displayed in movies, but it is the abuse that toys with our mental state that lies unnoticed by mainstream media. In order to showcase this other side of bullying, here are some anonymous stories of fellow QHHS Rebels who were once bullied.

1. “My boyfriend and I had a very bad breakup. During the course of our relationship, we exchanged sexual pictures. He took things out of proportion and threatened to leak my photos on social media. I was assured that he would never show anyone the photos I sent him, but I was wrong. At this point, I felt like my life was over. I felt humiliated. I had never felt so close to breaking apart. The coming day, I took matters into my own hands and took it up with the Vice Principal. They called him up to the office to address the issue. He [my former boyfriend] was let off with a three-day suspension. I was furious. I completely thought it was unfair. The tormenting did not end even after his three-day suspension. Even after his three-day suspension, the bullying did not stop. I went to talk to the Vice Principal again, and they told me to ignore the issue as best as I could and to stay away from him.” (Anonymous)  
2. “I was bullied by this girl who hated me for a reason that I did not know. She would spread rumors about me behind my back without even knowing until it would reach one of my friends. I would go home and cry. The rumors got to the point where it was very bad. She would accuse me of being lesbian, which I am not. I never had the courage to tell my parents or address it with a teacher. The only people who had my back were my friends.” (Anonymous)  

People bully because they know that the victims do not have the courage to address it. They sit behind their phone or computer, not knowing the damage they are imposing on someone else’s life.

The thing that bothers me the most is that there have been teachers in some cases that would witness bullying and do nothing to stop the issue from getting worse. In this case, the teachers too are almost as bad as the bully since they are neglecting to take action on the issue.

Schools need to take all types of bullying seriously. There are people who are so weak that they end up hurting themselves over what people say about them.

The first offense for bullying at my school is a warning, but if the issue continues to get out of hand, administration alerts security and an investigation will be opened. If the bully continues to torment the victim, they will be suspended.

This leads to the question: Is it enough? Is this enough punishment? Bullies deserve a more severe punishment because what they do or say can lead to the tragic outcome of a death.  Bullying is a pandemic. Would a three day suspension really stop them from their ways? The answer is simply no. In order to combat this, we need to go to extremes such as the minimum offense being a five day suspension, as most of the time bullying leads to dire consequences. There needs to be a change so that students can feel safe in their own school.

So, if you saw bullying, what would you do to stop it? Do not sit on the sidelines and watch it happen. Instead, stand up for the victim and let them know they are not alone. Maybe you might have just saved them from making a horrible mistake.