Spirit Day and bullying.

[cupcake_goth]

Today is Spirit Day. I honestly don't know if I have anything purple to wear, but I'm going to try, because I do support this and want to increase the visibility of it. (EDIT: Just as I suspected, I don't own any purple clothing. Huh.)

About bullying, everyone go read Cleolinda's post on this.(clicky-link!) What she says is SPOT ON, and I think everyone should follow it.

If someone is being bullied and I'm around, I will do what I can to help stop it.

Personal experience time: I was one of the incredibly lucky ones. Even though I was a Weird Kid, I wasn't really ever bullied. Part of this, I know, is because word went out pretty quickly that "Holy crap, Jilli's dad is CRAZY, don't piss him off". (Hi Dad! I love you and you're the best dad in the world!) But I know that wasn't the entire reason. I don't know WHY I wasn't bullied, but I thank my lucky stars that I wasn't.

But I've seen the effects of bullying. It's horrible and demoralizing, and I just don't understand how anyone can think that treating another person like that is okay. So. I will speak up and step in if I see bullying. I hope that you folks will do the same.

Comments

[sistawendy.livejournal.com]

I wasn't bullied because I was pretty good at hiding, so good that I threw away decades of potential happiness. A lot of kids out there can't or won't hide, which is as wonderful as it is brave. Even if you can hide, I hope you don't, at least not once you're on your own.

[tinkerbell86ca.livejournal.com]

I don't have many bits of clothing taht actually fit right now, let alone that are purple. But last night I prepared for today by painting my nails a sparkely purple. Later on I will re-paint them another shade of purple. Why yes, purple happens to be one of my favorite colors.

And I am with you, bullies suck. They just do. It made me really sad and upset when I had to comfort my husband when he was bullied at work a few years ago.

Guh . . . now if you will excuse me, I am going to go play with one of our 4 kittens.

[caleidescopeyes.livejournal.com]

I wore my purple satin ballet flats today.
As a past victim of pretty heinous psychological and physical bullying, I have a zero tolerance policy. I am the first the speak up. It's heartening to see so many people showing solidarity.
I'm off to read Cleolinda's post now.

[blue-rhapsodies.livejournal.com]

I happened to wear a purple shirt today, and now that I’ve learned about spirit day, I’m really glad I did! I was the target of much torment by a posse of particularly vicious girls when I was young (for no apparent reason, no less), so bullying is a cause close to my heart.

[opiatevampire.livejournal.com]

I was bullied for my weight, sexuality, and religion (or lack thereof) in middle school, and now even as a college sophomore, I still have severe self esteem and emotional issues because of it. People who say bullying is just a part of life, and authority figures who sit by idly, clearly have no idea what it actually feels like to be harassed verbally and physically every day.
I only have purple socks, but I tried.

[goldie-gargoyle.livejournal.com]

I was verbally bullied in my first year of high school, when I was about 13. I know I was picked on because I liked reading actual novels instead of fashion magazines, didn't talk about boys all the time nor showed any interest at that stage, didn't like Britney Spears, and generally wasn't the most conventional malleable little teen girl out there. That, and I found out later that they were also jealous of me because I had bigger boobs than them. Jeez! I think that's so silly. Boobs can be a real nuisance.

But anyway, the experience destroyed any self-esteem I had for many years afterwards, and I spent the next 4 years severely depressed. Luckily in my last two years of school, I found a group of friends who actually appreciated me as I was, didn't judge me or think I was weird.

Because of what happened to me, I now make sure to speak my mind and step in when I see people being nasty to each other.

My best advice to anyone out there who is being verbally/psychologically bullied: don't take their bait. They want you to respond, because that's how they try to make themselves feel better than others. Instead, ignore their taunts, and just go on as normal. If they speak to you, be civil to them, but curt and to the point. If they see that they can't effect you, they will eventually stop.

[mumminator2008.livejournal.com]

Yup, bullied all through school. It miraculously stopped in grade 9. My worst experience was when I was walking home in the winter (grade 7 or 8, cant remember) and this boy that ALWAYS stalked & harassed me on the way home - threw a snowball at me. Nothing unusual there...but it was made of solid ice and had a rock inside. He hit me square in the side of the head and knocked me out cold. I woke up on the sidewalk and it was almost dark I had been there for so long. We are talking a residential neighbourhood people!!!! and NO ONE came to help me.
I walked home with blood all over me, soaked right through all my clothes from laying in the snow.
Parents - no help. "Fight your own battles" was their rallying cry.
Now the ending for this story is interesting...a couple of days later my bully showed up at school sporting 2 black eyes and some interesting bruises. It was passed on to me through a friend of a friend of a friend that he would NOT be bullying me in the future.
Karma...it's a bitch.

[moonxpearl.livejournal.com]

I STILL get bullied. I got treated like crap all through school and then I graduate and get a job and grown people are treating me much the same way the kids in fifth grade did.

First it was the fact that I was tall, then my weight, then my disinterest in wearing girly clothes and makeup, then my haircolors and my funky eyeshadow when I was interested in girly clothes and makeup, and then, and this is the one that confuses me the most, my lack of interest in getting married and having kids by 25. You would think that, cosmetology being the diverse industry that it is, there would be fewer closed-minded people involved in it. I never made fun of the girls my age that dressed like they were 40-year-old soccer moms, why would they do it to me?