Phoebe Prince: Words Kill!
Phoebe Prince was a young girl who attended South Hadley High School in Massachussetts. She committed suicide back in January 2010, which was a result of being abused by her peers. Sadly, she remains in the news as Emily Bazelon continues to report on the case.
At the same time, Bazelon continues to upset many out there; they believe she is blaming the victim. We are even reading that all Phoebe’s father wants is an apology from her abusers. Also, an expert on bullying did come and talk to the students at South Hadley High. That should have immediately solved this problem with the kids. So, all should be well in sugarcoating land, right?
One blogger online has summed it up well: “I am sick and tired of people BLAMING the victim.” I think America has reached a boiling point with this line of thinking. I am reading posts on blogs, social sites and other places online and people are angry and want justice served. They are sick and tired of being sick and tired. Honestly? I do not blame them.
There is still so much missing here. These abusers need psychological help. Throwing garbage at another individual is not healthy behavior. Posting “accomplished” on Facebook after Phoebe has killed herself is not healthy behavior. Why isn’t anyone seeing this? Why are we only looking at Phoebe’s mental state?
These abusers are just as sick, yet nobody wants to look at that. This problem is full-on abuse, and why isn’t anyone getting that? Look, this is a serious mental health issue, not to mention a health hazard. What is it going to take for people to get this? The writing is on the wall! Take this problem to the next level before another life is lost!
Sadly, it has taken someone six time zones away to point out the obvious: words kill. Why are we not getting this? Our society is so focused on free speech and being able to say what we want and that nobody should be shutting us up. Our forefathers gave us this luxury. However, do you think they had behavior such as this in mind? Words driven to kill? What is so wrong with being a nice person? It’s not cool?
If any lessons are learned in this tragedy, I hope it is that words can kill. Kindness can go a long way. Someone getting the proper care can go a long way. Stop sugarcoating these issues and do what you can to help! Please get educated, and for goodness sake, see this for what it is: abuse!
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