“He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
As the dust began to settle in the aftermath of the hate group created among some of my peers on Facebook, a friend pointed out something I found rather ironic. That group, wrought with malice, was created on the birthday observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. I wondered to myself if the creator of that group understood at all why he was at home that day, enjoying a holiday.
I want to thank everyone who showed support for the woman who was targeted, as well as for the kind words that were extended to me for speaking out against the group. There was some success. Friends championed the cause and spread the word; many who did not even know this person did their part to try to make a difference. The result: the creator left the group, all administrators abandoned their positions, and participation in the group dropped over 15 percent. Those who joined forces with me rejoiced in this small victory, however it is bitter sweet. The group is still out there; its members remain over 150 people strong. Countless individuals have reported the group as a violation of Facebook’s terms of service, yet there is no indication of when, if ever, Facebook administrators will take action to terminate the group.
Even though we were unable to dismantle the group, I still felt that a sense of awareness to this very important issue was spreading. I was feeling very positive, until yesterday when I learned about Phoebe Prince. This beautiful 15 year old girl ended her life on January 14, 2010. While the reasoning behind her death remains under investigation, the fact that Phoebe was the victim of severe bullying has thus far been uncontested. There are reports of public conflict between Phoebe and a group of classmates. Prior to her death there was some disciplinary action taken towards those classmates for their behavior while attending school. Yet it would appear most of the maltreatment didn’t take place within those walls. The major outlets that Phoebe’s peers utilized to conduct their harassment were Facebook and text messaging.
This horrifying example of the worst possible case scenario was exactly my point when I wrote that post. This isn’t a child that ended her life out of no where, with everyone who knew her left to question and never understand why she did it. There were signs. There were so many signs. Who reached out to help her? Who stood up and said “this should not be happening”? Honestly, some may have. I do not know the details, but it was clearly not enough. Even after her death people continued to taint her memory by bashing her on her Facebook memorial pages. This is one poor girl in one Massachusetts town. We are turning a blind eye if we refuse to acknowledge it is happening elsewhere. If adults continue to reinforce this behavior through their own actions, how we can expect our children not to follow suit?
Change is needed. Education begins at home and further structure is needed in our schools. The State of Massachusetts is stepping up its efforts to produce anti-bullying legislation, a bill that has been put off far too long. It is a shame that it took what happened to Phoebe for people to realize it requires prioritization. Yet for all its worth, this bill is targeted at protecting children. It is up to us as adults to ensure we do not allow cyber bullying to happen amongst ourselves.
