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Opinions
The bullying cycle

Bullied to death

By Dominic Dutt,
Contributor

\ recent victim of
ullying is local
student, 15-year-old
Amanda Todd. The
Lower Mainland teen,
who was the victim of
harassment and cyber-
bulling, took her own
life on October 10, 2012.
Described as a

“spirited girl,” Todd
posted a YouTube
video titled, ‘My Story,’
where she revealed her
struggles with bullying,
self-harm, and suicide.
She doesn’t speak but
holds flashcards, on
which she has written her
heartbreaking story, up
to the camera. She writes,
“Hi! I’ve decided to tell
you of my never-ending
story.” According to the
Province, Amanda’s story

is being shared around
the world. Towards the
end of her video, Todd
says, “Every day I think
why am I still here.”
Her tragic story
began when Todd met
someone online who
asked her to flash the
camera. She did, and her
photo was distributed
to her school, friends,
and family. This alleg-
edly led to bullying
both in the real world
and online, even after
she changed schools.
Todd lost all of her
friends, continued to
be bullied, and at one
point was beaten up.
She started cutting
herself and attempted to
take her life, but failed.
Shortly after creating her
video, Todd succeeded
in ending her life. School
District Spokeswoman
of Coquitlam, Cheryl
Quinton, confirmed that
the staff are aware of

the video and “supports
were put in place.”
What I don’t under-
stand and find frustrating
is that support seems to
come once a victim of
bullying is dead. While
the victim is being bul-
lied, others join in; after
the victim dies, friends
suddenly gather and
start talking about their
feelings, how sad it is,
how they could have
handled it differently,
and that from now on,
things will be different.
Those who were the
cause of bullying—both
in the cyber-world and
the real world—are rarely
held accountable. After
a while, discussions end,
and the cycle of bullying
continues. With no real
change, those who are
engaged in the act of
bullying are not stopped
until it is too late.
Following Todd’s
tragic story, there has

Declaration of an education

Relax, take it easy

By Natalie Serafini,
Opinions Editor

hroughout your

studies, people will
ask you—whether with
genuine interest or the
feigned attentiveness of a
veritable stranger—what
itis that you’re studying.
When you tell them what
you're studying, you may
encounter enthusiastic,
impressed oohs and ahs.
Alternatively, you might
encounter the thinly
veiled disapproval of
someone who doesn’t
think your major is a
good investment.

Here’s the thing:
education is extremely
expensive these days
and, for many of us,
requires loans that will

18

keep us in their gripping
jaws of debt until we’ve
paid off every last painful
penny. Adding to the
stress of post-secondary
education is the fact that
the economy is looking
pretty bad all around,
even as it claws its way
out of recession. Because
of this, education is an
investment and anything
that doesn’t bring back
returns with interest is
quickly dismissed as a
waste of time, energy,
and—more easily
quantified—money.

I’ve heard plenty
of “Oh, well I guess
that’s ok. What are you
planning to do with
that ‘degree’?” and
advice that I become a
dental hygienist. Well,
I’m getting to the point
where I don’t care about

good investments. The
longer I’ve spent at
college agonizing over
potential majors and the
more people I’ve talked
to, the more I realize that
it doesn’t necessarily
matter what you major
in. What matters is that it
interests you.

Now, I’m not saying
to be unrealistic in your
goals (I don’t want to
be liable for any ruined
futures), but life is not
something that can be
planned. You can have
your goals, but life pretty
much just happens.

You don’t know what
direction your life will
take once you're out of
school, or how your “bad
investment” education
might actually be an
asset.

been an overwhelming
outpouring of support for
her family and against
bullying. After hearing of
Todd’s death, the friend
created a Facebook page
demanding justice for
Todd against those who
victimized her. Over
197,000 people have
signed her petition via
Facebook. Police are
investigating the case,
and Set. Peter Thiessen
states “There are a num-
ber of areas within the
Criminal Code that could
be applied.” There may
be additional charges

of distributing child
pornography if anyone
is caught sharing Todd’s
naked photos. Premier
Christy Clark posted an
online video statement
saying “No one deserves
to be bullied, no one
earns it, no one asks for
it. Itisn’t a rite of pas-
sage.” She, along with
many other Facebook

It'll take long enough
to figure out what it is
that you love without
fooling yourself into
thinking you’d be happy
as a dental hygienist
when you're not
fascinated by teeth or
oral health. Don’t waste
your time studying for
something that you don’t

6

enjoy.

Truly, the more
people I talk to, the
more I realize that your
bachelor’s doesn’t matter
as much in the grand
scheme of things. If
you're going on to study
after your bachelor’s, it
doesn’t matter if your

users and sympathizers,
also sent her condolences
to Amanda Todd’s family.
Talk is all well and
good, but just feeling
sorry about it makes
no difference. Real
action should be taken.
If someone is being
bullied, they need to be
helped before it is too
late. Resources should
be put in place, and kids
need to be made aware
of the dangers of online
activity and bullying.
One can only hope
that Amanda Todd will
be the last victim and that
there will be a change
in attitude towards
bullying. Will this
trend of anti-bullying /
anti-hate last, or will
we forget after a while?
How many more kids
have to die before we
come to our senses?

degree in English isn’t

a good investment, or
you heard that a lot of
Humanities students are
flipping burgers after
four years of university.
The economy is in the
shitter for pretty much
everyone everywhere.
Don’t run out and major
in business because you

Dont waste your time studying for
something that you dont enjoy.

think you'll make more
money. Instead, just focus
on finding something
that you’re interested

in. Life will be tough

no matter what you do,
and work is work so you
might as well have fun
while you're at it.