SOUND OFF: Hating on the Net

One high-school issue that seems to be ongoing no matter when and where is bullying.

Whether it's physical or mental, bullying has and always will hurt. During our generation though, bullying has had the chance to become bigger, “better” and more effective, all thanks to our dear friend the Internet.

Now that our Facebook profiles have come to dictate the type of people we are, what others say about us on the Internet has turned into a big deal… because everyone's watching!

Just think about the hundreds and hundreds of Facebook groups beginning with “I hate…” Now not all of this bullying is done through these types of groups of course, but there are other applications like “honesty box” where people can post statements about anything or anyone and do it anonymously.

There was even one wall post that asked: “Have you suffered from cyber bullying via Honesty Box? How do you think we should handle that?” So you might think: if someone has something to say to you, why would they hide their identity? Of course it's because what they have to say isn't very nice - DUH!

Recently, I found out about a website specifically meant for people to post up pictures of other people that they don't like, and say whatever mean thing they want about that person. I couldn't believe it! Think Mean Girls burn book, but public. Just looking at the site made me feel SICK. Since when is it okay to devote an entire website to hating on people?

Just like those Facebook groups, how is putting someone else down in such a cheap manner going to make things better in the long run? Publicly humiliating somebody only puts negative energy into yourself and others.

As if teen angst isn't enough, we make it even harder for ourselves to get through it all. “You only talk about those who walk ahead of you,” meaning, as humans, we automatically have jealousy towards those who excel when we don't.

But why can't we just turn in our own direction and put our time into something productive instead of bagging on someone who's clearly “walking ahead?”