Cyber Bullying (Trigger warning)

Discussion in 'Discussion' started by Hiro ✩, Nov 11, 2013.

  1. Hiro ✩ Guardian

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    Before I begin, I would like to say that this has nothing to do with anything that I've experienced recently as an attack on me or anything, I just happened to stumble across something that really sparked my hatred of cyber bullying to a level where I had to say something. So please don't assume it's a call-out, or me trying to get attention and sympathy (because I will use examples from my life to make points), I just want a legitimate discussion. It shocks me there isn't a thread about this.

    Anyway, today I had the misfortune to stumble across this little tumblr post (I reblogged it since I dislike linking to others' blogs), and it just really made me mad.

    You have this girl, going through a tough time, you know, and venting innocently, when some dick had the audacity to tell her she should both kill herself and delete her tumblr. I immediately acted and told her that she had people who loved her and people who would back her up. I have friends who have struggled with suicidal thoughts over (what most of the older members would call "stupid kiddy drama") break ups, fights with friends, or overall just jokes that get taken too far. Then people have the balls to go and hide, THEN tell someone to kill themselves. It's just not okay. Cyber bullying is a legit crime and you can get arrested for it. If anyone EVER got a friend of mine to this point, I would easily report them.

    How do you know it's legit and not a grab for attention? Fair point. It could be a lie, it could be true. That doesn't change the main point, which is that cyber bullying isn't okay. The people you're insulting are exactly that- people. They aren't just some user you can manipulate.

    In my time on the internet, I have been cyber bullied. Call me overly dramatic, but the calling an attention whore, saying I'm plain out annoying, or making a recording imitating me and openly pointing out things you dislike about me is pretty much the definition of cyber bullying. Something as simple as calling someone a little **** could push them over the brink.

    I used to deal with it wrongly, I would get dramatic, I would go and make myself seem victimized to others who I knew would support me. I know that's wrong, and now I just think anyone who uses the anonymity of the internet to openly bully someone is just a plain coward. If you can't bring yourself to openly tell someone "I don't like you" to their face, and instead choose to do tiny things to attempt and crush their hopes, you're not cool. You're not smart, you're not popular. You're just that, a stupid coward.

    What really gets me though isn't the fact they're simply hiding, it's that half the people that do this don't even know the person. They just know what they see on the outside and not what's on the inside. I'll admit, I can be VERY judgemental, but I would never bully and attack anyone for it. If you don't know me, then that's your problem.

    There's a member here who I started on bad terms with. Many of you know them, and some don't. They're the equivalent of "popular" on here. We HATED each other at the start. Eventually, we just got to know each other, and now I consider them a friend, and we talk quite a bit. Hell, even most of the friends who I talk to now are the ones that disliked or hated me when they first met me, then just got to know me. If they still disliked me, they'd at least have my respect because they got to know me.

    These are all just my opinions based on my own experiences of course.

    Now onto the pressing question: what are YOUR opinions on cyber bullying? Is it too seriously punished? Is it not punished enough? Harmless jokes that escalated? I'd like to hear them from ya, KHV.
     
  2. TheDudeKnownAsDaffy Moogle Assistant

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    Daffy approves of this. That is all I will say, because, I'm not going to spend the next two hours typing here, I have better things to do <3
     
  3. cstar stay away from my waifu

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    I'm gonna tell you right now, and I am probably a minority in this opinion. People take things on the internet too seriously. Everyone has bad days, I get that. Some people are naturally more sensitive than others. But if I reacted to every time I have been told to kill myself on the internet. I'd be dead on multiple occasions.

    There are cases where yes, cyberbullying is terrible. I have seen it go TOO far

    I was in an editing group on facebook, where two people broke into a petty fight, that got NEEDLESSLY cruel on this group. It went from "oh she's jealous of my editing" and somehow transitioned to "she's jealous of me because my child is still alive while her's is dead." That went WAY too far. and many people flipped out.

    I am including this part out of the spoiler. Despite the accusations at one of the girls, the person who went too far reported the group for cyberbullying HER. So it's cyberbullying because people went and tried to correct someone for being morally... unsound? I dare say what she said was so immoral I can't talk to her anymore like I used to.

    Cyberbullying, is subjective to the person being bullied. I could say someone is cyberbullying me for... I dunno, making a comment on my stuff that says " ; ) kawaii babeh" or something. But there are some people that appear to be cyberbullying to some people, but the person being "bullied" doesn't think they are.

    To keep this from going on forever. Cyberbullying, in my eyes, I think it ranges from being over really stupid things, to being over really serious things. People can go ahead and call me a *****, I really don't care, but the second they cross moral boundaries, it's done. So. If cyberbullying does bother the person, and there is a way to avoid it, keep yourself away from it. If there is no way to get rid of that person, I'd honestly get help.

    Anon messages on tumblr though, some people troll to troll. No one should take anon mail seriously, no matter what your emotional state is, but I know there are people who can't control themselves when it comes to things like that. I just really wish people could think if it has no face, it has no meaning to me.
     
  4. What? 『 music is freedom 』

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    It would be nice if many people were able to think so. But unfortunately, we vary in how toughly we can take responses to things. It is in our character as individuals and varies between person to person in that manner.

    In that way, yes, cyber bullying is very much a problem. The fact that it is over a medium such as the internet does not change the fact that words can be extremely hurtful to people based on our interpretations. Bullying exists in various forms of communication in reality and this does carry over to the online world to some extent. And like reality, people do deal with it differently, people do have varying ways of how they react to it, and it can lead to all types of unsavoury situations.

    The internet provides a unique platform for bullying of this sort. While it is arguably easier to "avoid" the bullying by simply avoiding or staying away from the websites in question or the internet in general, the fact that the internet is also considered something close to a safe haven of anonymity by many who wish to escape the trials and tribulations of reality can make the consideration of bullying even worse when people feel they have nowhere else to turn without being bullied. Sometimes it is hard to find help through other channels.

    That being said, at times people feel their comments are not cyber bullying while the others believe it so. This is understandable, and we have had numerous examples of this situation on KH-Vids. Whether or not it would be a question of bullying is indeed subjective, but the mere accusation implies offense on the part of the one receiving the comment. Regardless of intent, it would be polite enough for an individual to acknowledge this and apologize, even if they do not consider their comments to be hurtful. But unfortunately, many comments on the internet are made through hurtful intent, or even mere apathy ("for the lulz xD") and the psychology of internet relations; of anonymity; of simple courtesy towards a stranger, all of these can be extremely complicated and variable depending upon the situation.

    What does not change is the fact that cyber bullying is a very real thing and has killed people in the past. As stated previously, individuals are different, and for some the idea of lingering dislike and insult on the conscience can be extremely detrimental to one's character. It is unwise to believe that anyone can just walk away unscathed from bullying that a victim themselves considers excessive and hurtful; of course, it is possible with support networks, but do these support networks exist when the individual in question is being bullied? At times, the answer to that question can determine the life or death of the individual. It feels very much so that I make this out more dramatic than it might seem to be, but bullying is not a mere component of face-to-face interaction, and hurtful comments are still hurtful, regardless of whether or not they are exclaimed in person, through the phone, or through the internet.

    Though the medium may be different, the intent, and the idea, are all the same, and it is a brackish, murky idea that serves to chop away at a person's conscience and character as they realize they are inadequate, or unfit to even exist. Which is far from the truth, but unfortunately, is all too prevalent on the internet today.

    I have a few more words on this, but I have some school work to finish and things to write, so I shall save part two of my reply for later.
     
  5. DigitalAtlas Don't wake me from the dream.

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    Okay, I really just want to post the response to the quote below, but since this isn't Spam, I'll actually make a post. THIS'LL GO WELL.

    So, I'm pretty at odds with this subject. It's not something I feel any blanket statement of DON'T DO IT can apply to. Ribbing into people is a form of communication a lot of people partake in. It shows a sense of kindness and trust in the receiving party for the speaking party. If someone's uncool with it, they should state it. I have to do this often with my best friend and my newest good friend had to do it to me just the other day. You were counting on their trust to take it well, it backfired and made them feel bad. Have the courtesy to stop. Simple.

    Then there's "harassment." This is when it really needs to be taken on a case by case basis... A lot of people cry harassment when they're being hit by a wave of blunt honesty from people who genuinely want them to improve, whether their reasons be selfish or otherwise. This isn't cool. Sometimes people need to feel bad to grow. It's not cool to jump to someone's side without knowing the full story. Maybe they are an attention whore. Maybe they are just too aggressive and a jerk and need to chill the fack out. I will of course admit there are times when it goes too far and it is actual harassment, but it's still something that needs to be taken on a case by case basis. Sometimes the person being "harassed" just needs to shut up and grow thicker skin.

    And of course actual harassment exists. I don't find that tumblr post to be actual harassment, but rather just the hyperbole expected on the internet. Thick skin needed, but that doesn't mean I don't have any concern. That said, actual harassment is just that, harassment. It stems from pure aggression or a want to entertain one's self through making someone out miserable and it's usually constant. Seeing it in person is disgusting, and all you can do is use your cyber aggression powers to maybe sheath their sword or convince the receiving party to just close the laptop for a few days and it'll be over.

    But yeah, it's all about getting the details before addressing the situation. That's how I feel simply because harassment is a word that can be overly twisted from just being sensitive.




    EDIT: I just posted four paragraphs just so I could post a song from Anarchy Reigns. I JUST KHV'D SO GOOD. Might say I'm the best at it.