Personal Stories

By: Diana Morales

Since the invention of social media, we have seen how some people have used it in negative ways. The past couple of years we've been hearing more and more stories nationwide about people, mostly young adults, struggling with the realities of bullying. Some of these cases have ended on a devastating note; we hear that individuals have taken their own lives because they feel they can't escape the world they are living in every day. On this page, I've included some personal stories of people who have had first-hand experience with bullying, some stories having very tragic endings.

Tyler Clementi (December 19, 1991 – September 22, 2010)

(Image found on Wikipedia)

An 18 year-old student at Rutgers University in New Jersey, Tyler Clementi was a talented violinist. Clementi had told his parents he was gay prior to starting his freshman year in college and was seen kissing another man by his roommate Dharun Ravi and Ravi's friend Molly Wei. According to Wikipedia and other online sources, Ravi and Wei planned on exposing the video they had taken of Clementi's encounter via internet and creating a discussion on Twitter. On September 22, 2010, a day after the alleged viewing of the video, Clementi jumped off the George Washington Bridge and took his own life.

See the full article on Wikipedia.

Ellen DeGeneres has become a voice for anti-bullying. On her show, she spoke to these issues and reflected on the story of Tyler Clementi.

Clementi's life was changed for the worse because of the negative effects of social media. He must have felt betrayed and outted in a way that he felt he had no escape. Once the story hit the news, people felt overwhelmed and grieved for him and his family. Many had strong opinions of Ravi and Wei and saw them as nothing more than bullies.

Interestingly, we hear Ravi's side of the story and learn that the media turned on him in a similar way. He claims the media was quick to point all fingers at him and name him guilty for Clementi's suicide. We see how the media can be quick to judge and publish things to sell stories, whether they are true or not. In Ravi's case, we hear how what he thought was more of a misunderstanding and harmless act, was turned into something much more vicious when the media got involved. Suddenly he was the bad guy with evil intentions. No one can know what really happened in this case besides Ravi, Wei, and Clementi. As people outside of the actual situation as it unfolded, no one can say what exactly caused Clementi to make the decision that he did. While the situation looks bad for Ravi, it is only fair to hear his side of the story.

Watch Ravi's Interview on 20/20. Very interesting video--highly recommend everyone watch it.

Celebrities on Bullying

I think sometimes it's difficult for us to see celebrities as normal people. Sure, they have very different lifestyles than most, but they are human. They have feelings and struggles in their daily lives just like anyone else. Celebrities have been speaking up on the issue of bullying and have even shared their own personal struggles with bullies.

One very popular person in the music industry today is Justin Bieber. Girls all over the world go crazy for him, yet he has had his share of "haters" in his life. Sometimes it's easier for people to act out and bash people like Justin Bieber because they feel jealous over his fame and success. Justin speaks on these issues on the Ellen DeGeneres show. Skip ahead to 0:54 to see the where that section starts.

Another very famous woman in the music and film industry is Madonna. It's hard to believe that someone as successful, popular, and talented as Madonna has had experiences with bullying. The idea that celebrities like her are speaking up about this issue and sharing their own personal stories gives hope to young adults and individuals that are dealing with it in their own lives. Skip ahead to 1:36.

Anderson Cooper: Bullying, No Escape

In this video Anderson Cooper interviews some young adults who have first-hand experiences with bullying. The title of the segment, Bullying--No Escape, gets its name from the idea that since the expansion of technology, bullying has spilled over into social media, mobile phones, and email. Bullying follows kids home now, unfortunately. They no longer are able to "escape" bullies found at school after the bell rings. They get home and log into internet sites, and the bullying continues.

Watch and see some of their stories.

(Jessica Logan) (1990-2008)