September 22nd, 2011
05:04 PM ET
Gaga: Bullying is a hate crime, must become illegalSpurred by the death of Jamey Rodemeyer, Lady Gaga is on a mission to make bullying illegal, reports the International Business Times. Buffalo teenager Rodemeyer committed suicide on Sunday. The 14-year-old, who made a video for the "It Gets Better" PSA project, endured intense harassment about his sexuality by classmates at Williamsville North High School. In his "It Gets Better" video, Rodemeyer cited Lady Gaga as an inspiration because of her message of acceptance, and on Wednesday, Gaga took to Twitter to advocate for laws against bullying. "The past days I've spent reflecting, crying, and yelling. I have so much anger," Gaga wrote. "It is hard to feel love when cruelty takes someones life....Bullying must become illegal. It is a hate crime. I am meeting with our President. I will not stop fighting. This must end. Our generation has the power to end it. Trend it #MakeALawForJamey." Gaga's spokesperson told CNN there would be no additional comment or information other than what the singer had already posted on her Twitter account. Jamey's mother, Tracey, told Anderson Cooper on "AC: 360" that "it just seems like it was either end of the spectrum - he was either loved so sincerely, or he was bullied. There wasn't much in between." His father Tim added that the taunting began in middle school and became progressively worse. "We went to the school and got some help...Eighth grade seemed to be a little bit better for him, but it was still continuing in eighth grade." According to ABC, the teen wrote lyrics from Gaga's song "The Queen" on his Facebook wall on the weekend that he committed suicide: "Don't forget me when I come crying to heaven's door.” The network reports that Amherst police have opened a criminal investigation into the bullying that led to Jamey's death. No bullying laws exist in New York State, but police are looking into aggravated harassment charges.
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Did you remember when the you tube ad all the news showing this kid who picks up the bully and smacks him to the cement in school? that s what everybullied child shuld do to every bully out there ,bullies a weak who preay only on quiet ,shy people ,I say people because I see in wor people who bully people and that is not right! all the kids whould learn karateo r something related with martial arts not only help the confidence slef steem but to beat the agresor! but not matter if is Lady Gaga who speaks up or else bully should b a crime and put the agressors in jail fr years ,if they do that I bet the bully baloney will stop! I hate bullies!
I don't like Lady Gaga at all, but I totally agree. Also, CNNs website is mostly a waste besides being an outlet to victims the rest means nothing....celebrities, talk show hosts, facebook, etc....Not one mention of the schools taking full responsibility. Yes parents are responsible, but we can't wait for every parent ot get it right. Schools have to be held to 100% accountability. Every child should be 100% safe, no excuse PERIOD. It can be done if they just gave a .....
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kill yourselves
I agree, you go Lady Gaga, I'm 13 years old and I get picked on because of my love for weird and unusally things, I'm even doing a heart ripping essay on bullying. IT NEEDS TO BE ILLEGAL, AND IT NEEDS TO BE NOOOOOOWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's getting worse and worse and worse and worse everyday, and it's messing with my mind and I can't help feeling weird and different. I have to go to Four Winds, a mental hospital, because my mind is just so messed up because of the bullies, Lady Gaga please, HELP US!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is amazing. I will be throwing and hosting a fundraiser in San Francisco, California on Wednesday, April 18th to support a local organization called, "NO BULLY". Please post to your Facebook accounts if you know SF people!!!
http://www.facebook.com/events/100583916742546/
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I think more importantly, the bullies themselves need help, so much of the time, their home situations aren't good, and bullying is their way of lashing out and having control over something. They need our love and support, too. I was bullied in school, and it really affected me, don't get me wrong. But I think an open dialog with all the involved parties would be very beneficial on all sides. Just my opinion though:)
NO BODY SHOULD EVER BE BULLYIED NO MATTER HOW OLD U ARE !!! OR SEND MONSTERS OUT TO DESTROY LIVES !!! AND THEN BACK THEM UP !!!! WHERE IS MY APOLIGY ????
This Is True , BUT, Totally Upsetting Considering What Recently Has Accoured On My Twitter Sight ! 143 Blood Pressure/ 0VER 88 Heart /Dia. 85 Thank You !!! You Have Really Hurt Me !!!
i am 12 years old and my little brother and i have been putting up with a bully for 5 and a half years at our school . Our parents have been to the school several times over this and the school does nothing. i have came home from my school with bruises on my legs the size of half dollars and quarters and the school just wrote him up and the last time i came home from school i came home pratcally crying because one of my friends had told me after the game that we plaied in gym that the bully is going to team up with someone and kill me. but the boy who told me told the superentendent that he kinda blew it out of proportion and the kid that told me does not lie so i knew something was up but he just told me that he freaked and he got scared and that is what happened and now the kid is still roaming the halls and threatning other poor children.
Guys stay stronge! im a victim of bullying myself and im 15. Show em that youre not afraid to be yourself. have courage!
Our school. Started a bullying club and now we are making a difference!
Shut up Lucia!
my friends and i are trying to do the same withour school! thats awsome Lucia!
Bullying is so ridiculous I man just cause someone else is different from u doesn't mean you should treat them like crap they're still a person. They think, they feel, they cry and they can be hurt just like everyone else...you can't help how you feel sometimes but you can help how you treat people. Some people need to grow up and realize that your words have a greater affect on someone. Lady Gaga isn't a freak for being herself and neither is anyone else...being oneself is the greatest thing anyone can do. LETS STOP BULLYING!!!!
If you have a bully problem, print a sign that says:
WE EXPOSE BULLIES ON THIS CAMPUS AT:>>> http://www.exposethebully.net/
and post it all over your school, workplace or blog.
– Please re-post this helpful information on other blogs –
I have developed a bully prevention show for elementary schools. You can learn more about it at...
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qAvD01RD9E&w=640&h=360]
http://www.StopBullyingShow.com
i'm with GaGa on this one...BULLYING IS A HORRIBLE THING AND WE ARE LOSING TEENS TO IT EVERY DAY. Just because someone is different it doesn't mean they are bad! I have a friend who isn't straight and he is really nice to everyone...even those who bully him!! i hope he doesn't decide to end his life one day. his idol is GaGa so lets hope he lets himself stay on Earth and develop his God given talent of performing. Please join GaGa's movement. Bullying has to be stopped. NOW.
My high school was small, only 400 students in all 4 grades so we all need each other, or knew about each other. A boy in the class behind mine committed suicide by laying his head on a railroad track and waited for the train. How extreme does the suffering have to be to bring someone to that level of desperation. This is not about some abstract person, this is about real people. He was bullied, relentlessly. We all knew it, but no one did anything, no one said anything. The persons bullying meant no real harm, they were only having fun after all. The year was 1966. Some cannot defend themselves. Some need a law to protect them. At what point is it enough? When your son or daughter takes their life? When you attend the funeral for the kid who lived next door? This is not 1966, but I don't see that much has changed for the better. I don't know his name. He was not in my yearbook.
I have developed a bully prevention show for elementary schools. You can learn more about it here....
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qAvD01RD9E&w=640&h=360]
http://www.StopBullyingShow.com
Bullying Is Something That Definetly Should Be Taken Care Of... Obviously All People Can't Live The Same Lives But It Dosen't Mean They Can't Live Better Lives
if bad taste was a hate crime,this hag would be doing 20 years
That boy was screwed up long before he decided he was gay.The blame lies strictly on his parents, the media and every other show for his punk way out.Lady gaga is a weak impersonator.She hasn't done one thing original from the beginning so her opinion means squat.I wish she would kill herself. Just one more excuse to make this society completely feminine..
C'mon now Gaga. Yes, let's ban free speech next right? Grow tougher skin you crybabies.
I think that not only the victim should get counseling for being bullied but also the bully should receive counseling.
Tatiana–It doesn't make it right but everyone gets bullied one time or the other and this happens your whole life.The government needs to stay out of any investigation. We have them interfering way to much in our lives. I'm sorry the boy is dead but we need to put the blame where it belongs, the parents killed their son, end of story.
Agree, bullying is a crime (may not be hate crime). harassment should be incriminated. Now we can make religious intolerance a "hate-crime". The activist justices a "hate-crime" for bullying a referendum.
The kid was weak, anyone who takes their own life is a sad individual to start with. Sorry he's gone, but it's hisfault. He did the action that resulted in death. At some point, kids need to thicken their skin. But he was gay, so he was soft.
Attention wh0re. Go play somewhere else.
Every crime is a hate crime.
There is not on thing I like about this woman...she nothing more than a fake and a poser.
Then let me guess – when you saw a link with her name on it, your thought process was "I'd better look at this article involving this person I hate so I can tell everyone about it!"
Brilliant.
At least when this kid got to HELL, Troy Davis and MLK were there to welcome him.
Speaking of bullys. I have a wooly bully between my legs.
As a mother of a 14 yr. old, it breaks my heart that Jamey took his own life. Bullying SHOULD be a crime, put a stop to it. Kids at that young age don't have the ability to understand that people just suck sometimes. They feel alone, and helpless. Suicde seemed like his only answer to ending the pain. How anyone could say that freedom of speech should be put in the same catagorey as bullying needs to have there mouths stapled shut. When you're a parent you want to protect your child from everything harmful, and when u can't u feel helpless and that you've failed. As adults it's our job to let the ones doing this bullying will NOT be tolerated!! When suicde seems like the only answer, we as adults, parents and teachers are failing in protecting our children, showing them that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. What ever happened to teaching our children to treat people the way you want to be treated. No one is perfect, everyone has faults, BUT to point out those faults in a mean and demeaning way is just WRONG!! Bullying as become a trend among our younger generation, and its time to put a stop to it!!!!
There are several fronts on the bullying problem. 1. Bullies behavior starts at home and is encouraged with his/her parent’s negative points of views on others and the Bully’s insufficiency and poor self-image/shortcomings. 2. Parents letting their children and adolescents getting on the Internet, facebook and other social media venues without any supervision and thinking that it is a good thing for their child and that the child will be in the know how and on top of the new technology when in fact the child will most likely at some point face a Bully on-line and don’t know how to deal with that. 3. Bullying is a learned behavior and is awarded through the victim’s reactions and lack of serious intervention and accountability by the adults and grownups around the Bully. 4. Bullies start young and without stopping them they will continue getting better at what they do, and eventually turn into adult Bullies.
So by imposing FINES on bullying comments early on will demonstrate that the bully behavior is not rewarded and that it actually is costing them.
*POOT* <-a gift for you.
Its a shame the boy killed himself but he is in hell right now...suicide is the ultimate sin...he took the cowards way out....no one will stop bullying...kids need to toughen up
Jimmy, Do you have any children? What he did doesn't make him a coward, it makes him a scared and hurt teenager. And I for one do not think he's in hell, for all the suffering he went through he's in heaven in Gods hands now!!
Yea...two kids...oldest is 13 and she is taught to give what she gets...her bullying problem stoped when she pushed her in the nose
"He is in hell right now" LOL Dang, what a tool.
Don't bully me by calling me names...think I'll kill myself...that'll solve my problem...kid was weak...society is better off
It saddens me greatly that such a yund life was taken. There is no reason for someome to be harased to the point of taking their own life. I was teased and made fun of hard core growing up for various reasons. I know what it feels like. I will always take a stand against actions such as this. I applaude lady gaga for standing up for what she believes in.
Spoken by someone who only cares because she was made fun of as a child for being a big effin' freak.
i feel that lady gaga is the perfect person to speak up about this topic. everyone knows who she is, and she is an icon of the current generation. everything today is all about inovation, and bullying has always been an issue that is now becoming extremely serious because of suicides following. someone has to say something. good for her, and I am so sorry for the family that lost thier son. I was bullied for being biracial and i still remember how it felt. it hurts! hope this makes a difference. thanks lady gaga!!
Gaga is a lip-syching butt weasel. And all you enabling women are making gayFurds out of your sons.
If the bullying is happening in elementary or middle school, the dollar idea could actually work. Those kids are around 10. My 5th grade teacher had a jar on her desk called the 'Martini Jar' and if you didn't turn in homework the day it was due, and/or made excuses, you had to pay a dollar for the hw and a dollar for every excuse. After the first week, those kids NEVER screwed around in that class again.
Cool story bro you should tell it at a PARTY ^
Anyone who bullies another should be taken aside and given a good thrashing, then perhaps they will stop.
If not well just keep on till they get the message.
The problem is that no one bothers to do anything about because of their "rights"!!! Well what about the rights of the child that is bullied. If the parents of the bullier cant handle him/her then the parents of the child that is being bullied should be allowed to sort it out.
HOw DOES iZ MAKE COMMENT ?
ok. the dollar suggestion is retarded. are you 10? if so you should go and help your mommy.
Uuuh, there I made another $1, easy money is sooo sweet. I'd bet if you really had to put your money where your mouth is then you would shut your mouth.
And you tina are gonna force me to pay this dollar? I dont think so. I would rather give ya a round house kick to the face.
my bad. typo. exist
tina, um i dont know how to tell you this but you are the reason bullys exsist.
I don't know dude! You are not saying much.
Hey Uncle Fetus,
See I could have made a $1 with your comments, bring it on and I'll make a lot of money by end of the day!!! The thing is that people care more about money than going to jail. Also, why should we put the financial burden of jail for a Mouths like you on taxpayers.
dude.
Here is a way to stop bullies at school and raise some funds for the school, charge a $1 for any "Negative or Inappropriate Comments" – of course disagreement does not count. Place a jar in each class room, all payments must be in cash. Use the funds for the school arts or music program and a celebrate with a party "No Bully at our school Party" at the end of the year.
This is a good solution for parents to take some ownership of their child's bullying behavior.
Tina, that about the dumbest idea yet. What are you about 17 years old and working on some school project. GOD your idea sucks ass and you must be a very stupid, ugly, fat girl. I bet your parents are also fat from all do doo doo munching they do. A turd has more intelligence than you. *POOT* <-Smell it!
@timmy. HAHAHAHAHAHA! that was priceless. so does that mean you like 6th graders penises? you know thats illegal, right? or are you blogging at the law library in the pedo unit at the penitentiary?
"Zero tolerance policy"? Give me a break. My middle school had a "zero tolerance policy". This meant as long as you didn't get blood on anything when beating somebody up, it was fine. I was beaten up by people twice my size daily at my locker, which was right by the principal's office. Those "zero tolerance policies" don't do jack sh!t about bullying. In the case of my teachers unlawfully imprisoning me, they'll often turn a blind eye if they authorize it. Nobody is safe.
Kids should be taught that bullies as well as perverts go to hell because it's true. Revelation 22:14, 15
In the 3rd grade I recall the 6th grader boys taking me behind the school and taking turns putting their penis in my mouth and making suck their big tastee D!CKS. But I dont think that was bullying because afterwards they would all give me a dollar.
Bullying is bad butt I dont think forced sodomy is bullying.
theres 2 types of bullys. the ones that target minority groups like gays or geeks (and depending where you live) races. usually them cases are group and peer pressured which i feel is more insidious. the other kind of bully acts alone and bullys anybody he or she wants because they just can. kids will be kids and these tests of growing up are just part of life. hate crime? i disagree. if not for the internet and instant communication we wouldnt even know 80% of this kind of stuff. suicide is tragic and i feel bad for families that have to cope. its just a dark horrible reality of our species.
Bullying is unfortunately rooted in primal mammalian behavior. Creating federal or state laws against bullying is an understandable and even admirable concept but besides trampling on free speech it would be comically difficult to enforce. Kids who are bullied to the point of suicide deserve some kind of egress but I think the school's (with their miniscule income and overworked staffs) need to be responsible. How is yet another matter entirely.
I enjoy being bullyed in the butt behind high school dumpsters.
bug someone incessantly as an adult its Harassment and you can get HUGE charges. Do it as a kid? Shake hands and be nice now. Its ridiculous.
Read all these comments everyone. My take is 90% of us feel this Lady Gaga make it a crime bull is just that, BULL@$%#! Watch how the liberal news orginizations and Hollywood spin this. We're gonna see polls showing that 60% of Americans in a recent study feel that bullying should be labled a crime. It's comical how predictable it is. Everyone needs to keep commenting on stories like this so the truth gets out.
I love being bullied then forced to take a HARD, ROUGH AssHammering.
As a victim of workplace bullying and having lost my job because I reported it and tried to rectify it, I can tell you it's an ingrained part of culture, unfortunately. Or at least it was an ingrained part of my ex-company's culture. There are three parts to it, the abuser, the abused and the bystander. Each has their part. Nothing will change until they take responsibility for their part and look inside themselves to understand not only the situation, but the motivations behind their own behavior in the situation. The bully doesn't want to change. They are rewarded for bullying because they get what they want – power, attention, control and other feelings. The bystanders give them that power and attention. Because of fear of being the target, they don't step forward to stop it. The victims can often be made to feel powerless, even though they may not be. I think to stop it with children, it has to be punished in adults. Adults model the behavior and teach it to their children. There are many websites dedicated to this. It is illegal in Great Britain and Canada. Educate yourselves. Believe me, it's eroding our culture. When intelligent, gifted people are oppressed and closed-minded, fear mongerers rule with iron fists and think only to protect themselves and their way, then the collaboration necessary to correct the nation's problems takes a back seat to bickering and grandstanding. The real problems aren't solved, just swept under the rug and glossed over. I read a lot of suck-it-up-buttercup statements here. Why do we have to suck it up? Better question why do you have to put the garbage out there for us to suck it up? Why is it other people have to take your behavior? Can't you control your behavior in the first place? I agree to a point that the victims need to be stronger. But, bullying doesn't make people stronger, it just makes them resentful. Tearing someone down to make yourself feel better only will make you feel better for a moment. There will come a time you will regret it. It damages not only the person taken down, but the person doing the take down. There's a great book about invalidation. It's a disease. It's passed from person to person often without knowing you're doing it. What a law needs to do it to define the 2% of those who do it on purpose for power and control, with the intent to injure, knowingly. Educate yourselves, please.
you sound like a bully.
Grace is a Pu$$Y that needs an AssStomping.
so let me get this strait. Lady Garbage is against hate crimes, but she is for thought crimes. She/he need to just shut up and continue copying after real music artist. BTW her so called alter ego outfit she was wearing at the music awards is nothing but a rip off of annie lenux outfit when she was in the eurithimics. wig and everything. I have the vinal record and cover that proves it.funny thing is that annie lenux wore it better.
I recall when Annie L did it and you are correct she was far better than Gaga. Gaga offers nothing original...NOTHING at all. I cannot understand the facsination with her but would love to kick her right in the mouth.
I'd kick Gaga in her nads...
Nothing builds self respect better than telling the teacher or your parents that you're a big pu$$y and ratting on a bully, LOL. That's a sure way to get your a$$ kicked AGAIN! Some people just DESERVE to get a beating.
...like Lady Gag
I was picked on & teased for 8 years (my school was k-8) because of the scar on my face, I wasnt "pretty" or "cool" (even though I wore the same, if not better clothes than the popular kids).. I thought moving 3 hrs away (in with my sister) & enrollingg in a private -christian- school would be a good change.. Im spite of my anti-church policy.
Boy was I wrong. Those sj!theads in the christian school made my previous bullies look like my bffs. The teachers did nothing to stop it even though it was going on right in front of their faces in plain site. The kids even went so far as to make comments like "watch out, she'll come in with a sawed-off shotgun lile the Clombine kids".
Surprisingly, switching to the public highschool proved to be the best choice. I got along with literally -wveryone-, but my grades sucked bc I kust didnt care abt school" anymore. Besides that, I was behind like 4 credits cuz some didnt transfer. I was "the goth stoner" that everyone loved lol.
I still run into those butt munchers every now and then, around the area I live in. They ask me if I used to go to the christian school &I flat-out say "no".
Anywho, heaven forbid my own little girl goes through something like this. Yes, I thought about suicide, but probably not as often cuz I smoked so much ganja.
I think lady gaga is absolutely right. To the ppl who think it's no big deal & the bullied should "toughen up", dont forget Columbine.
Kids are evil. Makes you want to give each of those kids the same scar and say, "how do you like it?"
Christians are bullied every day. But that is politically correct, so its OK.
Take it from a former victim, learn to fight back! I was 80 pounds soaking wet and 5-3, now 5-10, 190 pounds. I walk with my head a little higher now and don't sidestep when I walk through the mall. Having a CCW permit and great aim doesn't hurt either.
I would love to meet Gaga so I could take a bigSHYT right in her ugly phuckin face. She is nothing but maggotSHYT!
Screw that. If "bullying" becomes illegal, then every time some kid in school is teased in the least bit, the police will be called by their overprotective parents. No matter what you do, there are going to be teenagers who can't handle the pressure of that stage. I'm not arguing against having measures in place to protect against bullying, but it's far too broad a term to make illegal.
Bullying is a part of life that is supposed to make us stronger. Bullying happens in so many ways and degrees that it is a necessity of becoming a strong, individual person. This pansy, new-age, 21st century "everyone is perfect" mentality is causing nothing but problems. The newest problem...I hear lots of girls asking where the "real men" went. Why they can't find someone who is tough. Well, you can blame it on the this new-age mentality...and it's only going to get worse.
You do understand that both bullies and the ones being bullied suffer in this, right? You know that most bullies are victims of abuse, or at least questionable parenting, right? Picking out a bully and calling their parents on the carpet might save them, too.
Life is not Lord of the Flies. We have rules in society. We have social boundaries. Allowing kids to do whatever they want only encourages them to be irresponsible bullies as adults. They run red lights, they beat their wives, they hate and hate and hate.
By the way...I have a wonderful husband. He's tough, strong, and the sweetest man you'll ever meet. He would never raise a hand to me or be unfaithful. He also never bullied anyone in his whole life. A "real man" would stand up for the child being taunted.
this is ludicrous! bullying is not at all a hate crime! i was bullied at times in my youth simply because i was timid and would not take up for myself......when i decided enough was enough and decided to defend myself the bullying stopped.
later these same folk were my friends.....i would not doubt that in some cases there may be some animosity involved, but to categorize all of bullying as a hate crime is crazy!!!
Here's a better idea........learn to FIGHT BACK. What a bunch of pussified liberal wimps this country is full of. Imagine if our military was made up of a bunch of weenies like this? Is THAT what you would like defending you? Survival of the fittest. Eat a little more red meat and don't take any schitt from anybody. You'll feel a lot better about yourself. What kind of self esteem can you have when you live your life like a door mat? Maybe this kid's father wore womens clothing in private. Maybe daddy should have taken the kid in the backyard and taught him to defend himself, but daddy was a bigpuzzy himself. That's probably why his mamma divorced his sorry asz. If the bullies are too big to handle, pick up the nearest stick and beat the schitt outta them with it! Nothing beats retard strength, and believe me, the bullies won't bother you again. I threw a bully over a desk in class in 7th or 8th grade, and embarassed the schitt outta him. He kept saying, "I'm gonna get you." Guess what? He never did. In fact he never f'd with me again. Neither did anybody ELSE in that class. Once I defended a kid from a green toothed retarded Scott Farkas bully. Yhe bully kicked my butt, so I calmly went back upstairs, grabbed a guitar, and waited at the top of the stairs for him. When he got to the top, I broke the guitar over his head. I miss that guitar. The Scott Farkas kid never f'd with me again.
that is my sentiment and experience as well........stops it practically every time!!!
I agree with you, but that's part of the problem.
Schools have made this worse with 'zero tolerance.' If you as the victim fight back and defend yourself against the bully, YOU get suspended and punished because of zero tolerance.
That's just ridiculous.
This person is living in outerspace. If you get picked on you stand up for yourself. You dont sit in a corner and cry life is so hard. Do you know what the problem is with american society? Everyone is always looking for someone to blame. Every experience i have had that was tough made me stronger. Life is not easy. Get used to it. It is a hate crime, a crime aimed and weeding out the weak. Who gives a crap what anyone says or thinks about you? Middle finger and a laugh and walk on by.
Gaga will say anything or do anything for attention. Someone needs to bully her 6 feet under.
Yes, making bullying illegal will certainly put a stop to it. Just like drugs, murder, robbery, rape...
Couldn't agree more with Anthony, Gart, and MaoBinHitler. You can't legislate emotion. THere are already laws in place for physical violence, etc.
I think that you guys are blaming the parents but you have forgotten what it's like to be a kid. Kids are mean. They are hateful towards things or people that aren't mainstream or "cool". Rednecks in small towns are especially afraid of "different" people. On the flipside, kids do not want to open up to their parents at 14 years old. I'm sure this poor boy had it bottled up for too long and his parents probably didn't know how bad it was. The schools should adopt a ZERO tolerance policy and the law should be a little more strict on harrasment but blaming the parents is not always the answer especially on emotional issues when teenagers are hesitant to open up. The best parents in the world sometimes don't know what's going on in their kids' heads. And by the way, as far as the bullies parents go, many of the children I went to school with I distinctly remember were just like their parents so don't expect them to be of any help.
Schools have to not look the other way when it comes to bullying. Isn't it within their power to say that a student who posts hateful comments to Facebook about another student is reflecting badly on the school? Maybe this is a grey area legally, I don't know. Bullies need to be put on notice that their behavior will not be tolerated by the school BEFORE tragedies like this occur.
I completely agree that bullying should be illegal, but like drugs..it will still happen, whether it's legal or not. And sometimes making something illegal makes people do it more. I think we just need to learn to raise our kids better, and teach them that everyone is equal and they should love their fellow man.
Her music is a crime against ears.
So NOW she is taking a stand against bullying...because someone said she was an inspiration to her BEFORE he killed himself? This is a shallow response, and her comment about ""The past days I've spent reflecting, crying, and yelling. I have so much anger," " is too little too late. If she can get something done, great. If it saves one life, fantastic. But it will be sickening if something gets done because a "celebrity" takes action. The word is PRO-active...action after the fact means little to those who suffered and died.
Are you a celebrity? If not, politely, be quiet! You don't know nothing.
Bully should be a crime and Lady Gaga is right....many suicides many deaths due to this epidemic subject it is outracious that bullies still causing tragedies,it not matter if is Lady Gaga who speaks up,she is a celebritie unfortunally when they talk the world listen! my kids werebullied ad is funny the bullies now are loosers ,while my growup children graduated from prestigious Colleges and now they are traveling roundthe worldhaving wonderful jobs ,while the bullies still in the little town working minimum jobs Karma exist!
Remind me why I care what some weirdo singer has to say. Did she sing it? Did it sound good? If not, who cares.
Would be a wonderful day to wake up and find out all the bullies in the world met a painful end. People, if you see a bully picking on someone, do something about it, defend each outher. If a bully punches someone in the face, then beat the ever living crap out of them. Hurt them, the best teacher in life is pain, and it is time that bullies started filling the pain they dish out. As for the bullies parents, well, who cares what they think.
Nature puts obstacles in the way to make us stronger and more resistant to our weaknesses. Our kids can't play cops and robbers or cowboys and Indians. The girls need to be included in boys sports. Merry Christmas is now Happy Holidays. Easter vacation is spring recess. Goldylocks and the three bears was rewritten ( papa bear, popa bear and baby bear). I get a fine if my kid isn't wearing his bike helmet! If we don't toughen up quickly, this great experiment we call the U.S.A . will be cast aside with all the rest of the "Great Societies". We're doomed.
The reason why the police do not get involved is because it involves kids. It comes down to the notion that kids are kids and that they will graduate and get over it and that will be the end of it. The people on here saying he CHOSE to commit suicide obviously have no clue about what repeated abuse can do to a person.
So you went thru bullying? Yes or no your part of the problem stop babying these sad excuses for human beings
So does this mean that Lady Gaga is going to stop bullying my eyes with her ugly ass outfits and hair? Everytime I see a picture of her, I wish I was blind. She stops bullying and abusing my eyes, I'll agree with her about bullying in general.
As much as I feel for him and agree it was wrong, you can not attack an idea especially one with such a far gray range. Most of remember being picked on in school and would want it to stop, but you can't stop and opinion only the agressive actions (physicala assault, verbal harrassment) that come with it. I agree with "C" as well it was ultimatley his choice to give up on the life he had rather than seek another fate. I'm sorry but the world will see that even with the heart of the people you can't stop bullying with law.
Boo hoo grow up get friends with your same intrests or maybe we should go back to how things were boysin one school and girls in another maybe then this wouldn't be an issue I went to school got bullied and turned out just fine we need to stop babying these people awww he got bullied....and he dealt with it in a way most of us don't..stop taking up room for real news..we can't change the fact he killed himself am I sad no because it just proved the real world would've eaten him alive anyway it was best for him
I think Lady Gaga needs to stick to what she knows best, putting on an act. Since when do we give full page articles to celebrities thoughts on things like law and order? It was bad enough yesterday when George Clooney was supposed to tell everyone the secret to being 50 since he is the first meaningful person to make it to that age. If Lady Gaga is sensitive and what I just said makes her sad and she happens to kill herself; according to her logic I and everyone else on this message board that says anything negative should be brought up on hate crime charges. How many negative things can be said to a person before it is no longer speaking critically and crosses the invisible line of becoming a hate crime?
Has anyone though to blame the mass factories we force our children to spend 13 years in? There is not enough supervision and your precious child is exposed to all kinds of rot. Why didn't the parents homeschool? Also, it's sick to blame anyone other than the person who kills themselves. It's mental illness, and people commit suicide for many reasons. The idea of 'hate' crime is anti-American. You can't blame someone for making someone feel bad, or where is it going to end? Do we convict bosses who fire people who then kill themselves because they lost their jobs? The gay agenda is not content until they are unquestioned and able to punish anyone who does not agree with them. This includes persecuting Christianity by insisting that Christians are to blame for gay suicides.
I hate the whole "hate crime" concept. a crime is a crime, regardless of motive or intent.
I would "Bully" a few kids in my time but I tell you what, I didn't "hate" any of them !!! So I guess that is not a "Hate Crime" !!
It's called suing for harassment & restraining orders. These things are already in place. People don't just commit suicide because they were bullied – maybe if they were bullied by family members, teachers and students. You do CHOOSE to kill yourself. It's a choice a suicidal person makes. Freedom of Speech SHOULD NOT be hampered because someone else has underlying psychological problems.
Teach your kids to hit back and be strong. Not everyone is going to love you. Get over it.
Really?
Its called grow up and cope with it.
If you're that weak minded to kill yourself, that's all you.
Stop whining and do something productive.
Lady Gaga is only interested in this story because he was gay.
Trust me dingbat, this will never become a hate crime, Never!
This is a natural pecking order and cannot be changed.
I find it ironic a workplace will invest training for "customer service", but is not applied with how co-workers, managers, supervisors treat fellow employees. Bullying does exist in the workplace.
It's time companies take notice of this behavior!
Crime yes. Hate crime no.
Christ, even having a different OPINION is a hate crime now days. Stupid humans! I say kill them all!!
This should be illegal, but the problem is that the taxes will increase if they approve of this ....
WHO THE HELL CARES WHAT THIS IDIOT POP STAR HAS TO SAY ABOUT ANYTHING? WHY NOT ASK BOZO THE CLOWN HE WEARS LESS CRAP!
one kid kills himself and this dingbat wants to build an empire against it, I's sick of the weakness of this country. American , a nation of pansies. Do something about the real problems #1 being illegal immigration. Stop the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, bring the troops home now and man the border with Mexico.
Hate Crime!!!!! Teasing and Bullying by kids needs to be addressed! But, Hate Crime!!!!! Remember, we are dealing with KIDS! let's teach them and not label them. It's starts at home and this young boy who did kill himself among others is a sign of weakness! This should be addressed also. These kids did not kill this boy, he took his life for ALOT of reasons. Lets address the problem and help these children to stop the teasing and teach them about feelings. Hate crime! We are going to LOCK UP THE ENTIRE WORLD...... children!!!!!!!!
I can't wait to see her penis
Woah buddy if it wasn't for her being physco id want that puss just sayin
Making something illegal isn't going to fix the problem, look at marijuana.
No.
Enuf Is Enuf!!! It's time to STOP THE HATE!!!
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/enuf-is-enuf-single/id416643925
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004KRUIW4/ref=redir_mdp_mobile/179-1948581-1975157
Rudolph was bullied constantly as a young fawn about his red nose. Lucy relentlessly tormented Charlie Brown. Poor Alfalfa was made the buffoon (sometimes attacked physically) Horton that poor elephant suffered at the hands of those who didn't believe he was trying to save the Whos. This young man's death was a tragedy for sure. If those mean deer went to jail, who would have pulled the sleigh come Christmas? I can't imagine Lucy in jail covered in tatoos married to Peppermint Patty. This bullying by immature kids has been going on since the beginning of time. You can't legislate every wrong in the world. I' rather see Lady Gaga help feed the tens of thousands of children that will die in Somalia this year.
As if we don't have serious problems in home, rather see you helping in Somalia. Clean your own home before clean the neighbor's.
Where were the kids parents? My kids have been harassed and bullied most of their time in school so far. We have been to the school administration on numerous occasions. It took enrolling them in martial arts and demanding the police get called every time someone placed their hands on them. School admin, police both gave me crap about about this ad nausea, but they failed to safeguard my kids at school. I had no choice. I could not sit idly by and allow my kids to be beat up on every day. Two calls to cops and police reports filed, one purple belt kick to the face, all the bullying stopped.
I think that part of the problem is how much attention is given by the media and posted all over the news. Your watching Oprah and in between your told that at 6PM news they will show how a kid hung himself because of bullies. Then you continue watching Oprah that everyone loves. What is the role model of many GREAT MOMS up to in the show. She is bullying a grown man with issues because he is trying to make a living. She became a bully because she looked like a fool. We humans tend to do this and forget very quickly. We make bullies all the time and forget. We the people are the problem. Parents, Teachers, Media, Bullies, and the Bullied are to blame.
Did Oprah break into A Million Little Pieces because of what she did to a grown man. The funny thing is that she has done shows about bullies and didn't even realize she became one on National TV. It was ignored by many and if the Author kills himself should she be held responsible. Remember hate is hate regardless of the age. I understand why she got upset but why the double standard by We the people.
I think this is tragic, but I must point out that LGBT people are FAR from the only people bullied. I'm straight and I was bullied all trough school for being smart and wearing my pants at my belly button. What happened to this kid is sad, but I think making bullying illegal is the wrong way to go. You need to teach them right from wrong, not make them criminals.
What can you do about peer-on-peer harassment and abuse (AKA Bullying)? Call or visit the schools in your district and ask them to explain, in detail, their policies, procedures and programs. As a taxpayer, you have a right to know.
It only gets better when you have money... Then you buy friends and become the bully.
Im right behind Lady Gaga the whole way! Bullying is stupid,wrong and not needed! The most people get when the put people down in popularity. You gain NOTHING from that! My questions are: What do you gain from doing it? How do you feel when you do it? Does it feel good? Because when i talk about a person i feel REALLY bad when i do it i go to that person and say "im sorry" , and because i do that , i've had so many friends.It sucks!Its not right at all! Bulling should be a law , in ALL states! But the thing i dont understand is how are we going to stop it when its mostly in schools? What are we going to do have a police follow EVERY single person around? I don't think we can stop bullying....and we cant stop the people. I guess we have to tough it out until people decide to change.
Im a 15 year old girl,I've been bullied for as long as i can remember ive been bullied because i was weird and fat. I can remember all of the times when i was bullied i had to keep strong because i have a brother. Im not going to lie i did think about suicide and I thought i could do it , But i didnt because i thought that would be selfish. It kills me when i see stories like this, because if they couldnt make it i feel like i cant. I LOVE Lady Gaga i love how she is! She is VERY inspiring! I look up to her but i dont act like her because im afraid. I know that i can do it , if she can stand on a stage singing and danceing and doing what she loves. If she can i can! Because it true WE WERE BORN THIS WAY!
There should be no such thing as a hate crime. A crime is a crime, no matter who it is perpetuated against. No one should be given favored or protected status.
why is this news?
I feel like Lady Gaga is the spokeswomen for the superficial and retarded that make up an unfortunately large portion of the the U.S. She even looks more durp-ish.
I don't like gaga much and find her act gimmicky and superficial. That said, there are ways to disagree with someone and still take value from other things they say. If she can steer her celebrity into a vehicle for discussion of people treating each other respectfully, then I don't think it does anyone harm. The discussion might just stop suicides, shooting rampages and long term mental illness.
If there were only more elles in the world and fewer MikeyP's, we'd be so much better off.
I was harassed in school growing up, not because I was gay, but considered weird. As a child being humiliated by your peers, it strips away part of your soul. Even kids with strong families sometimes crumble-I didn't have a strong family. I fell into long-term mental illness that I have not been able to recover from. If I had been less weak, I would have done something like columbine. But instead I fell apart inside. I can't hold a job, despite having a high Iq and university degree. It broke my spirit. I developed bizarre personality disorder characteristics for dealing with others.
People don't understand that developing children can't digest constant cruelty. And there is way too much cruelty in this "punk 'em" "talk to the hand" culture we have now
I understand Elle. It gets better. We love you.
elle, I can totally understand where you're coming from. I also was bullied in high school – though it was the "mean" girls version – spreading false rumors, being ostracized, ignored, laughed at. As an extremely sensitive girl, I finally couldn't take it anymore, and wouldn't go back to that high school. I didn't get out of bed for more than a week, until my parents and the school forced me to make a decision. Either go back to high school, or go to adult education. I chose adult education, because I had been so humiliated and hurt in my high school, I was too afraid and embarrassed to return. I ended up doing well in the adult ed program, and tried to attend community college after, and did here and there over the years, but never got a degree. I know I was extremely damaged by all the abuse in high school. I have had different jobs over the years as well, but haven't been able to fit in anywhere.
It's been over 30 years since that happened, but I still remember very well how it felt, and I have had numerous difficulties over the years. Fortunately, I am still around, but many times I have felt so down, that I've considered suicide, although I'm too afraid to do that, I don't want to hurt my mother or other family members. But like you, I can't hold a job, I have difficulty keeping relationships going, and I'm still smarting, if you will, from that whole period (in high school). I did get married, and had a beautiful daughter, but the marriage fell apart. If not for my daughter, I don't know what I'd do. She is my world. I am stronger now than I've ever been – I won't tolerate bullying at all – but my life has forever been scarred by bullies, and I hate seeing it happen to other people to the point it's gotten to. I hope to be able to help the anti-bullying movement in some way, if only to share my experience, or to comfort those who are affected. It's hard, but it does get better. I do have the love of my daughter, and I love her dearly.
If anyone reads this, and you know someone who gets bullied or bullies others – please do something to help. Know that ending your life is not an answer – it just hurts everyone who loves you. Stay strong.
I like turtles.
Love overcomes Hate. – 'IXQUS'
How many more innocent lives must be lost to hatred? Thos story breaks my heart! I agree with GaGa, bullying must stop and we should implement a rehab prpgram for bullies.
All 50 states have laws against bullying.
@me at 7:33pm You and others of like knowing, You Are So Right. And we were battered onto deaath's doorstep for speaking the gentle kind words of Jesus to those we didn't know hated him when we were little childs. So religions both instigate and suffer. But, me's words said it better.
We just had the biggest bullies set free, Casey Anthony and her Parents, so why bother with more laws when the US courts are blind to justice.
Bullying is not just calling people names. You have no idea what this kid went through. Today's bullies are just mean and rough – they should be jailed – I don't care how old they are. If you have no compassion for the victims of bullying or if you think it's just an acceptable part of growing up, then you must be a Republican – no compassion, no feelings, no sympathy!
Oh fantastic. Mark this day, the Devil is wearing snow shoes in He||. I actually agree with Lady Gaga
Natural Selection. sounds like he didn't make the cut to me. I was bullied for my entire middle school experience, and I wouldn't be the confident and composed person I am today without those experiences. The fact that he killed himself showed that he didn't value his life. Nothing more, nothing less.
I believe in natural selection, but it occurs over generations not in individuals. And its a bizarre assumption to think that he didn't value his life. He just wanted to end his pain. I attempted suicide twice and its not because I did not value life. Its because cruelty made me despair. The cruel are not necessarily the "fittest."Look at dick Cheney. He neither values life nor is fit. and his kid is gay. I guess the dick Cheney jab is unnecessary and dilutes my point but I couldn't resist.
Gaga is right. This needs to be regarded much more seriously than it is. What we need to be careful about is not to take a bully, put them through a criminal justice system and have him/her come out the other end as a murder or something like that. We need to understand that bullies are children, after all. They can be rehabilitated if we do the right thing with them..
God, America is so silly.
Most people posting have no real understanding of the level of bullying now. It's not like it was back in the 40's-70's. It has become a relentless non stop (sometimes physical) of another person by multiple people. When you go through proper channels to have the situation addressed and no one does anything, (and yes faculty knows its going on), you get to a point where suicide seems like the only answer. When you dread getting up every day and knowing you have to go back to school you become physically ill.
I had a friend that this happened to her child. They talked to the principal, teacher, bullier and their parents and still it didnt stop. They even got the law involved which didnt do much to help except speak to the bully. Finally their child told them he was not going back to school they tried to reason with their son, he said I just cant take it anymore it never stops. They eventually removed their son from school and taught him at home. He ended up going to a private school that didnt tolerate bad students in any way shape or form. He turned out to be a well rounded person, but his mom told me she lived with almost daily guilt that she and her husband didnt act sooner.
Most jobs wont let this go on why should it happen to students.
Most of us are born post 80s, thank you very much. Although you are right about one thing: it's not like back in the 40s to 70s. Parents today are too sensitive and overprotective of their children that they actually get in the way of any progress. Teachers aren't able to actively do something about the bullies without being "yelled" at by parents. If they were allowed to discipline the bullies, the world would be a much better place.
A makes an interesting point : A
Parents today are too sensitive and overprotective of their children that they actually get in the way of any progress. Teachers aren't able to actively do something about the bullies without being "yelled" at by parents. If they were allowed to discipline the bullies, the world would be a much better place.
in my opinion, its good that parents are sensitive now. Kids need that. But children are over-sheltered by their parents, over indulged, and not disciplined-either at home or in school. ANd time outs teach kids nothing.
Parents need to raise their kids to be respectful of others, even others they don't like or understand. Schools need to enforce a policy of respectful treatment-certainly, when i was harassed in school, there were NO rules about picking on other kids.
We need to be sensitive, but not indulgent. and firm
SHUT THE F UP Gaga. It's life. The kid was too soft to deal with life. Too bad. Life is hard.
Kids are extraordinarily mean to each other if they can find a weaker kid. they don't learn this by themselves. They learn it by watching mommy and daddy.
Partysstink, i would have countered sued the bullies parents and the bully for emo destress on your childs behalf. hit the parnets in the wallet and maybe then they will start raising their kid right. plainbrian, no one will feel sorry for u! u should feel that way because for how u made countless kids feel while u were bullying them. those kids u hated on will never forget what u did and said. Most will still even remember u by name. i remember the names of my tormentors.
This stuff can get extremely overwhelming. I considered suicide more than once. And yes, I have actually been diagnosed with mild PTSD. I had to be homeschooled from 8th grade through 12th because the thought alone of teachers made me so stressed I'd vomit. People, it doesn't matter why they're being bullied. Just know it isn't at all as simple as you think.
Emelia, I'm sorry to hear that you had such a terrible time. What form did your PTSD take? I've been hearing about people suffering from having an exagerrated startle (jumping out of their seats when someone says boo etc) because of bullying
I was having a bad day in an 8th grade math class. next thing, the math teacher has placed his hand on my shoulders and began shacking the hell out of me.
A big part of the problem is that oftentimes, the people who are meant to support you simply don't care. In 7th grade, I suffered through horrid bullying, and not only by peers, but even by staff. I had staff come into the class when I was working, 'evacuate' the class, and physically drag me out the back door and lock me in a bathroom for the rest of the day. By December it was happening weekly, and by March, daily. I eventually just gave up. Nobody would help me. "Why bother trying?" I wondered.
Shes right as long as it applys to everyone not just gays cause my son was expeled cause he broke a bullys arm the bully messed with him for months with no help for the school and i had to pay for the bullys arm and my son lost.
Oh you cant make bullying illegal, if you do, the GOP won't have any tactics for their campaigns!
I have never agreed with her less!
Waaaaaaaahhh waaaaaaahh waaaaaaahh momma he's picking on me. Lol you stupid pathetic infants. Grow up and learn how to stand up for yourself
Do you REALLY think that the victims of bullying are weak and pathetic minded? this just goes to show that you obviously have never experienced bullying before. Well I have and let me tell you, bullying can inflict psychological trauma on the victim, makes you paranoid, destroys your self confidence and destroys your ability to trust people. I was bullied in mainstream school because I am deaf and therefore was seen as different.
Bullies are hate mongers.
I WAS A GRADESCHOOL BULLY! I did it to booster my ego! I did it to make myself better than someone else. I was cruel. I was a bully! I was mean!. I deeply reget today, 25+ years later – my meanness! I don't know what and how much damage I caused, but am sorry for everything I ever did. I can't repair the damage. I deserve the suffering of my regret. I accept that. Child abuse from parent to child is – if horrendous!!! Child abuse from fellow students to a student can be even worse. I regret my bullying! It served me no good. Bullying is just as horrendous as parent on child child abuse – if not worse!!!
Bullying IS a hate crime. u r going after someone Because of things u hate about them. hate! the parents also need to be held accountable for their kids actions. STOP being your kids friend and start being the parent! from what i have seen bullying kids come from bullying parents. case in point, walking home from work, a car with 2 grown a** adults yelled fat slams at me and there were 3 kids in the back seat. they were reallying setting a good example for these kids. parents also need to instill strenght in our kids. if u r being bullied, stand up for your self. putting a bully in their place i quite rewarding. i still to this day will stand up to a bully. it gives u a sense of control and power that the bully is trying to take from u. For those of u who think its nothing and hide behind the whole -freedom of speach- bs, then i'd like to see what u think after being bullied day in and day out for years. freedom of speach was not intended to spread hate mongering!!
I was bullied, the best advice I recieved was from my teacher Ms Finley, and Mrs Hall, violence is bad, self defense isint.
I stood up for myself, I got a black eye gave it back well enough. Was left alone after that, they found easier prey.
Learn to stand up for yourself.
I was a bully "wanna be" in 7th grade. My stepfather abused me and I wanted & needed to feel that I had power and control, somewhere in my life. So, I started picking in kids who were smaller than me. I stopped doing this when a kid, who was smaller than me, kicked by butt when I tried to bully him. Then, I found other ways to vent the anger that I felt over the way that my stepfather treated me. Was my bullying a hate crime? Should I have been arrested and sent to Juvenile Detention?
If you stopped at words and thoughts, then absolutely no. If it progressed to physical threats or mental intimidation, then absolutely YES.
What about freedom of speech?
I was bullied and attacked relentlessly in grade school and middle school. Eventually I withdrew to home schooling before re entering high school later.
I was fat, and had a skin problem, I was aloof because of it and called gay. It was bad.
But what was it really? It was Peer pressure, pressure of the society to conform!
Bullying is natural and occurs in wildlife in nature. It adds pressure to make their be conformity, thus strengthening society and cohesion.
It sucks I know I lived it, I dreamed of columbine before it happened. Today my wife an I try to raise our daughter to be strong and a unique thinker but to be mindful of society and the often unfair pressure she's facing.
Bullying will never end. Government won't stop it. Government seeks the kind of mindless conformity and doctrination that bullying provides.
Anyone thinking of leaving early, think not. You may make a difference in this troubled world. Grow old with grace.
Bullying is a huge issue in schools.
But I want to set it straight that it is not only g@y kids that get bullied. Kids get bullied for their clothes, being overweight, underweight, appearance, being a good student, wearing glasses, having less money, lack of athletic talent, hair style, the list goes on and on. Then there are kids that are bullied for no apparent reason.
I was horribly bullied from about 4th grade through the end of high school for various reasons. I was a good student, wore glasses, didn't grow up in a family with a lot of money. Then after years of enduring bullying I became a kind of socially awkward kid, which made the bullying all the worse. It didn't get better until I went to college hours away from home and got to start over with a fresh slate so to speak.
I had suicidal thoughts from about the age of 12 until I was in college. I used to spend hours during school thinking about the different ways I could kill myself to get away from the bullies. At several different points during my teenage years, the only thing that kept me from attempting suicide was that I was more afraid of screwing up the suicide attempt and living instead of dying. I remember making a list of all of the medications I could find in the house and going to the library to look them up in a Physician's Desk Reference to figure out if the combination was lethal and trying to figure out how long it would take. It scares me how many kids are in the situation that I was in.
My parents tried to do what they could. They knew I was bullied and they tried to work with the school and teachers, and the school and teachers did little to help. If anything the teachers/school would do things that made the bullying and hatred directed towards me multiply, like not allowing me to go to recess because they couldn't keep kids from bullying and beating me up, so then the bullies gave me an even harder time. So I started to tell my parents less and less. My parents were both working, and money was tight and I didn't want to be a burden to them. I felt worthless, and I didn't want them to care and worry about me anymore.
Look, you can think whatever you want - that's freedom. You can even say anything you want, ignorant, insensitive and hurtful as it may be. But when those thoughts and words manifest into actions (physical assault, harassment, mental abuse or worse), it is NOT OKAY. It is not OK for individuals or groups (including religions) to use their thoughts and words to subjugate anyone or anything. Doing so is the very definition of immorality. It is anti-Christian, anti-American and Anti-HUMAN!
Yes lets make the middle finger a hate crime as well. What about cutting someone off when driving? How about farting? Lets cover everything while we are at it
A middle finger wouldn't effect anyone. Cutting off someone while driving has absolutely no connection to school bullying. And who doesn't fart?
People like you are so quick to forget Columbine. Do remember, that the bullies of that school ran away just as fast as everyone else. So your "be strong" ideology doesn't look so strong to me.
Oh shut up and grow some balls. Everyone has been bullied to an extent. Get over it cry baby
I don't approve of bullying, but I do believe that bullying is triggered from an individual who has problems themselves. If people want bullying to stop, they are going to have to help both persons in the confrontation. And for those who say it's weak that we help them and that the only way to promote strong persons is to allow bullying have clearly not put in consideration. There is a difference between growing a child to become a heartless stranger, and growing a child to become a responsible neighbor. Im all for Lady Gaga's plan.
gag-gag probably supports every child gets a trophy to. lame.
Another weak loser dead. Good riddance
People who get bullied should stop killing themselves and start killing the bullies instead.
Without bullying, we cant create strong people in this country. I am so sick and tired of hearing that bullying should be a crime especially from those who have either never been bullied or done the bullying themselves. The pussification of this country is bleeding out the good blood fast and lets not forget we now let guys poke each other too!
Not everyone can be physically or mentally strong to handle constant torment. People snap when pushed too far and some choose to take it out on their aggressors and others choose to take it out on themselves. Just because someone can't handle bullying doesn't mean they are any less valuable to our society. You need to get a clue and open your eyes to what is truly going on in our society. If I had to guess, you probably live in your mom's basement based on your handle. Very brave indeed.
Joke was already used dude
http://www.myfoxdfw.com/dpp/news/education/092111-student-suspended-for-saying-gay-is-wrong
Things are happening, we're already making headway in this fight against bigotry and bullying. We're finally moving towards a world where this kind of disgusting hate speech isn't allowed. A world of true equality and true freedom for all oppressed minorities, where they don't have to worry about hateful discriminatory opinions.
Spread the news that bigoted views and bullying too, will be tolerated no more.
"True Freedom" if I believe what you believe right? You can't say certain talk isn't allowed, and then call that true freedom.
I live in Buffalo – please take the time to look up the complete article about this incident... this article doesn't mention that his peers were anonymously posting on his Formspring account messages that were encouraging him to kill himself. I'll leave you do discover the direct quotes on your own... It's completely horrifying and it makes me sick to think that there is no law against this degree of bullying/ cyber bulling. What this boy went through is absolutely unacceptable.
man this stupid trick needs to shut her man pleaser ASAP
Bullies grow up to be tea party traitors who serve the rich and bullies that they are will steal our social security and
She's going to talk to the President?? Lady Gaga is going to talk to the president to make bullying illegal?? She should probably stick to singing.
This would be a federal crime? Enforced by the FBI anti-bully division? What would the penalty be? How do you define bullying? Can we still laugh at people? What if you are laughing at a joke and a fat person walks by and thinks you are laughing at him, should he call the FBI: ABD? Are we going to put kids in jail now?
I was picked on when I was a kid. It's just part of growing up it sucks. Killing your self over something so petty shows us how weak individuals really can be. Where was his frirends and family? This teen whom killed himself come off as misguided and not cared for. As for bullying you can't make a law to stop bullying because it violates freedom of speech. Gaga is a hack anyways. People usually out grow their bullying ways schools have more important issues to take care off besides bullying. By the way probably most of the bullies in school end up as drop outs or are on the 5 year plan. Bullies will always be part of society, either standup for yourself or turn the other cheek. Common society quit being weak minded.
When "free speech" becomes harassment, it's illegal. This isn't a first AMENDMENT issue anymore than stalking or phone harassment is.
And you should be ashamed of yourself for calling this child weak. Let's hope no one you love ever feels so hopeless. Funny that you say you were bullied but you see no problem at all picking on a dead child.
Bullying is already illegal. It's called harassment. Deal with it.
Well said
What is the right to "free speech"? It means that you can take your soap box to the street corner or to the local park, get on top of it and say anything you want. You can denounce the government, your local politicians or your neighbor. You can also publish your newspaper at your cost to print anything in it you want. It does not give you the right to harass other people in any way. It does not give you the right to use other people's media free of charge. Parents should teach kids this basic rule: Your free speech rights end where my fist begins. You can say anything you want; don't shout into my ears.
"You can denounce the government, your local politicians or your neighbor.
" It does not give you the right to harass other people in any way"
And if those denounced politicians and neighbours feel harassed and BULLIED, what then?
I'm very leery of any new law that adds yet another layer of bureaucratic demands on our already overburdened public school systems. Of course, bullying is wrong, but is passing yet another law that further reduces the autonomy of local School Boards the answer?
Why not legislate "Bullying awareness campaigns" and creating bullying reduction material for use by schools, parents, teachers, students and the police instead? Or start a non-profit that enhances bullying awareness and steps that people can take to reduce the influence of bullies. I love the idea of students starting an anti-bullying club at school. Why don't teachers, parents, and students create an anti-bullying hero award for kids who speak out against bullies?
Bullying doesn't happen just to gay kids. I remember kids from a very religious Christian family at my old high school: the kids were poorly dressed, unattractive, and as "uncool" as you could possibly be. The teachers even picked on them. I recall one teacher telling one of these children that "a life force was wasted on him." I wish I had had the courage to say something.
I also remember Jewish kids being physically and verbally abused during my day. And, I recall the day that an overweight, unattractive girl with poor hygeine and stringy hair was knocked down by a group of taunting boys, who then took the school hose and watered her down. And I did nothing.
Wow, she said something that is right.
I can't agree with Gaga fully since I don't approve of making more laws legislating behavior. However, aren't there already laws against harassment? What about assault, vandalism, theft, etc? Much of what is called "bullying" falls under one or more of those categories as well. Maybe it's time to step up and enforce the rules and laws we already have.
Also – yes, I was bullied, both in school and at a job I used to have. And it didn't make me a stronger person, as others have suggested. I never fought back when I was bullied, and even today, I probably wouldn't fight back. For one thing, I'd probably get into just as much trouble as the bully, if not more so. Sometimes the victim gets punished for fighting back while the bully gets off. Also, the bully and his/her family might even find a way to sue me, and obviously I'd want to avoid that. Finally – and perhaps more importantly to me – is my strong belief that bullying victims should not have to fight back, physically or mentally. They should be able to go to people in positions of authority – teachers, principals, supervisors, etc. – and tell THEM about the bullying. Then they – the authority figures – should handle the situation from there. See, if you're normally low-key and passive but are forced to physically fight in order to deter your tormentors, then in my mind, the bullies have won. By having to stoop to a gut-instinct animal response, you have shown that you are no better than any other human animal, and you've therefore lost all your class and dignity. Truly superior people are able to stay above great equalizers such as retaliation and watch others take care of the dirty work.
I went through so much bullying at school growing up because we moved so frequently, I was always the shy, new kid. My heart aches for this boy and every other child that suffers through repeated harassment in school. It SHOULD be against the law. Unfortunately, I don't think there is anything that can be done, because so many children nowadays are barely raised by their own parents.
We have to do something to change this situation. It is easy to say "Stop It" and wait for somebody else to do it. But we have to work together, including myself, as a high school student. No more stories like this should repeat, so this is our chance to make it happen, to save a life, a dream, a hope. No more hate! No more death! No more bullying! And no more tears. Tears that wash away all dreams from the kids and families who are victims of this crime.
It's sad. The kids who bullied him should be ashamed. They should have been ashamed before he died. This poor kid. But, he took his own life. That decision was up to him, no one forced it upon him. I was bullies in school but never thought about suicide. Clearly the getting better message is not reaching out to this younger generation. Something more drastic needs to be done. Schools need to have a zero tolerance policy toward bullying. Parents need to talk to there children that ending your life over stupid people is not worth it. But more importantly parents need to tell their kids that bullying is unacceptable. And stop passing down your hatred to your children!
If you've ever laughed at another's misfortune, you're a bully and should be incarcerated.
If you've ever complimented someone and they took it the wrong way, you're a bully and should be incarcerated.
If you've ever disliked another person for any reason, you're a bully and should be incarcerated.
If you've ever reacted negatively to or insulted another person, you're a bully and should be incarcerated.
If you've ever hurt another person's feelings for any reason, you're a bully and should be incarcerated.
Turn yourselves in, and this problem can be solved tomorrow. No more bloodshed. No more pain. Do the right thing, people.
If you've ever posted smarta$$ drivel to make yourself look awesome, well, you're just a jerk.
For those who claim it is a "parenting issue," I would partially agree. It appears as though Jamey's parents raised a good, respectful and loving young man. The parents that I take issue with are those that raise children that bully. When my brother bullied another kid I remember my dad taking him to school, made him apologize to the teacher, apologize to the kid and promise to basically be at the kids beck and call for a week, and then stand up in front of his class and admit what a jerk he was. Both my parents as well as I were in the class when he did it and my dad made us apologize on his behalf as well. I was embarrassed for him.....believe me neither he or I bullied anybody again.
Lady Gaga's music is somewhat catchy, but she should stick to music and leave weighty issues to others. The day her opinion on ethics and moral philosophy becomes relevant will be the same day that Big Oil's opinions on climate change become relevant. Why celebrities feel that singing or acting talent suddenly equals scientific, medical, political, or legal competency, I'll never understand.
Its relevant because this child looked up to Lady Gaga. Like it or not, in many cases, artists have more sway over children than their own parents do.
Have you heard of the First Amendment? Artists have above average intelligence.
Lady Gaga,
Bravo for taking this issue in your hands. Please remember that Bullying is far more spread and ugly than the few cases of deaths show. by the hundreds, the girls and boys in a display of power or showing off, harass the shy, the slow , the quiet, the good sometimes. Hundreds are under psychologic therapy because they are or were bullied. Yes, Death is the most terrible thing, but its sad that we pay attention until this things happen. This deaths are just the tip of the iisberg. Bullies and the witnesses should also have a roll in this task. To stop, and to denounce. Please don't let go!
Bullying is not something that can be "solved". If you think you can solve it, you live in a world that does not exist. Look across the globe. Hunger, War, etc... These are unfortunately part of the human condition and will always persist, for at least the next several centuries.. Bullying is something to be overcome, because it cannot be eradicated. It is about building the self. I was picked on all through school because of my nervous disorder, but there was only so much my parents, teachers, and adults could do. Somebody cannot be there all day every day to ensure somebody isnt mean to you. Don't get me wrong, I really do feel mortified by what happened to this kid, but "outlawing bullying" is not really a feasible solution.... You cant send 14 year olds to prison for being mean. I'm sure you've heard this before, but "It's not illegal to be an @**hole". Which is as true for 14 yo's as it is for adults. So you have to engineer your way around the @**hole. Think of somebody at work that you consider a ********. They wont even fire them, let alone put them in prison. Lady GaGa needs grow up and enter the real world, which will never happen. She lives in a world of "meat" dresses and egg houses.. She can scream all she wants, but society doesnt listen to "meat" dress wearing idealists. They might listen to "grown" up idealists that wear normal clothes in public... good music, but not a good platform to engage lawmakers.
"Hunger, War, etc... These are unfortunately part of the human condition and will always persist"
Nonsense. All we need to do is make being hungry illegal. Then no one will go hungry again! It's an obvious fix. How can you be so evil and callous as to oppose this, do you want to see people suffer?
"Somebody cannot be there all day every day to ensure somebody isnt mean to you"
That can be easily arranged. All we need to do is implant schools and youth-centered areas with security cameras and personnel at all times. Perhaps put recording devices on problem children themselves. They can be taxpayer-funded. Think of the children, please! Think of the pursuit of freedom!
""It's not illegal to be an @**hole""
We can MAKE it illegal! Nobody should EVER have to deal with negative people! People shouldn't HAVE to deal with bad things in the world, that's why we have the government and laws to stop that from happening. How can you be so cold as to deny society such a blatantly benevolent law as banning anything that makes people feel bad? That's what a good free society should be all about.
Ryan yes i have known people that were fired for bullying, even after being given a warning they continued to do it and were fired from their jobs.
Another idiot celebrity with another idiot opinion.
We should ban hatred. We should ban insults. We should ban things people are offended by. If anybody notices anybody saying anything negative about anything, they should report them to the authorities.
Who knows if someone will start killing themselves over what somebody says or does? We should really just ban every kind of speech and behaviour outright, just to be safe. Anyone who disagrees is a hate-filled callous sociopath.
Your rights end where other's feelings begin. That's how a true modern society should work.
It starts with the adults in the bully's life...whether they teach that their child's shi> doesn't stink or that bellittles them so much that they feel that they have to make some one feel bad to make themselves feel better. My child was bullied horribly for something he had no control over...a body deformity....and now has so little self esteem it is truly sad. Those of yo saying "buck up" or words to that effect are part of the problem. We need to teach everyone (kids and adults alike) to treat others the way they want their mother or sister treated.
it should be a crime for a no talent clown like her to subject us to such horrible music and style
*kill her, not girl her, oops!
So, I don't know anything about this case, so my comment is not directed to a specific person. When my daughter was in 8th grade, 2 kids threatened to girl her on a public networking site. (Similar to Facebook, but for kids.) Honestly, I knew the kids, and didn't think it was a serious threat. However, as a parent, I felt it necessary to show these children how serious their behavior was. I went to the school principal, how couldn't help me, but did recommend that I call the police. So, I did. They were SO helpful. They went to the school, pulled both children out of class and had a talk with them. Then, the cops followed up with the parents. I am proud that I took this as seriously as I did. How knows how these kids would have turned out if I didn't? One ended up being the Valedictorian of the class. Parents!!!! If your kid is being bullied, don't blow it off!!! Take action, take control and protect your kids!!!!
I did the same thing when my daughter was harassed and threatened. The police went to the parents house in the evening and talked with the whole family. Never happened again.
How does one kid in 10000000000000 corelate
Bullying should not become illegal, and its not the real issue at hand. The problem is the kids who are getting bullied. Our kids need to be raised with certain principles, and learn to deal with challenges. Honestly, I think that martial arts should be mandatory in school. Kids will learn to build confidence in themselves, and they will learn to respect their opponent. Protecting kids from bullying in the manner that everyone is suggesting is going to make our country weak.
Hollywood....the land of morals. Teach us oh shaker of a$$ and flaunter of breasts.
Eventually, "bullying" will be defined as anything that offends anyone, in any way. No one will talk to anyone else lest they be accused of a hate crime. We will also breed a nation of incredibly weak, inept, and socially-incapable children, who won't be able to function in a real world.
Gagya please sit down and shut up, Kids tease and push around other kids all the time. It is and has been for thousands of years the way they play. A person needs to make a stand for themselves or they will get pushed around for the rest of their lives. I had to fight even when we ended as best friends, it is the way of the world. What do you think makes for bad big government with some government agency wipeing your nose for you, people who will not stand up for themselves. Yes you get beat sometimes but you get over it and learn, you don't hang yourself or jump off a bridge.
We have tv and radio commercials for this at home computer education. I believe they are pushing this to kids who can't take the bullying and violence in the public schools but the school districts won't do anything to stop it. Perhaps it is because lower test scores gets them more federal money. Why get rid of the bullies who aren't there to learn and keep others from learning, get rid of the smarter kids and keep the test scores lower.
And there goes my ability to take lady gag seriously. Wait, scratch that: I never did.
In other news.. I think Lady Gaga is a hate crime. She must become illegal.
"Those that sacrifice freedom for security will have neither." – B. Franklin
It is even more of a crime when the school district punishes the victim for reporting the violence. We had monthly meetings over two years for daily threats and assaults that my son and other white kids were subjected to. Then the school sends home a letter saying my son can't go to some of his classes and he is only allowed to use the nurse's restroom. I go to school board meetings and insist that superintendent be fired and they threaten to have me arrested and sued if I ever go back to another meeting. We became refugees in another state at double the mortgage just to get an equal education that apparently only applies to non-whites in America.
see it all the time. it's the only type of hate crime that is acceptable.
Btw, I was bullied when I was younger. You find out that the bullies are really weak minded cowards, the moment that you stand up to them they shrivel like a salt covered slug. This is when I learned that there are not just sheep and wolves, but some of us are sheepdogs.
Yeah, screw freedom of speech, this generation's Madonna ripoff knows what's best for us.
Your first amendment rights are the most important rights you have. More important than your life. Don't EVER volunteer to give them away, else all other rights will cease to exist.
Back many years ago some idiot kid commited suicide because he thought an Ozzy Osbourne song told him to do it, bringing about an attempt to ban Ozzy and similar music. Every day kids commit suicide over all sorts of stupid reasons. I think this is more of a self-guilt response for not recognizing the signs of serious issues within the kids themselves.
You can't legislate away the stupidity of humanity, it is part of the human condition. Follow through on a logical path and we will all be forced to live in a cube, our only social contact will be online and our messages censored.
How many liberties are we going to sacrifice before everything becomes some sort of crime? Considering that they are teaching computers to read facial expressions, how long is it going to be before "Thought Crime" is a reality?
Bullying gays kicks ass though. It should be encouraged to haze f a g s.
It doesnt matter whether you like her or not. People do need to be doing somthing about bullying. The other day in a town very close to where i live a 6th grader took his life because he was being harrassed non stop at school. Its easy to say 'oh thats life just learn to deal with it' but unless youve had to personally deal with a mental illness you have no idea what people go through. its easy to judge when youve never had to walk in their shoes. An 11 year old child should not have to feel like the only way out is for him to take his own life and if you think that it is ok then you obviously have an illness of your own do deal with.
This is why more parents are removing their child from the school. Happened to a friend of mine. They went to the principal and ended up going before the school board, and told them since they were doing nothing to rectify the situation that they would take care of the problem themselves. Which is usually a private school where bad behavior is not tolerated from any student. Now days the bully is most likley the child of an "upstanding citizen" of the community.
I have even heard of teachers that do report the bully end up getting in some type of trouble with the school.
Wow, I feel for the family, and speaking as someone who used to be bullied really badly I couldn't agree more on making it a priority to stop bullying. Help the bullied and the bully.
Is wrong to say that looking at her and listening to her rip off Madonna is a hate crime???
I hate to be the wet blanket on your soapbox "Lady" Gayguy, but kids commit suicide everyday over all sorts of stupid reasons. The answer is not legislation but intervention. Are we doing enough for kids to know that there are others who are willing to reach out to them?
This is stupid and anybody agreeing with Lady Gaga is naive and doesn't know how to deal with life. Things such as harassment, making threats, and unwanted physical contact are already illegal, and are a big part of bullying. So how exactly did making those things illegal stop bullies? It hasn't. How will a new law help anything? It won't. The kids being bullied are simply afraid to speak up, and that is part of the problem. We should find ways to make them less afraid to pursue the many avenues of action they have at their fingertips.
When a school is aware of a bullying situation and FAILS to take action, that is the only time a law should come into effect.
I knew when Gaga tweeted supporting Harry Reid that she was gonna find some way to campaign for Obama... KNEW IT.
Her proposal is meaningless & will be as nuts as the Zero Tolerance policies that expel kids for bringing a butterknife to school.
Love her...
your mom is a hate crime
I agree 100% with lady gaga. This is a hate crime and should be dealt with seriously. How many more innocents have to commit suicide before any action is taken...
Im glad she is Speeking out, shes a very talented musician and does speek for very good purposes.
Hope there are more of the same from news outlets.
No laws about bullying??? How about harassment? That's what it is, plain and simple. Especially when it's extreme and sustained over a long period of time and via multiple avenues such as in person, over the internet, etc. There was a mother convicted of doing the same and causing a teenage girls death why not the juveniles in this case? At the very least, they should be required to do some sort of community service which requires them to speak at schools about their experience and what it's done to their lives to let people know that they now understand the consequences of their actions, which may hopefully make other kids/people think twice before they type and say whatever they think. This could not only act as some sort of punishment but in the long run, could help them feel like through this tragedy that they helped to create, that they are now part of something positive, rewarding and worthwhile. It could change the lives of them and others for the better if they can help to make a change in the world.
Well the laws that are in place obviously are not being enforced on a wide scale level. When that happens sometimes new laws are necessary to draw attention to the crimes being committed, if for no other reason than clarification of how to interpret it.
Bullying is a part of life. Suck it up and deal with it! In nature they call this thinning out the heard.
Really?? Ge over yourself. someone killing themself isn't "thinning out the heard." That's tragic and something that could have been prevented. The only reason you are acting in this mnnor is because you are more than likely one of the many, weak, sick people who bully others and find nothing to be wrong about it. Bullying is sick and as we all can see here, tragic and life threatening. Grow up.
Hundreds of thousands of years of bullying has led humans to the position of where we are right now. On top of the food chain. At 14 or whatever, everyone's life is not what they want it to be. FFS, does it really get easier or harder after that.
I will be blunt, and if some people can not handle their harsh lives at 14, seriously how on Earth will they actually handle life at 30+ when life really gets tough with a family/job/bills/every curveball life tosses at you.
This is not a slam on someone with whatever lifestyle they choose, its about sucking it up and toughing it out in a tough environment that every adult has to go through to become a meaningful part of society.
funny they put a nip slip as the picture
Please make IT stfu – we are breeding generation of weak and spineless people because of sht like Gaga...
Unfortunately, the strong will ALWAYS prey upon the weak. Most bullies are also juveniles, so they won't get much punishment even if there was a way to make a law. Laws exist for assault, assault & battery, etc. Physical violence is punishable, but mental anguish. Plus the kids do it when nobody is around. Although they are probably stupid enough to record it on their $400 I-phones
Look, this is all well and good, but I know this much–bullying is a part of life, and I don't believe it can be changed. I really feel terrible about what happened to Jamey–honestly. But there's no possible way to make bullying illegal. The failure here isn't that the child was bullied, it's that those around him failed to notice the warning signs happening FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR. Bullying is going to happen, and there's no way to legislate it because sooner or later, free speech has to come into play. I know that I wouldn't be half of the man I am today if I wasn't bullied growing up, and I was the big kid! It's all in how you deal with it. I'm not saying that to criticize Jamey–again, he should've had help in dealing with it. The point is that you grow up and move on.
This is a very sad story, but Gaga is just on board because the kid mentioned her songs in one of his last posts.
Gag-a and his music are crimes, too. They both should be illegal.
This bulling thing that has spiraled, goes back to the beginning of time. Parents need to teach their children to ignore things that aren't true, how on earth will that child grow into an adult will someone always be there to make a law to protect them. What happened to the simple nursery rhyme "Stick and stones ".. anybody remember that.? Name calling will always be there some people never outgrow it...... Dr Phil had a good take on Bulling is the same as Domestic abuse, they just get older and always showing power !
You can teach a kid to ignore the content of insults, but you can't teach a kid to ignore the fact that a significant segment of the school he goes to is actively against him and that no one else will defend him.
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Natural selection. the strong always pick on the weak. these r the same idiots that love "everyone gets s trophy." time this country got an enima.
I think this is admirable..but why is no no big push to stop the abuse of all children who become victims of predators ? No child should suffer any abuse be it name calling or physical. Her voice and presence should be used for all children !
It's a laudable idea, but it'll never happen. How would you legislate something like that? Most schools already have anti-bullying programs in place. The problem is usually getting any proof of the bullying and getting the bully's parents to admit any responsibility ("My kid didn't do anything wrong, and if you keep harassing him I'll sue this school!"). There's also the issue of enforcement – with teachers facing increasingly crushing workloads thanks to budget cuts, now they have to be cops, too?
This is such bull. Just another excuse for bad parents. It's all the parents fault for not teaching their kid how to defend himself. I was bullied from the time I could write my name until I graduated high school. I never took my own life or anyone else's, for that matter. I think it's a father's JOB to teach his son how to be a man. That includes standing up for yourself. The world is one giant pecking order establishment, starting at birth and it never ends. You're always going to have to fight for your place in the world. Bullying is just one of those pecking orders. At some point, the bullying just blurs out and if you ignore the bullies, they mightget bored and go away. If you fight back, they definitely go away. I was 4 foot nothing until I was in 10th grade, so I was constantly picked on because I was "the little guy" but when I dropped a guy twice my size, people stopped messing with "the little guy" and left me alone. As bad as it sounds, the whole mess at Columbine actually helped me too. I was always really quiet because people picked on me, and after Columbine, people were just scared of the quiet kids. When are people going to hold the parents responsible? It's the parents' fault on both sides. One set of parents didn't teach their kids right from wrong, so they turn out to be hellions with nothing better to do than bully others. The other side didn't teach their kid to stick up for himself, so he turned into a punching bag. It's not the kids' fault. It's the friggin parents! Kids are going do whatever they were taught. Typical bullies are often abused as children. Abuse is all they know, so it's what they dish out. Start holding the parents responsible for not raising their kids right, ffs!
First of all, no one believes a word of your life story, so give it up.
Second, most bullying does not happen with violence or even assault, so if your answer to bullying is to beat up the bully, it won't work, because the person who beats up the bully will be the one who gets in trouble and pretty much ruin any chance of a normal jail-free high school life. Sorry, but this is not a John Wayne movie, people who get into fights get into deep trouble. I know a kid who was expelled from school for his first offense of violence, and this was not on school grounds and he was acting in self defense (which even the school acknowledged, but that's charter schools for you).
And if your answer is to grow thicker skin against the insults and practical jokes, that won't work if you are being bullied by multiple others and there is no one else to side with you (which you will notice is the case in all of these suicide tragedies). There is no skin thick enough to protect you if your whole world is against you. And it's not a lack of social skills that prevents others from siding with a bullied kid, its the fear of becoming bullied themselves that prevents others from siding with a bullied kid.
Sorry Lady Gaga, don't you have some Madonna styles to copy? Bullying is not a hate crime. It's definitely wrong but it's what young insecure kids do to make themselves feel better. What kids do because their parents don't properly educated them is not a hate crime.
I HATE LADY GAGA!!! GO F UCK YOURSELF!!! What? Am I going to be arrested for a HATE CRIME NOW???
Agreed!....who cares what this Tranny thinks....we all know she has a "package"!!!!...for the love of God....that's a boy....and an ugly one..either way she\he plays
I was bullied. In turn, I learned to respect others to compensate. I also learned to fight back and not back down in the face of people more aggressive than I am. The world is full of aggressive people that will victimize you unless you stand up both mentally and physically if need be. That's not something you just do, it's a learned behavior. The bullies did me a favor, allowing me to succeed when I perceived others to be a threat. In order for something to be called a "hate crime" there first has to be a crime. What would be the crime here? Not being nice? Calling someone a punk? Making fun of their hair? Those aren't crimes...they are free speech opinions. Sticks and stones....
Gaga isn't a role model for anyone, hence the blue hair. She's rebellious by her nature. I think this is more about her than about kids. Me me me me.
Rebellion because she doesn't want people to constantly harass people for being different. Yeah... rebel.
I think killing and bombing innocent people is illegail but we do it anyways, so what does bullying have to do with anything then.
Why is it always about being bullied for being gay? What about people who get bullied for being over-weight, or poor, or simply ugly? Where is their 'It get's better" video? Where is their support from officials? Are gays so special that ONLY they matter when it comes to being bullied? I was bullied relentlessy for being small, but I didn't kill myself over it.
You can't legislate people into becoming decent. Not going to happen. All we will do is create an environment of 'protected people."
Sum f***ers dezerve 2 get builled!!!!! stupid f***ers need 2 grow a backbone. u kn 1 is weak when they off n kill themselves..boo hoo
You are not erudite but I agree with you nonetheless.
This anti-bullying shyte is emblematic of what a fcking load of pssies we as a nation, culture and civilization have become. GaGa is a tox on society
Bullying is not a hate crime. Whereas a hate crime is about the abuse of someone else that is seen as an inferior, bullying is the harrassment of someone else for the sake, not of putting the other person, but building the bully up in his own eyes through the use of power.
Gaga needs to start with herself. She was called out to be a bully by some of her school peers.
I was bullied once. Once. it stopped when I snapped the guy's neck.
I could argue that all crimes that involve violence or malice are hate crimes. What makes bullying special?
This is retarded.
If bullying was a hate, then almost every crime would be a hate crime
And bullying is one of those unsolveable problems that celebs like Gaga can get behind for eternity if she wants to. It never will go away, so neither will she. Sigh. So sad.
People ruin other people's lives before their own lives can be ruined. It's called survival of the fittest. Obama would like to see it go away – and the only one that can bully people is him. Otherwise, bullying should be illegal. Whatever. My kid is going to kick your kid's butt, and that's all there is to it.
Also never show that much of gagas boobs again. Pukeatronic!
You know as much as I think bullying is wrong I think to go to the extreme of making it a hate crime is stupid. Every person is bullied as a child. That doesn't mean bullying is right but instead of saying how bullying should be a hate crime how about we look at the parents. If a parent doesn't notice that their kid is emotionally upset then apparently they are more preoccupied with other things. I was bullied as a kid and you know what my parents talked to me about it and helped me get through it. I find it hard to believe that a kid that kills himself does not show signs of being upset or any other sort of warning sign. I think if we do this then lets keep making sure every kid gets a trophy even if they lose. Lets just make sure everyone in this world is happy and nothing wrong can ever happen. I think we will be doing our children a disservice and future generations a disservice if we continue on this road of everyone must be nice to on another. If you think I am wrong take a good look at your life and tell me everyone in the world is nice to you. If you say they are you are full of it. The real world is harsh and people are mean and rude nice and simple. If we raise a kid in a world that everyone must be nice to you because your different then when they do get out in the real world it will be even harder. Cut the crap people and quit being such coddlers to your kids. I have a child of my own who is 10months but I will not raise him telling him he is always a winner I will tell him son you win sometimes and you lose sometimes but that doesn't make you any better or any worse then the next kid. You best believe I will also not tell my kid he has to like or get a long with everyone he is a person and will have his own likes and dislikes and I wont force him to get a long with someone if he choses not to. Oh and to the ones who say my kid will just be a bully this doesn't mean I wont tell my kid he shouldn't pick on someone it simply means he can ignore them and not have to be friends if he doesn't want to be.
well said!
I was a bully when I was younger and you know what? I still am! Johnson better have that report on my desk by noon or its gonna be a problem. Everyone in the office fears me and it feels great wielding that kind of power. Something you poor beta nerds would know nothing about. And let me tell you something else, the women love an alpha like me. That girl from accounting you thought you had a chance with, I took her back to my place on lunch break and she laughed at you after I showed her how a real man gets down. Know your place, weaklings.
Lol...LIAR!!!!
Heh, one day you will push the wrong person too far and he will go out to his car pick up his glo.ck and cut you down. I am sure he will laugh at you as you die. And when I hear about it, it won't surprise me and I don't doubt you deserve what you got... any one st.up.id enough to push some over the edge is risking their lives.
While I think it's fine for her to speak out against bullying, she has no business suggesting it be illegal. What are you going to do? Lock up the kids? I was a small kid and a bully target but once they found out it was like teasing a wolverine they left me alone because no bully wants to walk around with a fat lip or a black eye. Bullies are essentially cowards that try to hide their flaws by highlighting and jeering the flaws of others. Once they are exposed, their bully cred is gone.
*sigh* Last time then I have to go....when the kid getting bullied is gay it gives the bully all the power they'll need through their religion.
If a kid is raised to believe beyond any doubt that all gay peole are inherently evil and will burn in hell for no other reason than they are gay, no amount of retaliation or defending yourself will stop these people, to them it's obligatory that they bully these kids because...well, the "why" is a religious thing that I still have trouble wrapping my head around in the first place.
You know what else should be illegal? Parents giving their 13 and 14-year old children unrestricted, unmonitored access to the Internet and social media sites, especially anonymous ones like Formspring. It's time for parents to wake up!
Bullying is commited at all ages. When it's a teacher or a school principal, it is beyond illegal.
Actions can be legislated. Hate is reprehensible. Our lawmakers should be writing legislation on this now.
The only hate crime here is her use of a negative action by kids in order to attract potential record buying parents.
so you mean to tell me just cause she makes music, she's not allowed to have an opinion and voice it. get lost
stop bullying me about bullying. Kids saying they don't like each other is not bullying. Kids not wanting to associate with kids they don't like is not bullying. Kids excluding kids from certain activities is not bullying. But the schools and overzealous anti-bullying advocates now tell us it is. At this point the anti-bullying advocates are becoming bullies. Good grief, get a grip.
Since you obviously don't know how severe this has gotten I will simply suggest you educate yourself and do some research on this before you spout off with your accusatory statement claiming the bullies have become the victims.
@Jin Slagg: Maybe not in our lifetime,Jin, but I would like to think that we as human beings are a 'work in progress' as it were and that our purpose on this earth is to evolve as human beings. Through education, through life lessons, through hardship, through love.
I am not convinced. I was a military brat, small, skinny, with thick glasses, good grades and a funny accent who moved all over the country as a child. I was bullied everywhere. Sometimes it was just taunts, insults and jeers, but other times it was physical. I've had my nose broken, my belongings stolen or destroyed and more than one fight after school.
But you know what? It made me stronger.
My father taught me to stand up for myself, to fight back – hard – against the bullies. Sometimes I won, most of the time I did not (I was a skinny little nerd, after all); but putting up a good hard fight usually ended the bullying. Even when it did not, they learned to think twice before attacking me. Only twice did I ever get the police involved, and in both cases it was because the bullies had MUCH older friends who joined in (when I was 12 one bully got his 22 year old Uncle to beat me up).
My dad often said, "If you don't fight the bullies then you're just giving them permission to go bully someone else when they are done with you."
The thing is, bullying is a part of nature. We're animals, same as any other. Dominance and territorialism play a HUGE role in our lives, though we usually don't realize it or admit it. Bullies and thugs have always existed, and most likely always will. If we became a nation of pacifists then a violent nation would crush us. That's just the way of the world, no matter how much we may hate it.
And I do hate violence. I hate war and bloodshed and humanity's often destructive nature. Were it up to me all human beings would love each other and respect each other. But it is not up to me. Some things, like bullying, will never change, no matter what we do.
I feel that it's better to teach our children to stand up for, and to defend, themselves. Running to authority should be the method of last resort. Why? Because the authorities will not always be there to protect you. That's just a simple fact. If you expect to always be rescued, then you will be vulnerable when no help is in sight, and more likely to give in to fear and depression. If you are taught to believe in, value and stand up for yourself, then you become strong enough to not always need authority to guard you.
Finally, I hate seeing kids (even bullies) get arrested. Doing so usually just ends up making them worse criminals, and more hateful and violent people. One of my best, life-long friends, was a bully who tried to hurt me once. I stopped him, and he gained both respect for me and humility. He stopped being a bully after that. Had I ran to the police he probably would have become bitter, gained a hatred of authority, and most likely have become a worse criminal thanks to the influence of other thugs in juvie. Happens all of the time.
Of course, you should also teach your kids to go to the police when needed. Such as when the bullies are known to be armed, or much older. But most bullies are not gang-bangers, most don't carry weapons other than their fists and mouths. And those, more common, bullies are best dealt with by the children themselves. Because often the only person who can protect the victim is the victim him/herself.
Sorry for the long post. This is just my point of view, and I know many will disagree with me. But, parents, you will not always be there to defend your children. The police will not always be there to protect them. Teach them to fight for themselves, and they will gain the strength to persevere over fear and victimization. Even if they are beaten (as I was, many times), they will never be defeated.
Not necessarily disagreeing with you as I do agree with much of what you said. But you do make the same honest error when talking specifically about gay kids being bullied that many other people do....when it is specifically a gay kid being bullied the bullies are always armed – with religion.
Not to sound like a broken record, but I honestly believe that many people are not seeing the bigger picture here. Yes bullying happens, it's happened to most of us. But this is not just simple bullying like many people are "used to", this is borderline if not outright terrorism. They are followed home, harassed online, even many of the schools and teachers won't do anything about it out of fear of retribution from the religion corporation.
There is a better way than simply telling your kid to fight back even though he/she may lose every time. We need to approach this from the originating point...and to me, it originates from kids hearing their parents and religious leaders in church speak so negatively about gay people that of course they're gonna get the idea that it's ok to treat gay people that way, especially when they know they won't really get in trouble for it other than for the sake of appearances.
QS hates religion more than he hates bullies. Seems to me he was touched by a priest or something... FAIL!!!!!!!
Yes bullying is wrong, and yes it's horrible when anyone commits suicide. But we're not going around and arresting every 13 year old that's ever picked on another kid. Leave the lawmaking to the educated gaga.
They need to start fining the parents whose children do this kind of stuff. Every bully I ever knew had the poorest excuses for parents. They were all alcoholics, drug addicts, or bullies. YES!! I said it. YES!! I blame the parents!
Bullying starts at home!
You are absolutely right. They may not even be drug users and they may not even be low lives. They may just think the sun shines out of their kids a$$ and they never discipline the little devils. Those kinds of parents come in for parent-teacher conferences and the teacher tells the parents that their kid is misbehaving in class, but they defend their kid to the end. That kind of kid needs a smack of reality. Then there are the parents who don't get what it takes to be a parent and just thought having kids would be a picnic. They aren't involved in their kid's lives at all and are too overwhelmed to discipline them. It ALL comes down to the parents. Parents need to keep a close eye on their kids, and have the energy to deal with it. If you aren't up to the task of actually raising an upstanding citizen, don't have kids!
The only crime here is having to see this ugly Hoe's face and hear her sh!tty music on the radio.
Bullying is a problem just as it has been for years. It's not going to go away just because people make laws against it. It's naive to think it would be possible to enforce it. Everyone would break the law at one point or another, unless you're a mouse who never learned to stand up for yourself. No law is going to solve bullying, but it is the responsibility of the parent to do as they teach in terms of treating other people. I was picked on as a kid, still get picked on sometimes today, but you get over it, you grow a tougher skin, and LIFE GETS BETTER! All these kids keep committing suicide because they give up before life even begins.
And what is a kid supposed to do who is a model kid, happens to be gay, and whose parents happen to be super religious? All the people who rightfully believe it's the responsibility of the parents to instill in their kids proper manners and how to treat others refuse to acknowledge that when you bring religion into this conversation it takes a rather interesting turn.
How do we expect a parent to instill the correct mentality in their kids if the parents themselves have no issues with their kids bullying another student simply because that kid is gay?
You see, all the typical bullying people refer to that they themselves may even have gone through as kids still does not compare to the bullying gay kids go through simply because of the extra empowerment many people feel about bullying gay people in general thanks to their religious beliefs.
Bullies should be fed to the lions.
What I found about most bullies is that they have some underlying inferiority issue.
And they deal with this inferiority issue by taking their frustration out on other kids that usually are weaker or smaller or vulnerable in some way.
.
Ugh. WOOF.
Is this not redundant? When has bullying, battery, murder been a love crime?
And I LIKE the blue hair.
STOP THE BULLYING!!
If you must resort to violence, you have already lost. Bullies are losers. Their "victims", though perhaps physically weaker (or perhaps simply preferring not to be violent) are better than the bullies, and the bullies can't stand that. Bullies are so afraid of their own inferiority that they are compelled to put others down. They are the true weaklings. If they had any brains or any sense of self-worth, they would use their physical strength to protect and defend, not to destroy.
Bullying will never stop as long as humanity walks the face of the earth. It is as old as humanity itself. This utopian society that people want to happen where all races, creeds, colors, religious backgrounds and everything else associated with that will never happen. Never. People are too different.
While that may be mostly true, taking the approach that nothing can be done so we may as well not do anything about it is essentially condoning it.
We may not be able to eradicate bullying altogether, but imposing harsher, stricter penalties and punishments on those who do the bullying is the very least we can do – but there are other things that can be done as well that would have the potential to lessen the degree and/or the frequency of these situations.
Bullying is bad behavior, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it a hate crime. First of all, we're talking about kids. Kids often don't fully comprehend or appreciate how their actions impact the lives of others. Especially when it comes to long term consequences (the just don't have the life experience to understand anything long term). And whats more, bullies are particularly bad at empathy and connecting with others. They lack the emotional intelligence required to understand how their words and actions can have a significant impact on a person. So in a sense, while bullies might know the difference between right and wrong, they don't anticipate the consequences of wrong doing. It is up to parents to enlighten their children.
I was bullied a lot as a kid. If nothing else it prepared me for a world that is not always perfect and safe. It taught me to watch my back and to look out for my friends. But most importantly it taught me to never give up. There will always be people who just want to push your buttons, but it is up to you to rise above it. Don't give up.
Good post. The trouble is that most bullies behave as if they have no impulse control, and when they're told to stop, they don't, until something goes so wrong that real action has to be taken against them – physical, legal, whatever – or the kid who can't take it anymore either lashes out to the point where THEY end up in trouble, or they kill themselves. It would be great if we'd learn as a society to forcibly stop it before it reaches that level.
on the other hand her cornball outfits and rainbow hair dews should be made illegal, it hurts the eyes.
She does it to tick you off. It seems to be working.
Why are 12 year old kids gay nowadays anyway? If it wasn't for the electric jeVV they wouldn't even know what gay is.
so true
in my book there is NO DIFFERENCE between bullying and terrorism. It is so sick and so sad that anyone, absolutely anyone does not CHOOSE to treat others the way that they would wish to be treated. It is sinful and disgraceful. AND I truly believe what goes around comes back around and will bite all these idiots right in their ass.
Unconditional love for others is so simply it is ridiculous
Everyone handle meanness in different ways. But why must people always be so mean, maybe you grew up in a mean family, so that is what you learned, maybe others grew up in a loving family and can't or enen know how to handle mean. i feel the people who are mean and pick on others, need help. It is a different society today.
I wish Lady Gaga would commit suicide....
Yes, what QS 6:19pm said. Year: 2011. Yet we are far from civilized if a child prefers death over the quality of life (or rather lack thereof) it endured year after year at the hands of its own peers. How long will it take for us as people to reach that high level of civilization...
SOLUTION:
If your kid is bullied, report it to schol and the police. The police find the parents of the bullies and notify them that if it doesn't stop, they will be liable for any damages suffered by the kid being bullied. This includes being charged with assault and battery if the bullies so much as touch the kid, and mental cruelty if they tease, haze or harangue the kid in any way, either face to face or via social media. If the kid ends up committing suicide they will be charged with homicide or murder in an extreme case. Gaga is right, bullying must be viewed as a crime and dealt with accordingly.
lol
I want to hit you in the teeth. Limp wrists like you are why China's winning.
No it's not; you're an idiot if you really believe that.
Thanks for turning our country's kids into a bunch of soccer players.
@ Rick Dees – soccer players are actually kind of bada$$ athletes. What are you so butthurt about?
Now we should take child -rearing advice from a blue-haired freakshow? When I grew up in the 1970s, it was called "building character" by parents and teachers. There was no 'bullying" as they call it today. You either got along with everybody or didn't. It's the way of life. You cannot like everybody you ever come across and everybody will not like you. Todays "leaders" and child-coddlers want to tell kids that everybody loves you. FALSE HOPE. Get real. It's gotten to the point of legislating liking others. Some jerk will come along and beat you up and steal your lunch money or call you names in person or online. In the "olden days" bullies used to write nasty things about you on the school lockerroom or bathroom wall or desk or pass mean notes about you. Now its all done online. How efficient. It doesn't mean you have someone arrested, kill yourself, kill someone else, sue the school, or "go public" with your issues. Grow up and get some balls and backbone. That is what parents and teachers meant when they said it "builds character". How do I know? I was the smallest kid in school through 12th grade and got pushed around enough to say all of the above. I turned out fine. This lame generation must toughen up.
Seriously. Thank you.
When ONE kid commits suicide it invalidates your entire argument.
And how long has the religion corporation been declaring that being the smallest kid in school is an abomination? That the smallest kid in school will burn in hell just for being the smallest?
See, once again, those who claim to have been bullied – and I don't deny that you were – but they don't truly understand the differences and why you cannot compare that to what gay kids go through.
The bible doesn't say anything about shortness being a sin, so I kind of doubt you had the level of trouble that some kinds have nowadays...plus I have a feeling there was no social networking in your time where someone could get to you through many channels at once.
You were bullied and you turned out fine? Well, isn't that nice for you. Really. I guess everyone should be just like you.
Are you so simple minded that you cannot tell the difference between "legislating liking others" and "legislating not bullying others"? If you don't like someone, how about just leaving them alone?
who cares what she has to say. Gaga is a freaking loser. I wish you would die.
Honey, I've asked you to turn your music down several times, now. I can hear your Lady Gaga all the way upstairs.
Hey, man, thanks for being such an awesome Journey fan.
Why does everyone need to be such a freak show nowadays? You think its ok to go around school claiming to be gay or whatever your attention ploy of the moment is, and then when you catch crap for it, its a hate crime? How about people just be normal? How about these kids grow some thicker skin. Do they think bullying stops when they leave high school? It doesn't. Your going to be criticized for the rest of your life, like it or not. Don't be a weirdo, or deal with the consequences of your actions....
Awesome! Hey everybody – look at this! Rick has solved all the problems – he knows what 'normal' is! Write a book, Rick, and save us all.
Why aren't you still doing your top 40 radio show???
Start holding parents responsible for their monstrous offspring! It's the only way to reduce bullying. Parents have no incentive to do something about their kid when they are bullying someone. GIVE them some.
WRONG. Jerky bully kids come from jerky bully parents. Its generational and never changes.
Ok. I was bullied. However, I wasn't bullied for being a minority. I was bullied for being a nerdy girl. Where are going to be the hate crime laws for that?
As a society, we should not choose what it is illegal to bully someone for relentlessly. Ban bullying completely. No exceptions.
I agree. We shouldn't be deciding as a society which reasons are good enough to be bullied over. We should be putting an end to it, period.
I have a feeling all of the people on here saying that bullying doesn't exist or it's just "kids being kids" have never themselves be bullied. I was bullied all through school, did I kill myself? No, but I dreaded everyday of school, and found excuses to get out of going or when I got older skipped class all together. My parents did everything they could to love and support me and boost my self esteem but when you have medical induced weight problems only so much can be done. And no we won't be throwing bullies in jail but we need to nip this bullying crap in the bud whether it is by detention or parent teacher meetings. It doesn't matter what the reason behind the bullying it is wrong. I'm just sorry that all the people who hate Lady Gaga can't see past the fact that she is involved and realize this is a cause we need to stand behind. We need to teach tolerance and courtousy and teach that there are punishments for unacceptable actions. In a place of work you will be fired for harrassment, in school the teachers just shrug and think it's okay?
My point exactly! When a very real, very harsh punishment is in place for kids that take part in this type of bullying that goes beyond bullying and becomes harassment and assault, I think the kids doing the bullying would possibly think twice before participating in the bullying.
And if more people would take an honest look at what part religion plays in all of this they might finally start to understand why gay kids aren't just being bullied, they're being terrorized. It's sad when a teacher turns their head to a gay kid being bullied simply because they know if they step in to try to stop it they might lose their job thanks to the religion corporation claiming that those kids are exercising their freedom of religion rights.
It's beyond disgusting and other than people just being at least civil to each other, it's one part of this world that I sincerely wish people would begin to see without their blinders on. Religion is the driving force behind all anti-gay sentiments...including how some kids are being treated.
Waa we get bullied! Sheesh, stop being wusses people, everyone gets bulllied. If i have children and they get bullied, my advice to them will be to beat up the bully, if you didnt start it i will take you and we will get ice cream. Moral of the story? Stick up for yourself! Also, if these same children of mine stick up for another kid whose being picked on, not only will ice cream come their way, but also a new video game or toy! We need to be teaching our children these things, not the wussy, mamby pamby, i love you, you love me crap. The world sucks, do your best and fight back people.
Finally a statement that makes sense. Lets start growing some b@llz here. I was bullied as a few times and not once did I think of taking my life. I feel for the parents but it is partly their fault.
I'm glad you said it, this is a country full of softees no doubt. But i was the biggest kid in class and got bullied. no one dare put their hands on me, but they didnt have a problem with making fun of me for not having as nice clothes and being over weight, and where im from fighting someone for something like that only get you teased more.
Sticking up for yourself against a single bully is one thing. Sticking up for yourself against a whole bunch of kids with no one else willing to back you up is too much to ask of anybody. Didn't you ever watch The Karate Kid?
Listening to her music should also be considered a crime
Lady Gaga is 100% right. It's time for this to stop. Now. We don't need to lose one more kid to bullying. This is preventable. It's time for us to grow as a race and become more humane.
,
Being GAGA should be a hate crime. She should get 20 years hard labor.
::sigh:: Just start blathering about Nazis and get it over with, troll.
wow. i wonder what she calls pouring champagne on the poor people from her personal boxseats at the stadium?
Never did understand what that was about...
if you are going to make it a crime ... you will need to make this very specific so that the cops can tell the difference between teasing, bullying, harrassment, etc. And then you will need to make this kind of speech an exception to the free speech right. And you will need to make sure that slander is included .... including slander generate by the press and by politicians on a daily basis.
Yeah...let's get right on that! Who gets to define bullying and how many elementary school kids will serve time for doing something immature and stupid. And what adult hasn't felt bullyed by a boss or spouse or their own kids.
If you don't wish to feel stress or discomfort in life, go find a safe place and stay there.
Bullying was done to me starting in first grade and at 46 yrs of age I still have idiot adults make fun of my name...why? Who knows!
Best advice....get up and get over it instead of locking people up. Oh one more thing...don't dress like freak!
Instead of more asinine laws to deal with "bullying" try these instead: 1 get in shape2 learn martial arts3aquire a firearm. Do at least two of these three steps and your "bullying" issue is solved
....end up in jail for assault, or sued for damages. Herp derp!
I assume she means it's a "hate" crime if the victim is anything other than a straight white boy.
Bullying is for insecure and uneducated weaklings, but you can't get rid of it. You can't make a law against rudeness and you'll never stop name-calling. If an adult tries to intervene in childhood bullying, it just makes things worse for the bullying victim - you can't hover over a kid 24/7 and put him in a bubble. The fact is that aggressive, selfish, and rude people actually are pretty good at getting what they want. So why should they ever want to change? I don't particularly like this fact of life - and it's never going to change.
In school i was bullied. even at home by older siblings. its not right and should be illehal. if it was i know a lot of people who would be in jail. im fine today but its still hard to let go of the past.
One might begin by teaching one's children how to fight back. Most bullies are wimps and if one bloodies their noses or busts their lips once, the bullying just stops. I know, I did it when I was a kid. We may not like t accept it, but one must be able to defend one's self, at least to some extent.
ALL "CRIME" is a hate crime. No one commits crime out of love.
This can only have one end result-any criticism or ridicule of any of the Lefts protected groups will be "bullying" and "hate" and outlawed. Of course those laws will never protect anything the Leftists hate. The biggest hate crime of all is black on white crime but that's not allowed to be discussed
regretably very true. Any violence in support of a leftist cause is ignored or excused.....
Do you even know what 'leftist' is, or is that just your go-to word for anything you don't agree with?
Does moronism run in your family or are you a self-made man?
I can't wait for the next words of wisdom from this all wise, all knowing guru. She is blessed with such gifted insight into all the problems of the world. We are so fortunate to have a spokesman like her to educated the ignorant masses. Thank you, thank you, Lady Gaga.
Seriously where is this going to end. They use the term bullying even though its not acccurate. Its making fun of someone or having fun with them. These kids can't handle it because they have no self esteem and are very selfish indiviudals. Killing yourself is the most selfish act one can commit
Bingo. Its selfish. Gay or straight you know right from wrong at 14 years old. These kids now of days are so dramatic. Thanks to in part by celebs like lady gaga.
Too many people are not looking at the specifics of this type of bullying. It is not just simple "hey four eyes" type of jibes; these kids get physically assaulted, sometimes on a daily basis. They are essentially stalked at school and outside of school. Some don't even escape the harassment by going home because they have just as bigoted parents.
If somebody killed themselves because one person, one time made fun of them, I might agree with your comment. But try facing this type of harassment on a daily basis for several years of your school career and see how you hold up when you have no protection, no help, no compassion – even from the people who are supposed to be providing those things.
Honestly, what some gay kids go through I would classify as being a form of terrorism on the part of those doing the terrorizing. At the very least, the kids that go to the extreme of suicide I believe are suffering from a form of PTSD from years of harassment that they have essentially no hope of escaping.
'Selfish' implies emotional maturity, so give me a break. 14 year olds? Mature? ALL kids are selfish, dumba$$. How far away from your early teen years are you, that you have no memory or concept of that?
Try not to volunteer for any suicide hotlines anytime soon, tough guy.
I didnt try to kill myself I know that or 99.999999 percent of my friends who all were teased at one point in time. Were talking about 1 in a million teens that do this.
@ bob – good for you, you were lucky. In the three years I was in high school 25 years ago, we had two kids off themselves out of a class of 1500. So I don't know what you mean by 'kids now of days' or '1 in a million' since it's been endemic in the US for decades. Keep talking out your a$$.
you get my point. 1 in a million means its not something that happens often thats why we make such a big deal out of it. These young kids are babied. I blame the parents for never saying no to the kids and letting them do whatever they want. I know a ton of gay kids that liked the negative attention because it was some kind of attention. Its not that they are gay. Its that they are fruity gay because they feel like that have to talk and move a certain way. That to me is funny and yea I dont blame those kids getting made fun of. A man is not supposed to skip around and put his hands up saying "stop it guys".
"QS
Too many people are not looking at the specifics of this type of bullying. It is not just simple "hey four eyes" type of jibes; these kids get physically assaulted, sometimes on a daily basis. "
But that's the point – Bullying IS 'Hey four eyes,' etc. Everything else you speak of – physical assault, stalking, is already illegal. We don't need more legislation on that.
What you said is the reason this hate happens. Its born of pure ignorance. Its very uneducated to think that these "fruity gays" put on a girlish act... Yes it happens ...barely, but most of the time that's how these people are. Its very irritating when a straight man thinks he understands a gay man. Its not like we have a choice about how our voice sounds or our mannerisms.... Ridiculous!!!!
Bullying doesn't stop once bullies become adults. The bullying just takes on a more sophisticated form - especially in the workplace.
Yeah, and by then they're experts at it...and how to make themselves look like saints while they're doing it. Creepy.
I cannot take this person seriously when she has the nerve to pour alcohol from her luxury box at a football game into the handicapped seats below her.
She reeks of "Hypocrite"
I'm sure you have a reliable source for saying it was being poured on handicapped folks before you go saying something like that. By any chance was it you?
@??
Um, I never said she pour alcohol on a human, but she probably made some seats fairly disgusting.
Need proof, there are plenty of pics, just google Gaga and Giants game.
I never said she didn't pour anything, so no pics necessary. I'm just wondering how you know it was the handicapped section. I guess you think that's worse/dumber than if it was any other seats...?
Was this before or after she beat the baby seals to death & threw the kittens off the bridge???
Her music is a hate crime.
Gays are not the only people bullied so its not a hate crime. What should we do, lock up every school bully? Gee, lets not hold the parents responsible at all. I just love liberals, they never think of the consequences of their actions. Gaga is hardly a role model for children anyway. I assume her intentions are honest but then again at least it will keep her name in the news.
Don't forget the tea for the tea party you're hosting this weekend, Bill.
What a strange name, wow. Just because I laugh at liberals doesn't mean I don't laugh at the tea party people. Both have something in common, they hate anyone who disagrees with them.
Why do we have to assign levels of crimes? Aren't all crimes.......crimes?
Somebody being bullied because they are gay isn't any worse than somebody else bullied because of their weight or appearance.
Yes, but gay is her thing right now. It's trendy. It's her audience. You want to protect fat kids? Tell Michael Moore to get involved. He's an uneducated loud mouth too.
I'll just continue to blame parents for failing their children.
That's actually not true. Gay kids being bullied is usually ignored by many schools simply because the religion corporation will make a big stink about how the kids' religious beliefs were being infringed upon because they weren't allowed to torture a gay person which their beliefs dictate to them is ok.
The bullying other kids endure does not typically have the full backing and support of the religion corporation like the bullying that gay kids endure has. It becomes so bad for some of these kids that I honestly believe it's a form of PTSD going undiagnosed and that leads them to consider suicide.
Wasn't there a time when parents were supposed to teach their children about bullying? How to deal with a bully, why bulllying is wrong, who you should tell, etc.
Maybe bad parenting should be the real criminal act.
so do I go to the jail if I call someone ugly ? fat ? gay ? white ? black ? skinny ? shut up lady gaga, you spend $10.000 every week to change your hair style why don't you give all your money to people that need it ? you are sick
I have an idea: stop finding reasons to call people fat or ugly, etc. That might help. Plus, what orifice did you pull the $10,000 figure from?
I thinks its called his a$$ but he's probably right,.
Thank you for so neatly demonstrating her point.
Hey guys, remember how every time the government tries to do something about something like this, people like Michelle Bachmann rant and rave saying that "the parents know what's best for their child"? This is more evidence that parents don't know ANYTHING about children. Sometimes they do their best, which often isn't good enough, and sometimes they don't care at all and make things dramatically worse. Either way there are certain mistakes that parents should not be allowed to make. When a kid kills himself over bullying, the parents of that kid and the parents of the bully both failed to act.
It's interesting how we have tons of laws and policies to protect adults in the workplace from harrasment by fellow employees, but for kids in school we just throw up our arms and say "eh, it's just being kids".
that is a really amazing point.
I think bullying is messed up, but people have to realize something, it's a prelude to an even more messed up world when you grow up. Just like how you can't stop your boss being a ass-hole to you, you can't stop people from being bully. We tell people everyday that drugs are bad for you, but guess what? people are still doing cocaine. You really think bullies are going to have a sudden change of heart? not really.
That is what too many people fail to realize. You cannot change how someone feels or how they think. And making bullying illegal won't stop it anymore than laws against murder have stopped people from killing each other.
Bullying isn't the problem. Zero tolerance is the problem. You can't outlaw bullying any more than you can send 12 year olds to prison. But as long as kids are threatened with punishment for retaliating against people like bullies, students will be killing themselves over something as silly as the words of a dumb child. What they should be doing is getting their brother to beat the kid's face in.
And by the way, I'm tired of Lady Gaga lying all the time about how much she cares. Yeah, fine, speak out. But you weren't crying for days. Get real.
Give me a break Gaga should stick to music. She only speaks up when a gay kid kills himself. The poor kid had issues and his family needed to deal with them. What happens when these kids hit the real world? They think bullying is bad in school. Wait til they have to pay a mortgage and taxes. The more we baby kids the worst this country is going to get. Kids are kids. The banks are the biggest bully of them all. Try being a day late on your mortgage and they call you 5 times a day. Who is going to protect me from them?
Aren't you full of hatred.
Yeah – here's how you stop them. PAY YOUR MORTGAGE OR MOVE. Try stopping a bully, you idiot.
She was a victim of bullying in school, that's why she's an advocate!
you're wrong. like her or not, lady gaga speaks up frequently, not just when a kid kills himself. she is one of the biggest celebrity advocates for LGBT rights.
The bully is raised and taught that they are better than others. The bullied are people who doesn't or never got love from their familys. If someone is raised strong minded getting bullied doesn't phase them.
Never, never breed.
You are wrong.
Are you serious? Ignorant statement...
Actually, a good number of studies have shown that a lot of bullying is down by the most popular, most confident students who have good home lives and parents who love them. They also tend to watch a decent amount of educational programming.
Maybe years and years ago the town bully was the kid with life problems, but I know that by the time I went through school in the 80s and 90s, that kid was more likely to be picked on than to be the one doing the picking because he was usually farther down the social order.
Getting bullied doesn't phase them??? Where on earth are you getting this "fact"?? Getting bullied SUCKS no matter how you were raised. You obviously were either hardly ever bullied or bullied yourself if you seriously think this retarded statement is true.
I'm not a Lady Gaga fan per se, but she's right on target on this.There is no place for this kind of behaviour in our society.
Make the parents pay a fine. Then see how fast it stops
I can see where this proposed action comes with the best of intentions, but what will determine what is bullying? Sure some kids, like this poor guy, are harassed to the point where it becomes a serious issue. All young men harass each other to a certain extent. I agree there has to be action to stop these extreme cases from happening but who will draw the line between a serious case, and normal teen behavior?
For those of you saying it's a part of life, a part of childhood, or just something guys do to each other – that doesn't make it right. Genocide is also a fact of life but it's not right. Crime is a fact of life, but we still try to stop it. If we keep excusing this behavior with those kind of flimsy arguments, we're going to keep losing the good, gentle kids and reinforcing the bad behavior in bullies. Just because we endured it doesn't mean our kids and grandkids should have to. It needs to stop.
It is hard to take Lady Gaga seriously when she is dressed outrageously and has blue hair (wig?). Lady Gaga, you need to straighten yourself out and dress appropriately if you wish to convey a message other than the one that says, "I'M A NUT CASE". BTW – This goes for the pot smoking, too.
Ok, let me judge how you dress too to see if you are qualified to make your stupid comment.
Someone feels judgemental today...
Please explain how pot smoking has anything to do with this. Are you saying people who smoke pot shouldn't be taken seriously? If you do, you're in for a surprise when you find out your lawyer, doctor, local policeman, NFL star, neighbor, etc. along with 1 out of 14 people in the US probably smokes pot.
Does this also go for your cigarrette smoking? alcohol drinking?, your prozac perscription?
If you are negating any of her comments simply because "She has blue hair", then I don't think you are fit to make any decisions because the way you determine credibilty (hair color) is a little unsound, immature, ignorant, and silly. I find you hard to take seriously with that lack of mental facility.
Kirby-So I suppose that if Ted Haggard were to knock on your door with his wedding-cake-decoration hair helmet and $1,000 business suit to tell you to trust him and to do anything he asked you to, you would???
The only way to stop bullying which my daughter suffered horribly is to HOLD THE SCHOOL AND THE PARENTS RESPONSIBLE. In our case, the school knew and did nothiing to protect those that were bullied.
Bullying a kid til they kill themselves isn't heinous?
Yesterday a white man was put to death for dragging a black man behind his truck until the poor man's head came off. That is a hate crime that brings tears to the eyes. I hate it that kids are bullied and some commit suicide, but this is where communication with school and family have to step up. I applaud her efforts, but hate crimes are more heinous and deserve the death sentence.
Bullying a kid til the kill themselves isn't heinous?
would it be any less of a hate crime if the white guy made the black guy cut off his own head rather than drag him behind a truck?
Um...feel free to go to THAT article and discuss it, then. Pretty sure anyone of any color dragging any other person of whatever color would still be pretty illegal. We're not playing "Let's Top That!"
I agree with you! She has brought a lot of awareness on many current social problems.
Suicide should be hate crime. Lady Gaga says she hates....well then she should be charged with a hate crime for feeling hate! Idiot!!!
@ Miguel- it's a hate crime if you do something that is already a crime, but your motivation is to hurt the community the person belongs to.
YES! this needs to stop. Kids need to know that this is not ok. I wouldnt call myself a "fan" of GaGa but this has made me one. Along with her work to stop dont ask dont tell. She is heaven sent!
The problem Gaga, is that most bully's don't care what you has to say. Now if we some how got Lil Wayne for the gangstas and Garth Brooks for the hill billies, and some death metal band to say stop bullying people than it might have an impact. But lets face it.... not going to happen. Parents, if your kid is bullying than beat your kid! Don't reason with them. Be a parent, and take charge.
The problem are the parents....most bullies are the chip off the 'ole block.
As long as she is doing good things like this, why would you care? I do wonder about that blue hair! Been dipping in the septic tank again?
Ugly should be a crime too..Gaga would be locked up....can't take someone with blue hair seriously...didn't Madonna do this already???
When is this overblown media hack going to go away?
You may not agree with her music, you may not agree with everything she does, but she is standing up for a human cause. That's part of the responsibility of being a celebrity ... using your fame to call attention to real human problems. This is a real human problem that needs addressing. Obviously it has not been addressed enough. Parents are a huge part of the problem; instilling your hate speech on your children makes them think it's ok to belittle others for who they are. Schools are the other equation; public schools are supposed to be for EVERYONE to come and learn and get along. We aren't always going to agree with everyone, but we have to respect everyone's right to equality.
When? When you stop clicking and commenting on articles with her in them, and driving up CNN's hit rate for her. Unobservant today, Observer?
Why dont you leave first and we'll come get you when shes done
Well Observer, she made you look didn't she? CNN and Lady Gaga thank you for the extra click.
The pro bullying crowd is out in force
I agree with you 100%
. . . . and trolling using other peoples names is mean too.
You suck.
I think she is 100 percent correct on this one. Everyone should be nice to each other. Thank you Good CNN for this article.
I agree. Why must people ruin the lives of others? We should delete bullying from schools and the workplace.
Humans are just another beast - you can't expect civility from beasts. Some of us actually think of others before ourselves but most are selfish and think that their own wants come before other people's needs.
Thanks Jim for showing everyone that hate is alive and well.
Fallen human nature is to blame.
One day very soon you may find yourself fighting for a job or food to feed your family, Then we will see just how nice you are.
As awful as bullying is, freedom of speech is paramount to everything else. It's sad that he killed himself, but it was his decision and no one elses. Does anyone really think you can make an abstract emotion like hate illegal?? It's clear this lady has no comprehension of law.
Who cares what Stefani 'Gaga' thinks? Let's focus on getting the right people in office to fix the ridiculous situation we're in.
@anthony...well, no, you can't legislate emotions, but we can and do legislate actions. just because I hate someone, doesn't mean i can kill him. just because i love someone, doesn't mean I can stalk him. just because i don't like some one, doesn't mean i can libel them. those are all legislated crimes. bullying is an action...not a feeling and it can and should be a crime.
I'm glad she said it, now maybe there'll be a change.
I think Lady Gaga's tata's look hotter each time I see them.. LOL
@ sgm
All those things you mentioned are already crimes. What do you mean by bullying? If violence is involved the authorities can be contacted. Calling someone a bad name is not, nor should it ever be, a crime.
Yes....let's once again legislate behavior.
Yes – we DO HAVE THE POWER to stop this. The world is tierd of bullies at school and in hte workplace. Our world has become disgustingly pathetic at requiring decency between HUMAN BEINGS ... This must stop NOW .. The world is ready for PEACE peace PEACE .. we are more communicative and interconnect than ever and now we can produce change in ourselves – in thw world. The time is NOW for the meek to inherist the earth!
SGM....you're an idiot. Bullying is an action that stems from feelings. I hate to break it to you but you can legislate all of the bad things people do in the world all you want it's not going to make it go away. Some people come from broken,abusive, or neglectful homes and bullying is how they act out on this environment. But you want them to be thrown in already overcrowded jails instead of the situation being dealt with huh? Wanna throw bullies in jail with murders and rapists? Actually most bullies eventually learn from or grow out of this behavior without your touchy feely laws in place.
Sorry for the typos I was typing fast and angry – this was a needless loss of a beautiful little boy! Too much of this happening – its time to take back the world and demand kindness and love to each other
I am sick of tired of people using the word "hate crime". Hate crimes should be outlawed. If you kill someone it's a hate crime. No matter their race, gender or creed.
teachers and moms and dads need to look at there riches if thy bully thy get no time to go in scooul and and side walks if thy bully thy will go to jail or jail for 1 day if thy just made that non will die because the bullys go to jail or no games or stay inside and pay for it thy need to make it ilegale or if thy dont tell theme that to kids to tell on theme or fight back and tell or one of theme STUPID TEACHERS STUPID LOL
For once, she says something totally sane! Or how many more kids must give up on their right to life, before we do anything!? Totally agree. The most effective way to deal with this issue is to make it illegal, period. Simple, fast, effective. When humans cannot be humans, laws must be implemented.
WRONG! The issue is not the act of bullying but in fact the parenting of both the bullies and the bullied. Typical americans want to treat the symptom and ignore the real issue.
@ MaoBinHitler: The right to Free Speech does not mean that anyone can say anything they like with no consequences. The Bill of Rights establishes limits on the power of the government, rather than necessarily bestowing full-blown, unmitigated "rights" on the general populace. The Right to Free Speech is actually only a guarantee that the government will not oppress you for your speech. If you say something to defame someone else, or harass them, or slander them, or cause harm, that does not count as free speech, and you can be charged in either criminal or civil court (depending on the charge and the damage done) for that. So if you verbally harass someone to the point where they take their life, then claiming "It was free speech!" is not going to do you one whit of good.
i was bullied in grade 11 right after my mom dies for a few weeks, then i grabbed her threw her against the locker n told i was gonna come to her house tonight n kick the f@*k out of her..she never bothered me again..or came out of the house when i showed up LOL
CNN continues to blacklist for the exposed criminal cabal of corupt politicians.
I hate her but I agree with her.
When government is asked to step into the role of parent, we have placed too much faith in government. Here, we start splitting more hairs about intent and context instead of discussing crime prevention generally.
To Vasco and all those who justify bullying.-So when that awkward, poorly dressed, chunky ethnic kid that you try to bully turns out to be more than you can chew, knocks you against the wall and elbows you in the face, cracking your upper jaw or breaking your nose, that's not going to be a crime either, right???
Shalla – That's the point. There's already legislation for defamation, slander, etc.
We don't need more rules.
No, That's just self defense because he felt threatened.
I bet there would be a lot less bullying if schools actually let kids defend themselves. Today, if the victim kicks the crap out of the bully, the victim gets suspended because of all this 'zero tolerance' nonsense.
I agree with the concept that Bullying can be treated as a hate crime. I also believe that parents of minors that are proven bullies should be held accountable.
Amazing...people are responding to this post, about stopping bullies, being kind to one another etc. with "you're an idiot." Or "You're stupid for...." Yeah has it right – just be nice! It's very sad that people can so casually call someone else stupid for wanting to create a kind environment. Fine, you don't think you can legislate bullying. State your case/opinion without cruelly calling someone a name. Disagreeing and debating is healthy. Judging and namecalling is not. The irony is palpable.
Bullying is already illegal.... It is called HARASSMENT!!!!! While I greatly appreciate Gaga's music and obvious intelligence, placing the onus on law enforcement is not the answer here. This is a cultural shift that needs to occur among parents, school administrators, and teachers. These are the people who have the most opportunities to intervene with children and these are the groups who will make the difference. Asking law enforcement to take the reins on every allegation of bullying would overtax our most important civil servants, take resources away from addressing more pressing and violent crimes, be incredibly inefficient, and will ultimately lake the necessary efficacy we seek. I do believe Gaga's statements on this matter are having the desired impact – putting a spotlight on a problem that many of us, including this humble author, have encountered in our lives.
I am in my 40s and told some kids off for picking on a kid near my house. Let me tell you, those kids were a complete pain in the ass afterwards, being rude to me, approaching my windows and car and one kids even mooned me. I thought about calling the police but ended up winning them over by talking to them and also yelling at them when they needed it. Next time I will find out where they live and talk to their parents. If that doesn't work I'll talk to the school and if that doesn't work, the police. The point is, some of these kids have absolutely no idea how to behave – I wouldn't have dared talk to an adult like that at age 11. I know some of it is down to immaturity but you have to wonder what kind of parents these kids have – at the very best, parents who are never there and always at work, at the worst, parents who don't set down any rules and set standards. So sad about this young boy's death – hope the bullies are tormented for the rest of their lives and hope they pick on the wrong person – I think schools should turn a blind eye when someone socks a bully back! Sometimes it's the only thing these pigs understand. Quite frankly I felt like smacking the kids outside my house!
Bullying is not a hate crime, go check grades 1st – 8th where kids are immature ansd really dont know about half the things they say. What ever happen to hitting the bully in the mouth. ie.. see you after school (3 oClock high ring a bell). An most if not all the kids grow out of it. As his parents said it had gotten better over time, meaning the kids that did do it were growing up.And so what they said he was gay, if he was he should have been proud enough about that their word meant nothing. Unless he thought there was and that would be on him.Being a minority like myself in an era of racial unrest from the 70s – change in the 90s to now where i live i know the differance between bullying and hate crimes and their not even close to being the same.He should have been proud of himself no matter what and that comes from your parents and love ones.Well its a good thing Lady Gaga wasnt black or native american because that would have been a good reason to kill yourself or it sounds like she would have.People need to be proud and strong for who and what they are or want to be. Ive been bullied and been a subject of a hate crime and neither would make me take my life because of other peoples immaturity or ignorance.
she is right. It is time to stop bullying once and for all!
We need to come together as a country and end bullying once and for all. No one benefits at all when they are getting bullied in school. Parents need to know the warning signs that their child is being targeted in school and how to deal with it appropriately.