Bullying: Check yourself.

Amanda Todd/ Facebook

The subject of bullying has come into the spotlight this week, in light of the recent suicide death of Amanda Todd, a 15-year-old BC girl who took her own life last week after facing years of torment at the hands of her peers and an online predator.

Todd, who shared her story through a YouTube video a month before her death, has become another senseless victim of bullying. She was tormented, teased, assaulted and stalked by people who felt the need to judge her for an indiscretion, perhaps a series of indiscretions she made in her short life. From what it sounds like, this young girl was hunted down and had repeatedly ganged up on.

And for what purpose?

Because this is the kind of society we live in? I dunno.

I do know that bullying is more rampant than people would like to admit, and people of all ages are doing it. Take website ‘The Dirty’ for instance; people can anonymously post pictures and stories about anybody (ANYBODY) they don’t like, or are mad at, for the rest of the world to see. These stories don’t even have to be true, and I’m sure many of them are aren’t, or if there is some validity to them, it's likely that only aspects of truth sprinkled into them.

This girl’s a whore. This guy is a liar and a cheat. This girl is fat. This guy has an STI. This girl stole my boyfriend... Who the fuck cares!

Even if you’re angry, or somebody has done you wrong, there is NO justifiable reason to EVER post about somebody on a website like that. None. Doing this makes you a bully of the worst kind: An ignorant coward who can’t even stand behind your terrible words and antics.

It’s a safe place for you to hide while you throw people like Amanda Todd to the wolves.

(Yeah, for some reason there are still people out there who give things that are posted on The Dirty merit. Clearly ignorance comes in all forms.)

If you try to defend posting on that site, you are part of the problem. Hell, even looking at that site makes you a part of this problem.  At the end of the day The Dirty is an online bully forum where nobody is immune. It’s a coward’s device where people hide behind anonymity to bully and berate others.

Think about that as we all chastise the kids who helped push Amanda Todd into an early grave. We all have a responsibility for our actions, whether we can hide behind anonymity or not.

I’m not going to go into a big rant about karma, because frankly that’s futile. But, I think the way we live or lives and the way we regard and treat other people is a clear indication of how our lives are going to be. -- Hence, if you are one of those people who are eager to pounce on somebody for decisions or indiscretions they’ve made, or simply because you or others dislike them, your life needs some kind of substance.

If you are going to take a stand against bullying, do it. People like Amanda Todd need that. Look at your own actions and behaviours and decide what side you’re on. -- You don’t have to like or respect everyone, but take strides to make sure you’re not being a bully. If you can’t be kind, try to be classy.

Bullying is a learned behaviour and we are all susceptible to being on either side of it.