On March 10th 2011, President Barack Obama, along with the First Lady Michelle Obama, held the White House Conference on Bullying Prevention. Students, parents, educators, school administrators, and nonprofit representatives were only some of the types of attendees, where they could all hear the President address an issue that was plaguing our schools in America.
For the first time in history, an American president brought to light an issue that all of us could relate to. Bullying is what some of us consider an unfortunate rite of passage. We all go through it, and these experiences tell us what it is like to exhibit pain all on your own. It serves as a reminder to all of us that there are bad people in society who will not hesitate to hurt someone, and have the pleasure of doing it. It is a horrendous thing to do, and none of us would choose to relive those experiences.
It was a moment where everyone, regardless of political ideology, came together and sympathized. For the next few years we were all dedicated to fighting the war on bullying.
Sadly, I have now come to realize that the time has now passed, all thanks to the Left.
Meet Jayne. Jayne is a rising senior at my high school alma mater, School Without Walls, located in Washington, DC. She is an aspiring student, and has a huge passion for the arts, where she has enormous talent in singing, dance and acting. I knew of Jayne in my senior year, and while she and I were not particularly friends during my time in high school, I was witness to her involvement in many extracurricular activities where I was impressed with her talent in the arts. She had a lot of friends, and had a lot of notoriety among the student body, so I had no reason to think of her negatively.
On August 17th, Jayne posted a video on her YouTube channel. In her video, she reveals her experience in being bullied by a select number of students for being a supporter of President Donald Trump. She tells an odyssey of harassment by her peers, from her being blackmailed out of running for student body president, to a complete isolation from a majority of the student body. It's a tragic tale about going from riches to rags, but revolves around a toxic climate that is present in many public schools.
I would not be serving her story justice if I were to continue on, so I encourage you to watch her video in full by clicking HERE.
First of all, I knew Jayne was a free thinker before she released her video, so this was no surprise to me. After talking with her, she clarified with me that although she is generally not a political person, her political views alternate between that of a classical liberal and a conservative, which closely resemble my views on policy. For that, she gets bonus points.
Second of all, the aftermath in the release of her video is evident on how hypocrisy has infected not only the left, but among many liberal youth, especially those who live in Washington, DC. Jayne's video was not a message about how right she is, or how much she hates the rest of her peers. This was about an experience, and one that has greatly affected her to a large extent. Yet somehow, students who come from a school that heavily advocates for anti-bullying on a regular basis have the audacity to say the following:
Look at the likes on this one...
Amazing, isn't it? Now, there were two comments that I thought prove how cruel people can be sometimes. There is this one...
Isn't this the most ignorant thing you have ever heard? What is she supposed to do; move so that she can go to a "republican school?" Somehow being "delusional" for supporting the President warrants bullying? I smell a psychopath...
But the worst one, in my opinion, was this next one, and not because that this is offensive (which it generally is to those affected by something like this), but because this is the epitome of leftism at its finest, as it goes COMPLETELY against the leftist rhetoric on bullying. I'll let this last one speak for itself...
This, my friends, is cyberbullying at its finest. Individuals like these will not hesitate to condone/desensitize acts of violence, and use it against someone for the sole purpose of making the other person feel bad.
I will not dismiss the idea that these are not serious statements (like that last one), but my issue is not what they say. It's why they say it. Had someone on the same political spectrum as these individuals made a similar video that Jayne did, I guarantee you that their responses would be FAR more positive. Normally any video where people talk about their bullying experience is welcomed with empathy. Have we forgotten about Amanda Todd? The left has neglected a key element when judging an individual, and that element is character. They do not look beyond the politics of the situation, but rather judge a book by its cover and thus they force you to apologize/take responsibility for what you believe in.
If that is not textbook narcissism, then I do not know what is.
The comments are not the worst part however. She also said to me that since her upload, she has been stalked by those associated with the Antifa movement (while there is a lot to talk about regarding Antifa, it's a rant for another day). For those
Obviously, Jayne is not hurting as much as someone who is prone to suicide like Amanda Todd was. However it is actions like these that cause many people to go down this awful route because of students like the majority of students at School Without Walls. Had Jayne been a more vulnerable individual and was prone to something just as self destructive, it is difficult to imagine the grim possibilities.
Gladly, Jayne could not be stronger dealing with this debacle. Since the upload, she has been holding her head up high, has a large support network and has started a movement bringing light to this issue that has affected many conservative youth just like her. "I have a lot to look forward to this year. I'm committed to working on my YouTube channel, and spreading awareness to many people like me. I think there is a bright future ahead, and I have a lot of people who support me right now. I'm also going to be applying to a lot of great colleges, where I can continue on with my passion towards the arts."
As optimistic as Jayne is, there is no denying that there is an issue with tolerance in this country. Michael Knowles, political commentator at the Daily Wire, (and my personal hero), sums this up very well at a lecture he held at the University of Pennsylvania. He said, "When you have a [leftist culture] that toxic, [it] means you are going to lose friends, and that's sad. That's a really sad thing."
Unless there is some serious change in this country, there will be more of this hate. There will be more bullies.
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