Bullying in school has been around since the invention of school. Countless children over the generations have suffered at the hands of their classmates.
These days, in school bullying has been taken to another level by social media.
Last summer, Mallory Grossman was in sixth grade at Copeland Middle School in Rockaway, New Jersey. She took her own life after dealing with the persistent bullying she received from her classmates, both in school and online.
According to media reports, one of the accused bullies asked the young girl the following: “when are you going to kill yourself?”.
Some might argue that social media plays a role in the bullying that led to the girl’s decision to commit suicide. While I can certainly understand where that argument is coming from, social media is not entirely to blame.
If the bullying happened on school property and nothing was done by the staff to stop the bullying, the school is culpable. The blame is also on the parents of the bullies. Their children are responsible for this girl’s death and should be punished appropriately.
Two decades ago, I too was bullied in school. Thankfully, social media as we know it be today did not exist back then. Though it’s been years since my own experience of school days bullying, the scars still remain.
May Mallory’s memory be a blessing to those who knew and loved her. Wherever she is, the bullies cannot hurt her anymore.
RIP.
