2/12/2013
Post 1 of 2
WATCH: Former Green Bay Packers cheerleader fights back against vicious cyber bullying
Kaitlyn Collins was the target of heartless comments when her picture was uploaded to a Chicago Bears fan page on Facebook. The ex-cheerleader fought back and finally had the picture and nasty posts removed.
Read more and watch the video at...
http://tinyurl.com/bkjfges
Please share your reaction.
I just finished watching this video. I have seen similar videos on Youtube that have been shared. First of all, good for her for standing up for herself. No person should be disrespected in any form. It is so easy for people to hide behind a computer and spit out (write) so many mean comments about so many others (will they actually have the courage to say these things to the victims' faces?). Probably NOT!! I have the habit of reading other people's comments on videos or articles shared through social media and I must say I was very disgusted by some of the comments I read below this video. There were an amount of people actually claiming that this DOES NOT qualify as "bullying" or "cyber bullying." IT IS BULLYING!! It goes to show how ignorant people are about cyber bullying. Some said she was over sensitive and just wanted attention! That's what upsets me the most that there are so many unaware of what classifies as bullying (including Facebook) who told her that the comments on her photo did not quality as Cyber Bullying!
ReplyDeleteKaitlyn made a good point in saying she has a great support system but what about does that don't. Comments like these have been know to cause others to hurt themselves and even commit suicide. More attention needs to be brought to Cyber Bullying.
Nowadays people are misusing Facebook in the name of social media. This video and its comment shows how some people irrespective of other people's feeling make derogatory remarks. Even if people say that it does not qualify as,'bullying, or cyber bullying.'but it did hurt somebody feelings. People should protest the way she did so that gradually ignorant citizens would realize what is a cyber bullying and how it affects peoples feelings and their lives. I agree with Roselyn that more attention is needed in this regard for more awareness.
ReplyDeleteIra
I really admire this woman for standing up for herself in such a public way. It's a shame that she had to take it to that extreme in order to get a response. I think that forums such as Facebook make it too easy for people to detach themselves from the person they are ridiculing. Safe at their computer, it is easy to attack a person they've never met, even if that person has done nothing wrong. Meanwhile the person being attacked has this comment posted online where they can revisit it over and over again. The internet does a lot of good things, but it has a way of dissolving the interpersonal relationships we have with others around us. It's so important not to forget you are ultimately interacting with other people even though you may only immediately be interacting with a machine.
ReplyDeleteI think that this woman is strong and setting an amazing example for her students since it stated that she coaches in middle school. Unfortunately there are many accounts like this that are happening and many that I'm sure we are not aware of. I think that the video was powerful and that telling all sides of the story would help make people on all sides feel acknowledged. I think that instant messaging and text messaging has caused people to not truly think before they answer something they have read or are responding to. Before all the technology we would write a rough draft and then edit and reread to make sure our message could get across to the reader before sending the final draft. Now everything is done so fast and once it is posted or sent there is no way to get it back. I think that it is crucial to have programs that start teaching about cyber-bullying and its consequences in a more formal way. A one day program or speaker coming in may have an impact in that moment, but I feel many students will forget about it in the next months. I hope to see a technology class that will focus on digital citizenship and problems that are arising with technology as well, but I'm sure that this will not happen overnight.
ReplyDeleteLaura
I have seen several videos like this posted on YouTube in an attempt to end cyber bullying. Technology has given us free range to say how we feel and what we are thinking at any given moment. This video was created in order to bring awareness to an issue that is a problem for thousands of people around the world. It is easy to say hurtful things over the internet when you don't ever have to see someone and tell them how you feel to their face. However, I feel as though people are using technology to reach out for support and acceptance as well. We hear so much about how these horrible things are happening on the internet and tend to lose sight of the benefits. This cheerleader is putting out a positive message to others who are being cyber bullied. In some ways it is refreshing to see videos like this because it shows that people are standing up for what is right.
ReplyDeleteThe topic of bullying is extremely important to me. This video reminded me that bullying is painful and difficult for even the strongest among us (such as this beautiful, successful, adult) and therefore that much scarier and challenging for those of us with greater challenges. I am the mother of a child with special needs and I do often find myself preparing to help my own child stand up to bullying. My daughter has Aspergers Syndrome and social skills can be confusing to her. So from the start, I have taught her what I believe bullying is and possible ways to handle it... not to prepare her to be the victim but rather to prepare her to be one of the friends who stands up and supports the person who she witnesses being bullied. If she can take a stand for her peers and others, than, heaven forbid she should need to take a stand for herself, she will also know how. I think that it is our obligation as educators to teach all students powerful methods of supporting those who have become targets for bullying. Often bullying happens when the adults "aren't looking". This means that children need to know what they can do as the "first responders" to bullying. I have taught my own daughter this:
ReplyDeleteOften, people who bully are having trouble being a friend. Try to find a way to help that person be a friend. Often, others see bullying and do not know how to take a stand. Reach out to others and ask them if they have seen this behavior and if they think it is fair. Ask if they'd be willing to stand up to the person with you the next time it happens. Get help from a trusted adult. If the adult doesn't help, ask again and ask more than one adult.
This video demonstrated the powerful boost that others can give when they stand up against a bully/ bullies on behalf of the victim/target. This cheerleader expressed how grateful she was for the comments which defended her and made a stand against those who wrote hurtful and even vulgar comments against her. She also mentioned how important her own family and friends were to her. I think that her point about people who do not have that support network could be taken a step further.
She was able to find a means to stand up for herself in a positive and powerful way. This video provides an excellent example of how to do just that, stand up in a positive and powerful way.
I think that the book "Sticks and Stones" by Emily Basilon is another great resource on this topic. The topic of the school's role in handling cyber bullying is raised.
This cheerleader's video is a good example of how one can use the very tools that can make cyber bullying a threat to speak out against such hurtful behavior in a positive and powerful way.
This video drives home the fact that we, as educators need to teach our students how very important Digital Citizenship is.
The video also made me reflect on a facebook poll a friend of mine had posted with a link to a famous person in a tiny bathing suit while she was pregnant. I remember seeing negative comments about
her fashion choice etc. I was surprised by the boldness and hurtful nature of those comments. I think somehow we have all probably found ourselves on the brink of making a comment in written form that we would not say aloud to a person directly. We certainly need to learn from this cheerleader's experience and be reflective as adults, as role models and as educators so that we can instruct children how to be responsible and respectful citizens in the digital world.
-Alicia