Switch It Around

      Everyone know something about bullying. It is hard to be ignorant on the topic since it is either on the news or all over the internet. Bullying has become a serious issue within the Unites States and all over the world. Tests ran in the United States and Britain has shown that suicide has become the third leading cause of death for young people with half of those youths killing themselves because of bullying. With an issue this serious, of course many will take action to stop it. States have laws and policies on how to address bullying. Many organizations were made to help those who have been bullied. Websites were built to help victims with bullying and to prevent any more suicides. People all over are trying to encourage one another and bring awareness on the issue of bullying. Schools have made time to teach students what bullying is and how to prevent it. These as all good ways to deal with bullying and to stop it. By teaching and bringing awareness, many will now be able to know how to deal with bullying and stop it if they see it. By bring the government into it, bullies are frightened of the consequences that can be put upon them if they bully someone. These all, again, good ideas but what about moving away from these approaches. What about teaching those who are being victimized to man up. Yes, I said it. Man up. It may be harsh but it needs to be heard. Killing yourself is a wimpy move and just shows how weak you are. This may be mean but I believe that those who are bullied are those who have no confidence in themselves. Those who let anyone tell them who they are and define who they will be aren't being strong enough to take back their identity and define them self. Bullies search and prey on the weak. If there aren't any weak, who is there to bully? 

       Also, we should figure out what's wrong with the bully. Many bullies have issues internally which pushes them to attack others. Maybe they are having issues at home and can't be in control of their home issue so they control others at school. Maybe they have no money to buy new clothes so they pick on someone does have that privilege. Maybe they are abused at home and decide to abuse others to let their anger out. Has anyone every thought to sympathize for the bully? Believe it or not, the bully is a person as well. They aren't monsters. We must also have programs and organizations to help the bully-- to save he or she from the issues they may be going through. It is better to stop the issue from the root. Help the bully. Don't just look at the victim but also take into consideration on what the bully must go through. It is time that we don't just make a couple laws and a few programs that help the victim but also go to help the bully and teach the victims to tough up. It is time that we switch things up because more teenagers are dying from bullying.

Are you helping or causing it?

      How many times have you heard someone kill them self in the past two years? How many of those people were teenagers? Now, how many of those teenagers killed them self because of bullying. Bullying is running rapid thorough out our generation and suicide is following right behind it. More teenagers are killing themselves because of the harsh words that come out of the mouths of bullies in schools and over the internet. Bullies can come in all shapes and forms. We all picture the bully to be some mean girl who is a queen bee and targets some innocent girl with braces and glasses to make herself feel better. Maybe we think about big, husky boy who tells a nerd to give him his lunch money then slams down his books onto the floor. We all hate these bullies because they are the ones that are trying their hardest to strike down the weaker link. But stop and think. Have you said a few bad words about one of your schoolmates to your friends? Have you laughed at someone's outfit or maybe even their hair? Small acts like these, if heard from the one you were talking about, can be crucial and damaging. It can lead them to become more insecure and venerable. Even small little jokes that aren't meant to be taken wrongly can be easily misinterpreted. We have to be careful of the words that we say. Yes, it may be hard to do. Words are easy to just flow out of our mouths without us thinking. But if we don't watch the words we say, who will? No one. We have to take this seriously. A life that could have very well changed the world was lost to bullying. A life that could have made a new invention was lost to bullying. A life that could have helped another life was lost to bullying. We don't think about the impact that person could have had in the future. They could have been great but we took away that greatness. We really have to take into consideration how precious a life is. If we don't, then we will carelessly keep on bullying. We have to be aware of what we do and aware others as well. Bullying can take a life. A life that is taken is now a damaging the future ahead. 

        

It Still Happens

“That the native does not like the tourist is not hard to explain. For every native of every place is a potential tourist, and every tourist is a native of somewhere. Every native everywhere lives a life of overwhelming and crushing banality and boredom and desperation and depression, and every deed, good and bad, is an attempt to forget this. Every native would like to find a way out , every native would like a rest, every native would like a tour. But some natives—most native in the world—cannot go anywhere. They are too poor. They are too poor to go anywhere. They are too poor to escape the reality of their lives; and they are too poor to live properly in the place where they live, which is the very place you, the tourist, want to go—so when the natives see you, the tourist, they envy you, they envy your ability to leave your own banality and boredom, envy your ability to turn their own banality and boredom into a source of pleasure for yourself.”

Bullying is a topic that we are all probably very tired of hearing. Though we make laws and try to stop the bullying, there is still so many that still commit suicide. Not only do we have continuous presentations that show the consequences of bullying and how it affects others, teenagers still bully, more lives lost, and it seems nothing will change. Everyone is trying to prevent bullying from happening, they are all trying to help, even our school is actively involved. But many words--ones that shouldn't be said-- are still said. It's a frightening thing. That teenagers are not valuing others at all. We aren't taking the time to get to know each other; and instead we are judging each other by what we see on the outside, by who we choose to love, by rumors, and it hurts-- not only the person being bullied, not only parents, not only family, not only their close friends and maybe their girlfriend or boyfriend, but it also hurts the people who are trying so hard to stop bullying from ever happening. 

Things That Bug Me

School:

- people who don't take school seriously

- people who bully others by their appearance 

- Brien McMahon teachers who don't understand CGS students

- everyone fitting into their own groups 

- not having juice anymore and only serving us milk 

- not having discounts on school wear

- teachers that don't really know their students

- how many assignments are on the Internet 

- how we don't enforce some of our rules 

- the library passes 

- not knowing about all the clubs in our school 

- people who steal things 

Bridgeport:

- not having good schools

- the reputation that Bridgeport holds

- how dirty Bridgeport can be 

- people who live there that don't really try to build up the reputation but kind of embrace it

- the amount of crime in Bridgeport

- living close to a school and its not in your school district 

- the beat down buildings that can be broken down and made into something else 

Family:

- my mom fearing me to go anywhere

- my brother not getting the correct medical help he needs

- my sister not wanting to go to a Bridgeport school

World:

- people who take children then do horrific things to them 

- when people overprice things that shouldn't be over priced

- problems with immigration

- people who don't take opportunities that are out there to them

- people who have abortions

- people who adopt children but don't love them 

- anyone such as women or African Americans who are belittled in situations 

- animal cruelty

Entertainment:

- how some music influences wrong doing

- how much violence we see on tv or movies

- too much cursing

- how unrealistic tv can be 

- reality shows 

- all these violent video games 

Teenage years:

- Trying to be something your not

- Not really knowing "who you are" 

- following trends that can die quickly

- teenagers who become anorexic because of insecurities

- thinking that you have to be in a sport to make it in life

- how being good can be seen as bad and uncool

- how sometimes we don't respect our elders 

- boy's who sag their pants way too low 

- teenagers who kill themselves 

- teenage dating violence 

- not being able to speak in person but can text all day 

Dancing Scarecrows: An Incite To Anthonia (Nia) Wray

     I was my father's first born. His name was Anthony. Since I couldn't be Anthony Jr, my mother decided to change my father's name into a girl's name, Anthonia. Does that mean I'm the female  version of my father? In ways, I guess you could say I am. We share many qualities but we have our difference which makes me unique from my father.  

     In the urban dictionary, my name refers to someone who is beautiful, intelligent, honest, and has a passion for living and loving. This describes me oh so well. From my mother's point of view, I'm a beautiful person. I would say I'm a beautiful person as well. All my friends and family would say I'm intelligent and honest. With the passion for living and loving, I think I do both a little too much sometimes. I love everyone I meet which could be creepy but I don't care. Unless someone gives me a reason to not love them, then I will love them like crazy. I live life the best way I can. Every opportunity to try something new, I go for it. Why not? Live life while we still have it right. Yolo!

     As amazing as Anthonia sounds, I barely use that name. Some people don't even know that's my name. I usually go by Nia. 9 out of 10 people say Anthonia incorrectly. It's better to make my life and theirs easier by telling them to call me Nia. 

     If you Google Nia, it would probably lead you to a gym which does Nia. Nia is a movement practice drawn from martial arts, dance arts, and healing arts. The practice of Nia puts two of my passions into one. I want to be a doctor when I grow up. I love the thought of  helping people to be as healthy as they possibly can be. I also love to dance. I love doing it and watching it. The practice of Nia helps people with their health through dancing. That's an awesome way to combine these two of my loves.

     To wrap it all up, is my last name, Wray. The W is silent so someone would just say Ray when saying my last name. Wray is a village in the United Kingdom. It's a beautiful village which is small and friendly looking. It matches me because I am small and friendly. This village is also known for its scarecrows. I have never seen a scarecrow and I don't plan to see any soon. Scarecrows are made to be scary. I am the opposite of a scarecrow. I don't really scare anyone. I smile way too much to be scary. Also scarecrows are portrayed as brainless from the Wizard of Oz. As mentioned before, I am a smart person so that description doesn't match me either. 

     All together, my name matches me perfectly. Each part holds a part of me. From my fun side of dancing and living life to my more serious side of wanting to be a doctor. I am my name and my name is me. I would never change either because they fit each other.