A Crying Shame

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

A Crying Shame A year ago, it would have been possible eral months appeared exuberant, hopeful, to claim that New Labour was walking confident and an expression of political hand in hand with the people to create a promise, a malaise and a discontent has revitalised Britain, a Britain which was con­ begun to settle. We've seen a trend away fident, hopeful and moving towards inte­ from the embrace of participation, away grating emotions into public life and in so from the bottom-up democratisation of A Crying doing democratising and reshaping public public space, away from a partnership discourse. Emotions were no longer only between government and its people and a private matters best kept hidden — even severing of the nascent realignment of pol­ from ourselves. Now we could have feel­ itics and emotions in which politics is ings about public matters and these kinds understood as an expression of deep of feelings could be a partner in the making human feelings about belonging, justice Shame of the new social contract that was being and equality. Instead, the feelings have created in New Britain. It wasn't that emo­ been redirected with the political becoming The public displays of tions had been absent or banished from about control and power and the personal emotion after the general public life before 1997. Certainly war, becoming a symptom of the depoliticisa- racism, deaths of public figures, national­ tion of public life. The moment of a year election and Diana's ism and the monarchy had aroused public ago has been turned on its head. death created the hope for feeling on a mass scale before. What was here in May and Septem­ now emerging was the kind of integration ber the nation's coming a new kind of political of politics and emotions that allowed its cit­ together expressed some­ expression, Susie Orbach izens, its politics and political discourse to thing profound about its encompass not just policy pragmatics but Wsense of itself as a body politic, the coming laments a lost opportunity the kind of reflection and expression that togelhers of the past year have been char­ could bring a different feeling and meaning acterised by what we might term emotion­ to collective action and the remaking of alism. Our interest is now drawn not to the public space. Emotions augmented democ- realisation of our deepest political feelings ratisation. They were an authentic expres­ |ighteen months ago millions of in concrete acts of legislation, nor to novel sion of personal agency and no one per­ people came together to create a ways of participating in the political son's emotions had more or less legitimacy new social contract and a new set process, nor to engaged support for the than any others. of possibilities for Britain. While project of revitalising Britain, but instead to E stories of wrongdoing. Our newspapers decisively voting against a clapped out, There was a mood on May 2 and that deeply controlling, destructive Conserva­ week in September that had something in campaign on the side of the alleged victims tive government, many of the individuals common with the feelings generated by col­ or the alleged perpetrators, plucking at our who cast their votes did so with a weariness lective political action in those great move­ heart strings to engender support where the and a degree of cynicism. They weren't ments for social change three decades ago underlying structural issues are set aside or sure quite what they were voting in. Was which had insisted that the personal was remain unaddressed. Louise Woodward there substance? Could things change? political and the political was personal. But becomes 'Our Girl'. Although the support By the early hours of the morning of there was something new and different too. for her encodes a set of agendas which crys­ May 2 it was obvious that Britain had For while the ideas propelling the black lib­ tallise important issues of our time - child emphatically rejected the Tories. They eration movement, the New Left and the care and parent care, untrained nannies, weren't simply defeated: there was some­ women's liberation movement had marked low wages, child abuse, displaced anti- thing more. The size of the Labour majori­ a generation and had flowed into the envi­ Americanism and provides (along with the ty had transformed the individual act of ronmental movement of recent years, such tv companies' funding of the drinks of her marking X on a ballot slip into an act of ideas and practices preoccupied only a supporters in the pub) the basis for the social participation, a moment of collective minority and were far away from the centre mass interest in the case, public participa­ expression. Gone was the weariness and of the political stage and public space dur­ tion is invited in essentially emotional cynicism. Now there was a feeling of relief, ing a 1980s and 1990s dominated by neo- terms. We are defending or worrying about then of power, then a sense that finally we liberalism and individualism (the personal 'Our Girl' rather than reflecting on and could exhale. We'd done it, we'd got them without the political). indeed feeling or thinking at more than a superficial level about the issues the case out, we could hold our heads high, could ay and September by con­ feel our connections with one another, and raises. It is unclear why the British people trast offered moments of are so behind Louise Woodward except assert that yes, we as individuals and as a mass participation in the life collective were and are a society. that she is the secondary victim; the victim M of the nation. A dynamic of the prosecution. By midday on May 2 the feeling on the and relatively youthful political leadership street, in the newsagents, at work and at the was seen to be reaching out to embrace and So too with the hounding of paedophiles school gates was one of accomplishment. be underpinned by this participation. In a or Mary Bell. The deeply disturbing issues The joy was palpable. We were citizens, no parallel to the political settlement following of cruelty perpetrated towards children and longer enervated or excluded but embrac­ the second world war when public space by children, any analysis of how it is that ing a political, constitutional and emotion­ was enhanced by the presence of an active people come to act in this way, the under­ al moment. We could reshape the political politicised working class, the events of May lying motivation, the relationship between landscape and with it the cultural and social and September involved a significant powerlessness, rage and cruelty, what it practices that had characterised the majority of us, enabling Britain to take a says about our habits of child rearing, the Thatcher and Major years. look at itself afresh and celebrate the question of rehabilitation, the widespread Four months later, with Diana's death, togetherness of purpose amidst a diversity concern about sexual abuse, are all sub­ what the individual felt and how he acted of interests. Democracy and the collective sumed under a screeching of ersatz emo­ again metamorphosed into something larg- were being revitalised by the inclusion of tionalism rather than given the space to let ger and more profound than could be groups of first and second generation immi­ us feel their difficult painful complexities. expected from the singular acts and feelings grants often invisible, by the emotional The issues crucially demanding public of individuals. Diana's death became engagement of its citizens with the political discourse evaporate. We are left with another moment of participation in which and social issues of the day. a sense of participation through superfi­ there was a claiming and reshaping of pub­ But, and it's a painful but, the public cially shared emotional expression rather lic space, an insistence that public discourse space which looked like it was being than a linking of the political, economic, respect the feelings of the people and a claimed, opened up and reformed, quickly social and emotional issues that these cases moment of potential constitutional change. closed down. And into a space that for sev­ pose. Our participation in the public space 61 MARXISM TODAY NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1998 look of the government, the purposefulness and seriousness it projects (which many admire) become translated in the public mind not with an invitation to participate 'The but with a sense that there is little place to moment of do so. While the cultural style of Blair has being part of been to be open to all — musicians, busi­ nessmen, youth, international leaders, not articulating simply in a presidential manner but in a something manner which conveys the sense that there new has is room for celebration of who we are - his political leadership speaks another mes­ passed as sage. There we pick up the sense that con­ though it trol is crucial, that criticism is rarely seen as were a constructive, that diverse voices are unwel­ dream' come or even dangerous, that the real alliances are not between people but that the corporate remake of Britain is interest­ ed primarily in other corporations with whom Britain can do business. The Gov­ ernment's representation of itself seems to pose the opposite of an inclusive society. ith Blair's decision to make offerings towards the Royal Family in that first week of September Wand to then reinforce it at the Queen's golden wedding - along with the sense that the national executive of the Labour parly must be controlled - we lost the sense that this was our government.
Recommended publications
  • Development and Persuasion Processing: an Investigation of Children's Advertising Susceptibility and Understanding
    University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations 2013 Development and Persuasion Processing: An Investigation of Children's Advertising Susceptibility and Understanding Matthew Allen Lapierre University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations Part of the Communication Commons Recommended Citation Lapierre, Matthew Allen, "Development and Persuasion Processing: An Investigation of Children's Advertising Susceptibility and Understanding" (2013). Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations. 770. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/770 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/770 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Development and Persuasion Processing: An Investigation of Children's Advertising Susceptibility and Understanding Abstract Over the past 40 years, research on children's understanding of commercial messages and how they respond to these messages has tried to explain why younger children are less likely to understand these messages and are more likely to respond favorably to them with varying success (Kunkel et al., 2004; Ward, Wackman, & Wartella, 1977), however this line of research has been criticized for not adequately engaging developmental research or theorizing to explain why/how children responde to persuasive messages (Moses & Baldwin, 2005; Rozendaal, Lapierre, Buijzen, van Reijmersdal, 2011). The current study attempts to change this by empirically testing whether children's developing theory of mind, executive function, and emotion regulation helps to bolster their reaction to advertisements and their understanding of commercial messages. With a sample of 79 children between the ages of 6 to 9 and their parents, this study sought to determine if these developmental mechanisms were linked to processing of advertisements and understanding of commercial intent.
    [Show full text]
  • The Neural Correlates of Moral Decision-Making in Psychopathy
    University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Neuroethics Publications Center for Neuroscience & Society 2009 The Neural Correlates of Moral Decision-Making in Psychopathy Andrea L. Glenn University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Adrian Raine University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] R.A. Schug University of Southern California Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/neuroethics_pubs Part of the Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons Recommended Citation Glenn, A. L., Raine, A., & Schug, R. (2009). The Neural Correlates of Moral Decision-Making in Psychopathy. Retrieved from https://repository.upenn.edu/neuroethics_pubs/55 Suggested Citation Glenn, A.L, Raine, Adrian, Schug, R.A. "The Neural Correlates of Moral Decision-Making in Psychopathy" Molecular Psychiatry, (2009) Vol. 14, 5-6. This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/neuroethics_pubs/55 For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Neural Correlates of Moral Decision-Making in Psychopathy Keywords magnetic resonance imaging, antisocial personality disorder, social behavior, morals, amygdala Disciplines Neuroscience and Neurobiology Comments Suggested Citation Glenn, A.L, Raine, Adrian, Schug, R.A. "The Neural Correlates of Moral Decision-Making in Psychopathy" Molecular Psychiatry, (2009) Vol. 14, 5-6. This journal article is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/neuroethics_pubs/55 1 The Neural Correlates of Moral Decision-Making in Psychopathy 2009. Molecular Psychiatry, 14, 5-6. Glenn, A.L.* Department of Psychology University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 19104-6241, USA Tel: (417)-425-4393 Fax: (215)-746-4239 [email protected] Raine, A. Department of Criminology and Psychiatry University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 19104-6241, USA Schug, R.A.
    [Show full text]
  • Information for Parents on Sexual Abuse
    PARENT INFORMATION ABOUT SEXUAL ABUSE Here is some practical information for helping you keep your child safe from sexual abuse. If you have specific questions or concerns about your children, please contact your school principal or counselor. Other resources are listed at the end of this information. Did you know? • That every two minutes a child is sexually assaulted • There are often no physical signs of sexual assault • By staying silent the abuser is protected • Silence gives permission for the victimization to continue • That one in four girls and one in six boys are victims of sexual abuse by age 18 • Sexual abuse doesn’t discriminate…it spans all socio-economic classes and religions • That 50-90% of child sexual assaults are never reported • In 1998, Health and Human Services reported 108,360 confirmed sexual abuse cases • 61% of reported rapes were committed against victims under age 17 • 85% of the time, the child knows and trusts the abuser. What is Sexual Abuse? Sexual abuse includes the following acts or omissions by a person: o Sexual conduct harmful to a child’s mental, emotional or physical welfare, including conduct that constitutes the offense of indecency with a child, sexual assault, or aggravated sexual assault; o Failure to make a reasonable effort to prevent sexual conduct harmful to a child; o Compelling or encouraging the child to engage in sexual conduct; o Causing, permitting, encouraging, engaging in, or allowing the photographing, filming, or depicting of the child if the person knew or should have known that the resulting photograph, film, or depiction of the child is obscene or pornographic; o Causing, permitting, encouraging, engaging in, or allowing a sexual performance by a child.
    [Show full text]
  • The Sacred, the Profane, and the Crying of Lot 49. From
    VARIATIONS ON A THEME IN AMERICAN FICTION Edited by Kenneth H. Baldwin and David K. Kirby Duke University Press Durham, N.C. 1975 I THE SACRED, THE PROFANE, AND THE CRYING OF LOT 49 Thomas Pynchon’s first two novels (a third has been announced at this writing) are members of that rare and valuable class of books which, on their first appearance, were thought obscure even by their admirers, but which became increasingly accessible afterwards, without losing any of their original excitement When V., Pynchon’s first novel, appeared in 1963, some of its reviewers counselled reading it twice or not at all, and even then warned that its various patterns would not fall entirely into place. Even if its formal elements were obscure, V. still recom­ mended itself through its sustained explosions of verbal and imaginative energy, its immense range of knowledge and inci­ dent, its extraordinary ability to excite the emotions without ever descending into the easy paths of self-praise or self-pity that less rigorous novelists had been tracking with success for years. By now the published discussions of the book agree that its central action, repeated and articulated in dozens of variations, involves a decline, both in history broadly conceived and in the book’s individual characters, from energy to stasis, and from the vital to the inanimate. The Crying of Lot 49, Pynchon’s second book, published in 1966, is much shorter and superficially more co­ hesive than the first book. Its reception, compared with V.s al­ most universal praise, was relatively muted, and it has since re­ ceived less critical attention than it deserves.
    [Show full text]
  • Anne Elliot, the Narrator, and Sound in Jane Austen's and Adrian Shergold's Persuasion
    The Corinthian Volume 20 Article 12 November 2020 Playing with Noise: Anne Elliot, the Narrator, and Sound in Jane Austen's and Adrian Shergold's Persuasion Brianna R. Phillips Georgia College & State University Follow this and additional works at: https://kb.gcsu.edu/thecorinthian Part of the English Language and Literature Commons, Film and Media Studies Commons, and the Women's Studies Commons Recommended Citation Phillips, Brianna R. (2020) "Playing with Noise: Anne Elliot, the Narrator, and Sound in Jane Austen's and Adrian Shergold's Persuasion," The Corinthian: Vol. 20 , Article 12. Available at: https://kb.gcsu.edu/thecorinthian/vol20/iss1/12 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Undergraduate Research at Knowledge Box. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Corinthian by an authorized editor of Knowledge Box. Phillips 1 Brianna Phillips Playing with Noise: Anne Elliot, the Narrator, and Sound in Jane Austen’s and Adrian Shergold’s Persuasion In Jane Austen’s Persuasion (1817), Anne Elliot occupies a noisy world of piercing voices, slamming doors, cutlery scraping plates, children running, laughing, and a “hundred” other sounds. Because she is often noiseless in this loud narrative world, the presence of sound is thrown into relief and profoundly affects Anne’s body and consciousness. Throughout the novel, Anne’s responses to noise within a crowded room parallel her inward feelings in that when the noisiness bewilders her senses, her response reflects her simultaneous discomposure at seeing or interacting with Captain Frederick Wentworth, whom she was persuaded not to marry eight years before.
    [Show full text]
  • Sympathy Crying: Insights from Infrared Thermal Imaging on a Female Sample
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Portsmouth University Research Portal (Pure) RESEARCH ARTICLE Sympathy Crying: Insights from Infrared Thermal Imaging on a Female Sample Stephanos Ioannou1*, Paul Morris2, Samantha Terry2, Marc Baker2, Vittorio Gallese3,4, Vasudevi Reddy2 1 Alfaisal University, Department of Physiological Sciences, College of Medicine, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 2 Department of Psychology-Centre for Situated Action and Communication, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, United Kingdom, 3 Parma University, Department of Neuroscience, Section of Human Physiology, Parma, Italy, 4 Institute of Philosophy, School of Advanced Study, University of London, London, United Kingdom * [email protected] a11111 Abstract Sympathy crying is an odd and complex mixture of physiological and emotional phenom- ena. Standard psychophysiological theories of emotion cannot attribute crying to a single subdivision of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and disagreement exists regarding the emotional origin of sympathy crying. The current experiment examines sympathy crying OPEN ACCESS using functional thermal infrared imaging (FTII), a novel contactless measure of ANS activ- Citation: Ioannou S, Morris P, Terry S, Baker M, ity. To induce crying female participants were given the choice to decide which film they Gallese V, Reddy V (2016) Sympathy Crying: Insights wanted to cry to. Compared to baseline, temperature started increasing on the forehead, from Infrared Thermal Imaging on a Female Sample. PLoS ONE 11(10): e0162749.doi:10.1371/journal. the peri-orbital region, the cheeks and the chin before crying and reached even higher tem- pone.0162749 peratures during crying. The maxillary area showed the opposite pattern and a gradual tem- Editor: Alessio Avenanti, University of Bologna, perature decrease was observed compared to baseline as a result of emotional sweating.
    [Show full text]
  • Clinical an Urgent Care Approach to Excessively Crying Infants
    Clinical An Urgent Care Approach to Excessively Crying Infants Urgent message: Infants who cry excessively pose a challenge to physi- cians and parents. A systematic approach to the history and physical exam can guide the diagnostic approaches to determine if a benign—or serious— condition is responsible. TONI CLARE HOGENCAMP, MD rying is a primitive form of communication that infants Crely on to communicate their distress. Because infants cannot verbalize their discomfort, they must rely on their cry to communicate with caregivers. Estimates indicate that infants cry a total of 1 to 2 hours per day. Newborns cry the least, but crying steadily increases during the first few weeks to a peak of approx- imately 3 hours per day at about 6 to 8 weeks of life, after which it declines. It is often the excessive crying, when the total hours are consolidated or when the infant is inconsolable, that is the most stressful for parents.1 Parents may complain of excessive crying or excessive fussiness and may describe their infant as “colicky” or irritable. Most parents seek care when they are con- cerned that there is a serious medical problem respon- sible for the crying, whereas others seek care when they have become exhausted. The list of potential etiologies for excessive crying can © Corbis.com be exhaustive, but studies suggest that from 5% to 60% of infants evaluated in an emergency department (ED) from benign colic to serious conditions, such as menin- for excessive crying have a serious medical condition.2-3 gitis, congenital heart disease (CHD), and abusive head A more recent, prospective study of 254 infants present- trauma.
    [Show full text]
  • Bullying in the Workplace Training Manual with Quiz Sheet
    Bullying in the Workplace 1 Bullying in the Workplace Workplace – COVID-19 Training Series WV DOH Training & Development Unit – COVID-19 – Training Manual 04/2020 Bullying in the Workplace 2 Introduction Bullying is called the silent epidemic. Although half of workers have experienced or witnessed bullying, policies and laws dealing with it are far less prevalent. This is, in part, because bullying can be hard to identify and address. People wonder, what does bullying look like? How can we discourage it in our workplace? What can I do to protect my staff and co-workers? All of these questions (and more!) will be answered in this training. Learning Objectives At the end of this workshop, you will be able to: o Define what bullying is and is not o Understand the costs of bullying to people and organizations o Identify bullying behaviors and the reasons behind them o Know some ways to prevent bullying and understand what role you can play o Know some ways to protect yourself from bullying o Know what to do if you are bullied o Identify appropriate solutions for a bullying incident (within and outside the organization) o Assist in creating an anti-bullying policy Session One: Defining Bullying What is Bullying? Let’s make sure that we’re all on the same page when it comes to talking about bullying. American bullying experts Drs. Gary and Ruth Namie give us this definition: “Bullying at work is repeated, health-harming mistreatment of a person by one or more workers that takes the form of verbal abuse; conduct or behaviors that are threatening, intimidating, or humiliating; sabotage that prevents work from getting done; or some combination of the three.” (Source: Page 3, The Bully at Work – Second Edition, Namie and Namie, 2009.
    [Show full text]
  • Persuasive Language
    PERSUASIVE LANGUAGE A guide to understanding persuasive language. INCLUDING ASSESSMENT TASKS AND MARKING CRITERIA! TABLE OF CONTENTS Why study persuasive language? 3 What is an issue? 4 Persuasive techniques 6 Identifying persuasive techniques 10 Appealing to emotions 11 Analysing persuasive language 12 Planning your analysis 13 What is tone? 14 Identifying tone 16 Writing your analysis 17 Quoting an article 18 Useful phrases 19 Proofreading your analysis 20 Things to remember 21 Things to avoid 23 Analysing visual texts 25 Analysing cartoons 29 Cartoon analysis 30 Background information 31 Sample annotation 36 Sample analysis 38 Persuasive writing activities 40 Assessment task 41 PERSUASIVE LANGUAGE 2 www.ipawareness.com.au WHY STUDY PERSUASIVE LANGUAGE? “IF YOU CARE ABOUT AN ISSUE, UNDERSTANDING PERSUASIVE LANGUAGE CAN HELP YOU ENGAGE IN THE DEBATE.” The mass media is where important issues are debated and discussed. Election campaigns are fought and won over issues. Everyone has an opinion. But who should you believe? What are the facts? Who should you vote for? If you have an understanding of how persuasive language works, you’ll be able to see through persuasion and rhetoric to answer these questions. If you understand how language is used to persuade, you are much more likely to have a sophisticated understanding of issues in society. You’ll be able to see through rhetoric, focus on the facts and confidently address the important issues facing our society. What’s more, if you care deeply about an issue, you can also engage in this sort of important discussion. Write to your local newspaper, comment on blogs, engage in discussions on social networking.
    [Show full text]
  • Poly-Victimization: a Neglected Component in Child Victimizationଝ David Finkelhor ∗, Richard K
    Child Abuse & Neglect 31 (2007) 7–26 Poly-victimization: A neglected component in child victimizationଝ David Finkelhor ∗, Richard K. Ormrod, Heather A. Turner Crimes against Children Research Center, University of New Hampshire, 126 Horton Social Science Center, Durham, NH 03824, USA Received 17 February 2005; received in revised form 30 May 2006; accepted 17 June 2006 Abstract Objective: To assess the role of multiple victimization, or what is termed in this article “poly-victimization,” in explaining trauma symptomatology. Method: In a nationally representative sample of 2,030 children ages 2–17, assessment was made of the past year’s victimization experiences and recent trauma symptoms. Results: Children experiencing four or more different kinds of victimization in a single year (poly-victims) com- prised 22% of the sample. Poly-victimization was highly predictive of trauma symptoms, and when taken into account, greatly reduced or eliminated the association between individual victimizations (e.g., sexual abuse) and symptomatology. Poly-victims were also more symptomatic than children with only repeated episodes of the same kind of victimization. Conclusion: Researchers and practitioners need to assess for a broader range of victimizations, and avoid studies and assessments organized around a single form of victimization. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Child victimization; Symptomatology; Multiple victimization ଝ For the purposes of compliance with Section 507 of PL 104-208 (the “Stevens Amendment”), readers are advised that 100% of the funds for this program are derived from federal sources (US Department of Justice). The total amount of federal funding involved is $353,233. ∗ Corresponding author. 0145-2134/$ – see front matter © 2006 Elsevier Ltd.
    [Show full text]
  • The Toll of Workplace Bullying
    Research Management Review, Volume 20, Number 1 (2014) The Toll of Workplace Bullying Robert Killoren TCP Consulting OVERVIEW hard to believe that this highly paid, highly educated (Stanford graduate), mountain of In the fall of 2013, a story broke in the a man could be bullied. But that’s the nature news about a victim of bullying. A football of bullying. It does not matter how big player left his team because he was being victims are, or how smart they are, or how bullied. But this wasn’t some local old they are. They can be kids in the school newspaper reporting on a little kid on a Pop yard or executives in a board meeting. Warner team. It was national news about a Bullying can happen to anyone, anytime, professional lineman for the Miami anywhere. Dolphins. The player, Jonathan Martin, Bullying may be more common than reported that he was leaving the team most people think. According to a study because he could no longer take the abuse commissioned by the Workplace Bullying he was getting from some teammates Institute, one in three employees experience (Pelissero, 2013). bullying in the workplace either as a victim In a January 2014 interview that aired or as a witness suffering collateral damage on NBC, he described what almost any (Zogby International, 2010). Seventy-five victim’s experience would be like: “I wish I percent of those instances involved top- would have had more tools to solve my down bullying by a supervisor. Few situation,” Martin said to interviewer Tony organizational or operational flaws can Dungy, the former NFL head coach of the wreak as much havoc as a bully in the Indianapolis Colts (Connor, 2014).
    [Show full text]
  • Shared Stories
    Shared Stories Shared by Morgan, 19 I was bullied in elementary school because I was short and different. Kids would spread rumors about me, tease me, and call me names. I told the teachers what was going on but nothing was being done and the bullying got worse. I started to come home from school crying and sometimes I would even be crying when my parents dropped me off at school. So I told my parents what was going on and they did something about it and things got better. No one deserves to be bullied. After experiencing being bullied I am taking a stand against bullying. I am on a mission to stop bullying. Shared by Tan, 20 When I was in high school, I was a very quiet and shy girl. I was afraid of people getting too close to me, as a consequence I did not have any friends I thought I was mysterious in that way. It started with a boy who seated beside me. One day, when I was paying close attention to the teacher I realised that he could not keep his eyes off me. I admit I was delighted because I never had a guy mesmerised by my beauty before and I took it as a big compliment. Besides, I thought he was quite cute! As usual, the classroom teases typical of high school started. Everyone said that this guy had a big crush on a girl in our class, my heart stopped in my chest: I was waiting for him to say my name and admit.
    [Show full text]