A College Student Responds


by on

A college student, Alyssa Cariani, responds to our recent article on bullying and hazing:

“I, along with millions of others, have been a victim of online bullying. In high school, a seemingly shy boy I had known for years asked me on a date. As I was not interested in this person, I respectfully declined his offer (I practiced that conversation with my mom many times). The boy reacted in a way I had never considered possible coming from him. Instead of leaving me alone and never talking to me again (the reaction I had anticipated), he tried to hurt me through the Internet. Soon after turning him down, he began sending me instant messages calling me all types of horrible names. He even posted blatant lies about me on extremely public websites, such as Facebook and his online journal. Because they were so public, many people in school encountered them Not only was I hurt by his reaction, but I was also so surprised because of how quiet he was in person. It is scary how the internet can be used as a shield for people. He was probably able to bully me to this extent, simply because he was able to avoid doing it to my face. For this reason, and because of the skyrocketing popularity of social networking as of late, online bullying should not be tolerated. I’m actually surprised that Massachusetts is just now passing anti-bullying laws; in my opinion, they should have been in effect years ago. I feel lucky to have had such a strong support system throughout my incident. They were able to keep me strong, and to help me rise above it. Clearly, for people who aren’t as lucky as me, these laws are a necessity.”


Filed under: