Bullying and Suicide...How do we stop it?

As many of you know, 15 year old Lennon Baldwin of Morristown sadly committed suicide earlier this week.  While it is still under investigation, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office is channeling into the fact that it could be a result of bullying.  Something that is on the forefront of our news almost daily.

While bullying is not a new concept and something that each and every one of us has probably encountered, it has taken on an entirely new dimension in current day.  While bullying in any way shape or form is wrong, it is no longer stealing someone’s lunch money, telling someone they are fat, making fun of a “nerd”…it has become something far more cruel and dangerous and with modern day technology has gone viral thus causing extreme public humiliation for the victims.

It is fascinating that the movie “Hunger Games” received a PG-13 rating.  This movie is about a group of people put on an island to complete tasks and challenges (“Survivor” style).  But when one loses the task, they are not voted off the island but killed.   PG-13!

Now let’s take the new movie “Bully”.  That received an R rating for profanity thus making it impossible for kids under 17 to see unless they are accompanied by an adult.  There is something seriously wrong with that. 

Let’s face it, kids can handle bad language if the ultimate goal is to teach them how truly devastating and quite literally life-threatening bullying can be and what the end result will be for some kids who are more fragile.  And it is all over what these bullying kids deem a "good laugh" at someone else's expense.

Ultimately, bullying can be prevented or, at the very least, lessened by parents taking a good, hard look at their children, who they associate with, what they are posting on Facebook, Twitter, cell phones, etc., listening to their conversations with their friends, KNOWING THEM and what they are doing and not turning a blind eye because it just seems like “kid stuff”. 

If you or anyone you know has suicidal thoughts, please visit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention at www.afsp.org or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255).