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ATHENS ORACLE

The official student news site of Athens Drive High School

ATHENS ORACLE

The official student news site of Athens Drive High School

ATHENS ORACLE

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Day of Silence strives to project a message about the effects of bullying

The Day of Silence is an anti-bullying effort and was created in hopes of raising awareness and end the silencing effect that bullying has on victims and bystanders. April 15, Athens Drive students participated in the Day of Silence, a day where students from all walks of life took a vow of silence to spread a message.

“Participants refrain from speaking, and sometimes other methods of communicating, with their peers for some or the whole day to bring attention to the LGBT+ people that are bullied to the point that they don’t speak out against the harassment they’re facing,” said CJ Lewis, senior.

Sometimes when a person says something mean or physically harms a victim, it is easier for the victim to remain silent about the incidents. The Day of Silence specifically focuses on bullying in the LGBTQ community. In the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and queer (LGBTQ) community, people of all ages are susceptible to harassment.

“It’s like how you have marathons for breast cancer awareness.  No one said that other cancers aren’t important, those movements and marathons are just having a hyper-focus on one subject that will ultimately lead to changes in other related subjects, like a breakthrough in breast cancer research might pioneer new treatments for other cancers.  The people who are participating in the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) Day of Silence are generally more likely to also call out all types of harassment, LGBT+ or not,” said Lewis.

In 1996, according to “GLSEN Day of Silence” website, the University of Virginia organized the first ever Day of Silence. Their efforts spread to middle schools, high schools and universities all over the country. Over 8,000 schools participated that year.

“Our students do not seem to suffer from a great deal of bullying or discrimination on campus. This is a very diverse and inclusive school. I believe that students in our club [QSA] are often concerned with prejudice and the use of slang or derogatory words that are offensive to them.  They are aware that this is brought on by a lack of knowledge their peers seem to have about what it means to be LGBTQ. They hope to spread awareness and information so that all students in Athens Drive are well informed,” said Jason Hunning, QSA sponsor.

The psychological mindset behind these individuals may explain how these individuals act. According to “Masters in Psychology Guide,” those who get bullied tend to be more introverted and have low self-confidence, which can result in depression and other mental disorders. The Day of Silence strives to raise awareness about the effects.

“Bullying makes it difficult to have relationships with others. The fact that you are constantly brought down by others, it makes you feel paranoid, depressed and hopeless. It damages you psychologically,” said Zoe Allardice, senior.

According to “Masters in Psychology Guide,” both the bully and the victim are harmed by the effects of bullying. The victim may feel that they are alone in the world and oftentimes experience anxiety and other emotional problems. The bully, however, may have some emotional battles of their own they are dealing with. If they are frustrated, angry or upset, they may displace that anger on another peer.

I believe the pop culture science says that bullies also have low self-esteems, but high amounts of aggression, and the way they choose to let out this aggression, instead of something constructive like a sport or something, they take it out on those who have just as low self-esteems as them to give their self-esteem a slight boost while at the same time squashing the esteem of their victim,” said Lewis.

The reasons why one may bully another varies greatly, but some groups of people, like those in the LGBTQ community, are the most susceptible. This is because they are perceived as “different,” which some people may fear or do not understand.

“Acceptance is patient, open-minded and tolerance of others. Most of time, when people don’t understand sexuality, it is because of the fact that they may not be well-educated on the topic. They believe in the stereotypes and bias,” said Allardice.

According to an “American SPCC” survey, 48% of students from grades 6-12 have been bullied while 30% have admitted to bullying others. 70.6% have witnessed bullying in schools.

“I think that bullying is so prominent in schools because of new identities and new experiences that people experience,” said Allardice. “They [bullies and victims alike] may not understand the new information that conflicted with their beliefs.”

The vow of silence includes time in the halls, after school and during lunch times, in which participants have the right to remain silent. According to GLSEN, participants do not have that right in class, but if one wants to participate next year, it is recommended that one tells teachers of plans to participate and ask permission to answer in writing.

“Personally, I did not participate in the Day of Silence this year. We already have our voices silenced so much in our day to day life, it’s hard for me to see the point spending another day silenced by ourselves. I do hope, however, that with those who did participate that it would convey the message the Day of Silence intends, that our silence on that day echos the silence of all those who lack the confidence to speak up for themselves in the LGBT+ community,” said Lewis.

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