WE’RE ALL CRUEL BULLIES, by Shannon M

You know what really gets on my nerves? When people start putting down others, and I don’t just mean like some kid at school is making fun of you (although that’s not right, either), I mean like how we all just “have” to hate Twilight and everything associated with it. That is so wrong.

I’m not going to lie, several years ago, I was a big fan of the Twilight saga, I really loved the story, the books, the movies, the characters, everything. Those were the books that actually got me interested in reading. But with the continuous harsh judgement against the series, I became embarrassed to even like it a little, so I purposely tried to make myself hate it like everyone else. I was to like what I wanted to like because everyone made fun of it and I was afraid they’d do the same to me. I never did fully convince myself to hate the Twilight Saga, but even now I would never tell anyone that I have any feelings except hate for it.

And it’s not just Twilight that we do this to. Take Justin Bieber for example. He is only famous now because everyone hates him. I’m sure every one of his fans converted to this type of thinking except for the strong and brave minded. I envy those who aren’t afraid to like his music, because that means you have done something that I’ve never been able to do, and that’s not needing the approval from everyone around you.

We all do it! We all wish for others to like us–some more than others. We all pretend we don’t care when someone insults something we like, or even ourselves. We all pretend because we have to in order to make others believe that we’re strong. It drives me crazy that we all have this overwhelming desire to fit in with people we’re not like and how it’s almost considered a social sin to like or dislike certain things.

We all put down celebrities like this. We all make fun of Miley Cyrus because of who she’s become versus who she was. I mean, I really think it’s disturbing how she turned from such a sweet beautiful girl I used to look up to, into this sexual figure that you can’t help but want to look away from. Some of things I’ve seen other people post her doing absolutely disgusts me, but the difference is that I don’t look for ways to make fun of her and put her down. Yes, we all have the freedom to say whatever we want, but does that mean it’s right to say whatever we want?!

We all bully these famous people like this when we don’t even know them as a person. We are all as cruel of a bully as that one kid from school that would push us down in the mud and say such hurtful things to us. We’re all just as bad as anyone else.

What if one of the people hearing us say these awful things really looked up to the very person or thing we were insulting? What if it was there source of inspiration and happiness? Then they hear those brutal things we say and they begin to question themselves and be afraid of their own opinions, fearing if they took the right path or if they should just hide their inspiration. Think of how bad you would have hurt someone you didn’t even intend to hurt. If you knew what you were doing to that person, would you still do it? What if someone did it to you?

No matter how embarrassing these people seem to be making themselves out to be, it was their choice to do these things, and it was in hopes that others would like them for it. Isn’t that we all do? We only hope that others will like us for what we do and appreciate it.

I will refuse to carry on this tradition of insulting those who others believe should forever be gone from the world. I will refuse to click the “Like” button, or to share these things with others, or to encourage this thing anymore. I wish other people would just realize that what they do affects more than just them. How we all try to show others we don’t care what they think, but inside it’s killing us all. I’m going to love what I love, and voice my opinions about what I dislike in a nicer way instead of just being a cruel bully.

~We’re All Cruel Bullies, by Shannon M
“As much as I may dislike someone or something, I’m going to try my best to not make it my goal to tell everyone around me about it in the most rude way possible. There’s plenty of reason to not be so cruel, so I want to encourage other people to join me in this act of making the world a friendlier place.”