By Clare Fidler
The Growler
Ithaca HS
1st Place Division 4, News Writing
Feature Columnist
JUDGING CRITERIA
- Sharp attention-getting leads
- Expresses personal opinions; uses consistent style
- Reflects thought/research, freshness, individuality
- Effective use of facts/quotes or supporting material
- Informative, interesting, entertaining
- Upholds journalistic integrity
- Sentences, paragraphs of varied length; written clearly, concisely and vividly
- Proper diction/grammar
My most vivid memories of bullying were from elementary school. I was told by friends that my wildly curly hair was ugly. I was then told that the insults were only a joke, but they didn?t feel that way to me. When I came home crying, I tried to defend my friends from my inquiring mother. However, she told me that every joke contains part of the truth. Today, I find that it is incredibly important that everyone understands the profound impact that words can have on other people. The concept that every joke contains part of the truth stems from the idea that it is impossible for someone to say something mean or insensitive if they don?t believe it. In order for a bully to insult someone, they have to believe, in some capacity, that what they are saying is correct. Otherwise, they wouldn?t joke about it because they wouldn?t find it funny. While my bullying situation was obviously nowhere near major, many children and teenagers face much more serious experiences. Within every school, kids are ridiculed brutally both in person and online. Many school administrations tend to brush off these interactions as nothing more than something kids happen to do. However, this behavior should never be ignored, as it can be detrimental to the lives of bullied children. Aside from personal bullying, there are many topics that people inappropriately joke about on a regular basis. I?ve heard my classmates make jokes about consent far too many times. Phrases such as ?no means yes? and ?you?re asking for it?are extremely insensitive. Even when they are used as humor, it doesn?t excuse them. It is not possible to joke about situations that lack consent unless the person actually believes that consent is not a serious concept that deserves respect. Using humor to reinforce stereotypes is also not humorous in any way. Telling women to ?get back to the kitchen?suggests that the jokester doesn?t respect women having the ability to excel in a career outside the home. Likewise, telling men to ?man up? or to ?not be gay?when they express their emotions encourages toxic behavior and hurts the LGBTQ+ community?s acceptance in society. Comments that are insensitive to groups of people are never funny and only show the underlying intolerances within the jokesters. It is important that everyone evaluates the way in which their words affect others. Even if they are meant to be a joke, negative comments are only good for a bully to waste their breath. Only the instagator?s inner faults are displayed when they degrade others. No matter what they are about, jokes that are inherently offensive are always inappropriate. People that make insensitive comments must be called out for the negativity they promote through their words and the effects that they have on others around them.