Brett+F.

Is Being Unique, Being Different, a Crime?



In middle school did you ever see that person who wasn't quite like everyone else? Sure, they had a small group of friends, but that didn't stop the more "popular" kids from picking on them. Maybe they were kind of awkward, socially and/or physically, or maybe they were considered "weird" because they didn't wear what everyone else wore. Or perhaps they were unusually sensitive and would get upset with just a few sentences of verbal abuse. Did you ever stop to think that there was something wrong with the so called popular kids playing jokes on them or calling them stupid or ugly, even if they were far from it? Or did you just think it was funny when they cried and started yelling? and when they got in trouble, though they were the clear victim, did you think that was hilarious too?

These victims of their own individuality are and always have been a sad breed both to be and to observe. Most of the time they grow out of their awkwardness. For some of them its just a phase and they conformed after a few years if bullying becomes unbearable. For those who outgrew their awkwardness but never outgrew their style or friends and embraced their individuality; sometimes they are perfectly happy and don't care what everyone else thinks and is gradually excepted by those who may have been friends with those "popular" kids, but for others, though they also don't care what people think, their former bullies and the bullies' friends still haven't outgrown their insecurities and immatureness and still see them as that unfortunate kid in middle school who they have no business being friends with and who they are made uncomfortable by. The person grouped in the second category may be in the unfortunate situation where all of those kids are in their classes. They become the last person to be picked as a partner for group projects and in some cases have none of their friends in one or two of their classes.

You can only imagine what becomes of these people. Do you think they go insane? If you were in their shoes would you go insane receiving uneasy glances from your classmates? Would you go insane not having any friends in your class and instead having 10-20 people who only saw you for who you used to be? Well these people are everywhere and sometimes, no matter how nice they are, people still don't accept them if they know their past. I believe that life should be better for these people. Why is it wrong for someone not to be a cookie cutter teenager? Doesn't individuality come in handy in the future? Don't people think it's okay when you grow up and actually to the advantage of the individual in question? I realize immaturity plays a big role in answering why being different is scorned in high school, but why is it so hard for people to say their sorry once they have "grown up"? Why don't these people ever get an apology? Why does being bullied have to be a part of life? Why does society put up with it? Does bullying really shape who these people grow up to be? Or would they be happier and more successful if they had never been picked on? These are the important questions... and from my experience being bullied, i wish someone could answer them for me....