Hateful speech is a constant threat to a vast majority of people, only made easier by today’s technology. So, when we know someone is being belittled by another’s hurtful words, why is it that, sometimes, we do nothing? Do we feel it is not our problem? Do we feel we should not get involved? Any of these are okay enough excuses, but not good enough reasons. You see, when you do nothing you are just as guilty as the person inflicting pain through words, and possibly actions, just you inflict pain by doing, well, nothing. We often hear the saying “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” But is it really true? You may think that words are not nearly as powerful as physical harassment, but since our self-image is mostly portrayed to us through other’s actions and words, there’s a different story being told. If somebody comments that they don’t like your new clothes, or your hairstyle, that can hurt. Then, take …show more content…
Now, a reported 1 in 5 children, that’s 20.8%, are reportedly bullied in school according to the National Center for Educational Statistics, that’s about 7,321,600 kids in elementary and middle school alone. One of the many, many examples of this is Desiree Andrews, a 14 year old cheerleader at Lincoln Middle School in Wisconsin. During a game, some of the basketball players realized that they were making fun of Desiree, because she has Down’s Syndrome. As soon as the basketball players knew about this, they went into the crowd and said “Don’t mess with her.” The players were very angered by this and knew that it wasn’t okay. In her honor, they even named the gym D’s House. Desiree doesn’t have any hard feelings towards anybody, saying “... It’s Okay. I still love them even if they don’t like me.” This is a very heartwarming story about how we can all help each other out in times of need, and how even if something like that happens, you don’t have to hate