Bullied SI teen who killed self ‘tortured’ by classmates after sex at party
A Tottenville High School student jumped in front of a train after she was bullied for having sex with four football players at the same time during a party after a game this weekend, sources said.
Felicia Garcia, 15, jumped to her death at the Huguenot station moments after a group of classmates, described by witnesses as members of the football team, heaped abuse at her.
As to be expected, there’s a fucking ton of victim blaming in the Felicia Garcia tag.
People who think slut-shaming is non-existent or not a problem:
If it had been a 15 year old boy who slept with 4 older women, do you think he would have been bullied and harassed by his classmates?Why is it different?
love this post. if you’re calling Felicia a “slut” or saying she “deserved this” you disgust me. if you can honestly read something like this
and not feel compassion then you’re lying to yourself.
That’s terrible. Also, lets not even get into the elements of a 15 year old sleeping with 4 older boys of prestige from their status as players. I cannot speak for this child and sadly she can’t for herself either, but almost all incidents where that happens some real coercion and intimidation happens to make it possible. Which is rape. So there is that.
Rest in peace child, I am sorry the world treated you so.This world is a fucked up place. Hopefully we can do some justice to the silence forced upon you. <3
I hope her story can bring awareness to slut shaming, rape and rape apologists.
RIP
They killed themselves after being bullied for being gay. It’s not okay. They didn’t deserve that end.
It’s not okay for us to be so judgmental. God didn’t call us to be so cruel.
18 US veterans kills themselves each day
September 5, 2012The month of July set a record high for the number of suicides in the U.S. military. An Army report reveals a total of 38 troops committed suicide last month, including 26 active-duty soldiers and 12 Army National Guard or reserve members — more soldiers than were killed on the battlefield.
The reasons for the increase in suicides are not fully understood. Among explanations, studies point to combat exposure, post-traumatic stress, misuse of prescription medications and personal financial problems. Army data suggest soldiers with multiple combat tours are at greater risk of committing suicide.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta addressed the issue in June at the annual conference on suicide prevention in the military, saying, “Despite the increased efforts, the increased attention, the trends continue to move in a troubling and tragic direction.” We speak with Marguerite Guzmán Bouvard, whose new book is called “The Invisible Wounds of War: Coming Home from Iraq and Afghanistan.”
AMY GOODMAN: The month of July set a record high for the number of suicides in the U.S. military. An Army report revealed a total of 38 troops—26 active-duty soldiers, another 12 National Guard or reserve members—are believed to have committed suicide in July, the highest rate recorded in a month since the Army started tracking detailed statistics on such deaths. More U.S. soldiers died in July by taking their own lives than on the battlefield.
We recently spoke to Iraq War veteran Aaron Hughes about suicides in the military.
AARON HUGHES: Every day in this country 18 veterans are committing suicide. Seventeen percent of the individuals that are in combat in Afghanistan, my brothers and sisters, are on psychotropic medication. Twenty to 50 percent of the individuals that are getting deployed to Afghanistan are already diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, military sexual trauma or a traumatic brain injury. Currently one-third of the women in the military are sexually assaulted. It’s clear that these policies of the global war on terror has had a profound effect on the military, my brothers and sisters, while simultaneously perpetuating a failed policy. And unfortunately, we have to live with that failed policy on a daily basis, and we don’t want to be a part of that failed policy anymore.
“Support our troops” really does end when they are no longer soldiers.
**WARNING: SUICIDE**
TW: suicide
Army Issues Anti-Suicide Nasal Spray As Military Suicides Double
The military suicide rate doubled in July. That’s one of our troops, almost every day.
To come up with an answer, the Army recently gave 3 million dollars to a university of Indiana research center, and those researchers came back with this: Anti-Suicide Nasal Spray.
Katie Drummond of The Daily reports researchers found a naturally occuring neurochemical called thyrotropin-releasing hormone, or TRH, that has euphoric, calming, anti-depressant effects. News of the nasal spray comes as a relief to some, who had to endure spinal taps for injections of the medicine.
The Pentagon, which tracks military suicides, reported that troops have committed the act at an 18 percent increase over the same period last year. Now, more troops die by their own hands that by the hands of the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The spray is only possible because of advances in “nanotechnology delivery systems.” Researchers plan to run a full battery of trials over the next few years, and hopefully put the spray not only in the hands of soldiers, but civilians as well.
Yes good, just drug them up that’ll fix everything
Oh my god, this is *horrifying*.
Seriously, I would expect to read this in like, a dystopian novel or some shit.
Cutting .. & Bullied ..
My Name Is Tiffany Dickerson & Earlier In The Year I Was Getting Bullied .. Bad . . It Got So Bad I Turned To Cutting . Unlike People , I Could Turn To Cutting & I Always Knew It Would Be There . It Let Me Hurt Myself in ways people couldn’t . I Was Wrong , It hurt just the same . I was cutting pretty bad too . I Told My Best friend Kelcee , & I told her not to tell anybody . About Two Weeks Passed & I was getting bullied Even Worse , My mom called the cops .. My Mom Called My Best friend’s mom Because She Was There for me through everything . Her Mom Told My Mom i was cutting again & I Felt My World Just Crash . My mom asked to see my stomach & i Refused . I Was So Mad That My Best friend Broke Her Promise Not To Tell Anyone .. I eventually showed my mom my cuts on my stomach . She Started Crying .. & Seeing How Bad it Hurt My Mom Made me realize i wasn’t just hurting myself i was hurting the ones i loved too .. I Got so mad at Kelcee that i wouldn’t talk to her , i told her i didn’t want to be her friend & That i couldn’t trust her .. An Hour Passed & Kelcee Showed Up At My House With Her Mom .. I didn’t even wanna look at her face , but i realized her eyes were all puffy & Red From Crying .. I ran inside & Started to cry , She came inside & We Talked together , cried together .. Our Moms Came inside & Her Mom Talked To Me About Her Family Member Committing Suicide , & How Hard it was for all of them & how they didn’t want to lose Another close Family Friend .. I Realized I wasn’t alone , I Had people there for me . I Had People Wanting To Help Me Get through all of this . I wasn’t alone . They Were There For me . Every Step Of The Way & I Don’t Know What i would do with out them ..My Best Friend wasn’t trying to hurt me by telling , She Was Helping , Yeah It Made Me Mad , But Its been 3 months since I’ve last cut . & It Feels Pretty Damn Good . I’m Getting Stronger each day . I Know I Don’t Have To Face Any Of This Alone Ever Again .
Don’t make that ugly Cut , Put Down That Razor , The Knife , The Scissors , The Broken Glass . Just Put It Down . Don’t Make That First Cut . It’ll Get You Addicted To The Pain . It’ll Ruin Your Life . I Know the Withdraws , There Hell . You Feel Like You Need To . Its Like a Drug , heroin , Cocaine , Meth . It’s Like You Can’t Live With Out It , I Know . But You Can . You Just Have To Try , & I Mean Try Hard . Talk To Someone . Talk To me , Even If We Don’t Talk I’m Here For You , You Can Talk To me . If You Need Help , I Can Help you Through This . You’re Not Alone .
- Tiffany Dickerson , 15 .
Trigger Warning: Suicide, Child abuse (physical, sexual and emotional), slut shaming children
I remember when my mothe tried to drown me. I remember when she almost murdered my dad’s girlfriend in front of me. I remember rolling down a hill onto a ground hornets nest and instead of waking up in a hospital, waking up to find a strange grown man’s fingers inside me. I remember being about 9 years old and being strangled by my dad’s girlfriend while she told me I was a slut and my father doesn’t love me. I remember knowing that he would never choose me over her, because I had already told him that I don’t like her and she’s mean to me and he competely ignored it. I remember almost dying so many fucking times it’s hard to really believe myself. I can remember 10 sexual abusers off the top of my head before I ever turned 15, and I’m not really digging that hard because I’m afraid to know the real number.
It’s hard to want to live in a world where all that can happen to one person, especially a relatively privileged white, able-bodied man such as myself. It’s hard to believe that I’m not broken forever. It’s hard to acknowlege any of it as real and not just stirring up drama or blowing things out of proportion. That was my dad’s favorite line when I was a kid, that I’m blowing things out of proportion and making mountains out of molehills. Oh come on, he’d say, it doesn’t hurt all that bad! And then he’d laugh and grab me and pull out his knife and say, I can give you something to REALLY cry about if you want, and when I’d scream and struggle until he let me go he’d just watch and laugh as I ran away and hid from him.
Fuck. I’m so angry that I had my childhood stolen from me like that. I don’t want to live in a world where people like my biological father exist.
To all those people who told me that God never gives us more than we can handle, I say that your God expects too much of children.
Suicide rate in Greece jumps 40% as austerity measures take hold | CNN
Capitalism kills.
I just want to point out how this article is an example of the way that the mainstream, corporate press — such as CNN — actually try to actively shape public opinion while feigning ‘objective news reporting.’ The author writes that cuts to Greek workers’ salaries and pensions have been “required” by the debt crisis. This is bullshit. One could easily write, alternatively, that the debt crisis “requires” raising taxes on the rich, defaulting on the foreign bankers who own Greek debt, etc., rather than attacking workers’ living standards …
===
The suicide rate in Greece rose 40% in the first five months of 2011 compared with the previous year, according to health ministry data. A nongovernmental organization that runs a suicide helpline in Greece told CNN that it has seen a tenfold increase in calls, with three out of four callers citing economic problems. One in five Greeks was unemployed last year, and many more have suffered under the country’s debt crisis, which has required cuts in salaries and pensions.
cuts and skin in black & white, color
These are the 99 percent, or at least they used to be, via Reddit.
- Boy’s death highlights US health debate
- Study links 45,000 U.S. deaths to lack of insurance
- Deaths at West Virginia Mine Raise Issues About Safety
- Investigators: Massey Energy Falsified Safety Record at Upper Big Branch Mine
- Massey Energy CEO to retire amid mine probes
- Suicides in the downturn raise worries about recession’s real cost
- Record 2.9 Million U.S. Properties Receive Foreclosure Filings in 2010 Despite 30-Month Low in December
- U.S. Suicide on Rise: Middle-Aged at Risk
- New Estimate Puts Gulf Oil Leak at 205 Million Gallons
- Presidential Panel Blames Companies for ‘Avoidable’ Gulf Oil Spill
- BP CEO Tony Hayward to Resign, Get $17 Million in Severance
- At Many Homes, More Profit and Less Nursing
You know, I’ve been thinking a lot about the Occupation movement. When you work in retail behind a cash register like I do, one tends to do a lot of thinking. One thing that I’ve been thinking about is the ideas that some people have had about the movement, and in particular, its participants. There is a marked feeling of disdain and condescension towards it, that its participants are entitled, self-aggrandizing 20-somethings looking for something to twitter onto their blags with their iPhoons to feel superior about themselves, or clueless, lazy holdover hippies who are too stupid to realize that it’s 2011, and not 1963.
This above article does a better job of clarifying what kind of people are involved in the movement than I ever could, but I’d also like to add my additional feelings to the post. Mainly my point is about the delegitimization of social movements and how it increases apathy. While it’s true that it is no longer 1963 and times have changed, when faced with statistics like the above, disparities of 475 to 1 ratios of pay between company CEOs and their rank and file employees, an abysmal rate of employment on a national level, and the simple fact that I’ve known at least 3 people that have had to make the choice between rent and food, it would honestly take someone very naive or sheltered to deny that something is very wrong with the way our country is going. It’s easy to demonize the people who deny those facts or are well-off enough to ignore the issue as a whole, but one thing that the Occupation movement has to its virtue (but ironically to its greatest PR fault), is that it is aware of how nebulous its frustration is. There’s no one demon to fix the crosshairs on, because the problem is really an aggregate of many different issues in the way the United States runs and how the majority of companies nationwide do business. Because the Occupation Movement has not caved in to simple slogans, it looks foolish and disorganized and easy to mock. However, one must take a long hard look at what that mockery does.
We know that things are bad and that things have to change, but up to now, all our previous outlets have seemed to have failed us. Representational elections tend to produce the same kind of candidates every time that don’t really satisfy us. Large corporations have the monetary support and access to resources that overpower the interests of the rest of the population and further their own bottom lines. Our educational system is being cut apart piece by piece, running the risk of plunging the next generation into ignorance and obliviousness. It seems that all of the regular modes of action have failed us. When all else fails, in our frustration, fear and anger, we turn to the last option we have, open protest and physical movements. But when the cynical and the comfortable say that these movements are nothing but foolish throwbacks to a bygone era, populated by the idle, the entitled, and the painfully disconnected, I say to them: What else are we supposed to do? What other methods are we supposed to implement? Where are the jobs that you say we’re too lazy to find? Where is the living wage that we need when we’re lucky enough to even have them? Where are the strong-minded noble representative officials who will stand up for our rights that we’re supposed to vote for? What other choice do we have?
They give us simple answers, glib sound bytes and tough love aphorisms that are supposed to make everything better once we all just “grow up” and think like they do. The Occupation knows via many many examples, like the unfortunate cases above, that it just isn’t WORKING. That’s why I support them. If you think I’m some sort of idiotic, lazy idealistic commiehippiepinko because of that, well, all I can say is that I’m sorry. After the legitimacy of protests and physical movements is ended, that’s really all I’m going to have left: apologies.
I know I’m not alone. We all walk around scarred by experiences from our childhood; no one emerges unscathed. Because of this universality, we tend to dismiss bullying as an unavoidable part of growing up. “Kids will be kids,” right?
I disagree. Kids will be what we teach them to be.
”Donna Brazile, “Words Do Hurt,” Ms. Magazine summer 2011
I basically love this whole article, which discusses two bills in Congress right now—the Student Non-Discrimination Act and the Safe Schools Improvement Act.
Some more great quotes from the piece:
Some will reject this proposed legislation as ultimately ineffectual. But kids mimic the behaviors modeled for them. As long as their models treat bullying as par for the course, it will be.
And:
[Y]oung adults who reported high rates of LGBT-related bullying were 2.6 times more likely than others who weren’t so bullied to be clinically depressed and 5.6 times more likely to commit suicide.
And:
If this were any other group of kids, we would never stand for this. Yet with LGBT youth, we somehow believe that it’s okay for their daily lives to be torture, as if it will inure them to the vicious realities of being a minority class.
(via ladyatheist)
I just had this fight with my roommate last night. His excuse for bullying was that we all needed thick skin. Why? Why can’t we all just love one another. Do we really need thick skin? He also looked at me and laughed saying, quite proudly, that he would have been a bully toward me when we were kids. Really? that’s not something to be proud of! How dare you! You should be ashamed of yourself! and this is all coming form a TRANS GAY MALE! what the fuck is wrong with you?!
(via mycaptainraydor)(Source: brute-reason)
The Futility of Suicide as a Response to Bullying
Where is everyone when a kid gets bullied for being fat? Usually urging the victim to meet with a nutritionist or go to Weight Watchers in order to fit in. Where are the “enlightened” members of the American populace when a child is tormented for speaking differently? Maybe giving the child pamphlets for ESL classes or speech therapists. When a child is tortured for having a disability, what happens? No one listens, and when someone DOES (as in the case of James Jones’ daughter) they are arrested for standing up to the perpetrators. And the parents of the child are usually advised to transfer their kid to a new school.
I remember being bullied all through my school years. Every day from 2nd grade up through college. Kids chanting songs calling me derogatory names. Boys calling me a slut because I was more developed then other girls my age. Sexual harassment on the middle school bus. Kids pushing each other into me. Spitting at me. Throwing sodas out of car windows as I was walking down the street. I still feel the pain today, though I have been out of school for 15 years. I suspect that I developed Borderline personality disorder as a direct result of the torment I went through as a child.I remember cutting myself over and over again to attempt to relieve the psychological trauma caused by my bullies. I begged my parents to transfer me to a new school, believing that somehow, things would get better in a new environment. I cannot even begin to tell you the number of times that I sat at home crying, contemplating killing myself to escape from my torment.Problem is, if I decided to kill myself, I realized, the bullies would have won. They would all show up at my funeral, and pretend that they really cared. They would cry and go to the therapist that is usually offered to the student body of the school when kids kill themselves They would go on and on about how special I was, how much I would be missed. And they would NEVER admit their complicity in my death. Nope. Instead, the would play the role of the victim, mourning after the death of a “friend”.
Beautiful, true words. Continue reading here.
