Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Innocent Prank??



Homecoming has become a major event throughout high schools and even colleges. Everyone is in hope of their team winning the “big game”, the dance, and hoping to be elected homecoming King or Queen. Nominations for King and Queen are of great importance during this time. “If people vote for me, that means I’m popular!” “Everyone must love me!” WRONG.

Only a week ago 16 year-old Whitney Kropp from West Branch, Michigan was devastated to discover her classmates nominated her for Homecoming court as a hoax. Classmates would stop and laugh at her as she walked through the halls. This bullying continued going from school to Facebook as well. She was quoted saying, “I felt like trash”, “I felt so unworthy”. Whitney was so crushed because of this prank that she considered suicide. Luckily, she had support from her loved ones to help her overcome this. Friends and family retaliated by creating a Facebook page to help support teen bullying and they received a vast amount of feedback. This is not the only account of teens being bullied not only in school but on the internet and considering suicide. Do you think this was just an innocent hoax? Or should those involved in it be accused and punished? Watch the videos/read the articles below to hear more about Whitney's story and give us your thoughts!

6 comments:

  1. This did start out as a harmless prank but evolved into a huge ordeal. It did not seem to be that big of a deal when her friend put her on the home coming ballot but it became a big deal when her classmates started to make fun of her. It had to be even harder for her because she could not escape from it. When she got home it was their on facebook for everyone to read.

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  2. I think this can go both ways. I definately agree more that those kids should not have teased her about it. Grow up a little! But to think of suicide about that is also a bit extreme.

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  3. I remember my high school putting people through the homecoming or winter king and queen voting to be ironical. Not necessarily to bully them, but to vote them in because it's the opposite of what the normal homecoming king or queen would be. So, I don't know if that was what is going on here or if they were just being jerks.

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  4. I don't know how can explain that, I never have homecoming during my school life. But I understand if my friend or my classmates bullying me because I did something were unusual. So be careful when you decide to do some thing new.

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  5. I also agree that this could go both ways. In my high school a lot of times the voting was just on pick a "couple" make him king and her queen and everyone lives happily ever after. So for me homecoming had no affect on me personally. I think it was wrong that this girl had to go through this form of bullying. Bullying went from fighting the big kids against the smaller kids at recess to now starting rumors and saying hurtful things on Facebook that hurt people even more mentally rather than physically.

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  6. i think that it started as a stupid joke, but i also think it should not have been done. the problem with "jokes" of this nature is that it starts as an innocent joke but it grows into much more.

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