Michael Morones Recovery Fund

[Wapsi]

Michael Morones, an 11 year old boy in North Carolina, recently attempted to take his own life due to bullying received on account of being a fan of the show 'My Little Pony'. Fortunately, the attempt was caught and halted in time to save his life, but he sustained severe brain damage. The family has reached out and is asking if the community from the show he loves can help out with the medical expenses.

Here's What his Family have to say: Michael is a huge lover of all music. He started to learn Violin because of Lindsey Stirling and harmonica because of my career as a musician years ago. The more people that can share this the better. We want this beyond viral for two reasons, one to share the anti bullying message and two to share michaels amazing faith in God and I know if Michael was awake right now he would want to give nothing but forgiveness and love to the bully's who teased him so they would know what it's like to be accepted without harsh words or violence.

http://www.gofundme.com/MichaelMoronesFund

[Dave]

Thanks for passing this along, Paul.

The harm that bullying can do... wow.

I was outbid for "Katherine Smiles" this week... seems like this is a good way to pass along what I didn't spend on your drawing.

[DinkyInky]

Thanks for passing this along, Paul.

The harm that bullying can do... wow.

I was outbid for "Katherine Smiles" this week... seems like this is a good way to pass along what I didn't spend on your drawing.

To think in this day and age after coming so far...

I faced brutally (physical, mental, emotional) abusive racism growing up, and people constantly threatening to deport my Mother(who learned all she needed to become a naturalised citizen, and taught me to read and write before I was five while she learned the language), who they could not, and when I pointed out that fact, it got me hurt even more. I WAS forced to give up my heritage, or suffer more abuse. There were three choices back then(Black, White, Other), and I was not considered a person of colour(Which I am, just not in a pre-defined way), I was "Other", which was a sign stating it was okay to pick on me. They forced my Mother to stop teaching me about the beautiful people I came from(both Polish and Korean), stating that because she chose America, that was what she had to raise me as. I am jealous of anyone that is naturally bilingual. I am, however, fiercely supportive of the school of thought that if you decide to live here, you need to go through what my Mother and Great Grandparents did, and learn the language, rules, and governmental system, and become legitimate citizens.

As I got older, the bullying did not stop, but got more sophisticated, and I then became the target of female bullying. I was called many names(some of which I had never heard before, being a nice Catholic girl--yeah, I've heard all the jokes, but I really lived the ideals). Which caused another sort of bullying, because my Mother was born in a country that had Christian and Non-Christian religions, so they automatically assumed she was Godless, and treated me as worse. Being half Korean, I had good genes, meaning I was naturally willowy as a youth, relatively attractive, and automatically shamed as a well, worse than a streetwalker. I also was shamed about my almond eyes, and dark olive complexion, so I tried to hide from the sun to "whiten" my skin, and taped my eyes at night trying to "train" them to not be my shape.
I was so skinny, so I was constantly bullied about my weight(that was normal for me, no matter what I ate), and learned to run very fast, and be flexible to vault myself away from the bullies. I had my very long hair(think Crystal Gayle, then add a foot), cut all the time, had various things thrown in it, including various chemicals. I was bullied for being mix raced, for being a free-thinker, for being a nerd, for being smart, for being an artist, for shunning company(I blame Aspergers{which I did not find out about until my son was diagnosed with Autism, as when I was growing up, there was retarded or normal--and I was called that one all throughout K-5 by all but two of the teachers} for that one before bullying, but the bullies did not help that either).

THis was my anthem after I graduated...I hoped that my children would grow up in this sort of world, instead of the one I grew up in. Nobody should have to suffer this.

My nine year old thus far has not been bullied, and has been taught at his first school to accept and love himself for his differences and love everyone else for theirs, and has done his best to bring it forward to his new school, and I am certain will do so for any other school he is in. It's my dream that every child would attend such a school and learn these principles I was raised up with(but unfortunately did not have shared back with me), and raise my child with, and that all people everywhere are colour blind to differences.

This is one phrase I learned in many languages, and I hope everyone one day will learn it as well:

Życie jest piękne(Polish)
인생은 아름답다(insaeng-eun aleumdabda)(Korean)--a bit different depending

La vie est belle(French)
La vita è bella(Italian)
La vida es bella(Spanish)
生命是美麗的(Shēngmìng shì měilì de)(CHinese)--a bit different depending
人生は素晴らしい。(Jinsei wa subarashī)(Japanese)--a bit different depending

Life is beautiful

Can I dream of a world where bullying is only a bad dream?

[Mark N]

This is one phrase I learned in many languages, and I hope everyone one day will learn it as well:

Życie jest piękne(Polish)
인생은 아름답다(insaeng-eun aleumdabda)(Korean)--a bit different depending

La vie est belle(French)
La vita è bella(Italian)
La vida es bella(Spanish)
生命是美麗的(Shēngmìng shì měilì de)(CHinese)--a bit different depending
人生は素晴らしい。(Jinsei wa subarashī)(Japanese)--a bit different depending

Life is beautiful

Can I dream of a world where bullying is only a bad dream?

So say we all Dinky

[Dave]

Can I dream of a world where bullying is only a bad dream?

That's a dream you should never walk away from, DinkyInky! As the old saying goes, "From your mouth to God's ears!"

Just saw this in Science Digest this morning: Sticks and stones: Using curriculum to stop bullying

[Leak]

Życie jest piękne(Polish)
[...]
Life is beautiful

You might want to add

"Das Leben ist schön (German)"

to that list...

[Fairportfan]

Speaking of multi-lingual messages of peace...

[DinkyInky]

Życie jest piękne(Polish)
[...]
Life is beautiful

You might want to add

"Das Leben ist schön (German)"

to that list...

Thanks.

[Fairportfan]

A quote from an on-line column about Michael:

The outpouring of support from the Bronies community has astonished the family. [Shannon] Suttle [Michael's stepfather] left a message for Andrea Libman, who does the voice of Pinkie Pie [his favourite pony], asking if she might send a message of support to Michael. Libman was in South Australia on vacation, and she found a way to record a personal message for Suttle to play for Michael. In addition, she got every member of the cast to record individual messages for the boy.

[GlytchMeister]

I was never bullied or abused to that extent, Dinky, but I can see where you're coming from.
(Sigh)
...However... I have seen far... far worse. And I've seen how some people's eyes light up with sick, twisted joy at the prospect - and in the act - of maliciously inflicting pain upon others. Sometimes it's a coping mechanism. Other times they enjoy the power it gives them over others. And, on occasion, they just like it. And when they are like that...

It's ghastly. Nightmarish. And they won't stop. They can try to hide it, but it's always there.

Because of this, I can't help but think that a dream like yours... Like ours... can ever come true. But I hope it will, somehow. There are still a whole lot of good people out there. Not everyone has nightmares in their eyes. If nothing else, we can make the world a place where people in Michael's situation can do something about their situation without fearing reprisals... Or being dismissed as a tattletale, a weakling, or being outright ignored. Bullies can't be caught and released, they have to be isolated. Teachers, administrators, and coaches have to be willing to do this even to the star quarterback of the high school varsity football team, with no leniency.
And for bullies who are weeded out, we have to actually figure out why they are so sadistic, and take the proper course of action to solve the problem. Are they abused by their parents or relatives? Are they mentally ill? Or are they simply sadistic little bastards? If so, launch a DCFS investigation (one that can actually accomplish something, and ensure that they are sent to foster parents who actually do their job, not torture kids and keep them in cages for tax deductions), send them to specialized education and care (at a separate, properly funded and staffed facility), or toss their evil butts in a hole and forget they existed (respectively... No reason for that last option if the first two will fix the issue).

There's probably a more morally and politically correct way of accomplishing the same goal, but I don't know what it is. If it exists, just make sure it actually works.

[DinkyInky]

My son hates getting anyone in trouble, but he hates bullies even more. He and his circle of friends always know(and sometimes even do) that they can come to me with news of kids getting picked on, and KNOW that I will get it to stop.
I am NOT a popular parent because I have gotten children removed from the bus pick-ups for bullying. The most priceless one was the two parents who were so incensed that they had to take their kid to school and pick him up for two weeks after bloodying up three kids noses on a daily basis, because it made them a few minutes late for whatever it was they wanted to do. They literally came up to me and started screaming that I should mind my own business. I informed them that the safety of my child and his friends while they are with me or on my property(my house has been the bus stop for the last few years) are my business.

I have played "The Monster" many a time so it was never connected to my son(because I am always out there, every single morning, the bullies know I most likely saw them picking on someone, and Heaven forbid they even think of picking on my son(I've even got into it with a bullies parents when they came over to demand I quit ratting their kid out, or they'd sic their brat on my son, which prompted me to call the Principal and mention that said kids parents resorted to threats because they did not want to bother with parenting their child).
I'm no longer afraid of bullies, and even if it means I get pounded on again like I did in grade school(Yes, an idiot parent has managed to land a blow on me, but ate snow soon after from slipping on the icy street, and the kids saw I never laid a hand on her, and even tried to help her up afterward), these young, impressionable kids will see that stopping the hate and violence is ALWAYS the answer, and the right thing to do, and that they have an ADULT they can count on to defend them and help stop the vicious cycle.

We have an anonymous anti-bully hotline in my son's school system where kids and adults alike can call to request help with someone being bullied.

I will never give up on my dream of seeing every man, woman, and child being treated as equal, no matter what differences they possess. After being a victim of bullying and prejudice, I'll never stop fighting it either. We owe it to these kids to give them a better world, don't we?

[bmonk]

. . . .

This is one phrase I learned in many languages, and I hope everyone one day will learn it as well:

Życie jest piękne(Polish)
인생은 아름답다(insaeng-eun aleumdabda)(Korean)--a bit different depending

La vie est belle(French)
La vita è bella(Italian)
La vida es bella(Spanish)
生命是美麗的(Shēngmìng shì měilì de)(CHinese)--a bit different depending
人生は素晴らしい。(Jinsei wa subarashī)(Japanese)--a bit different depending

Life is beautiful

Can I dream of a world where bullying is only a bad dream?

We can dream.

Also: it reminded me of a very good, inspiring--and fun--film about a horrid time: Life is Beautiful (1997).