I recently spent the weekend in a small town in Alberta and talked to lots of people there who are concerned about the bullying and cyberbullying that is occurring in their town and other places in the world. The bullying and hating is not restricted to big cities, it can happen in a population of 7,000. As a matter of fact, it can happen wherever people are in close proximity.
So what makes someone want to text another person and threaten their life. "You better watch where your going." "Come down to the park so that we can k*ll you." "We're coming after you."
What kind of thrill do people get out of saying those kind of words? Of course, it is behind a screen of some sort -- whether it be a computer screen or the screen of a mobile device.
I can say that the person that the above messages were sent to is very young. And probably very afraid.
They were sent from a blocked number. The police say without a number, they can't help. Of course, you can try to get the number if you get a lawyer and then get legal papers to get the telecommunications carrier to dig up the number. This would take money and lots of time. By this time, the emotional damage is done.
Why is it so hard to come up with solutions to these type of problems? Hopefully we won't lose any more young people while we wait.
School is starting soon. There are many anxious youths out there not looking forward to those first weeks of school. Hopefully this school year will be one where kindness and respect are a focus.
We also have to remember that hurtful messages can also come from adults and that our adults are often looked up to as mentors.