This is going to be my song of the day. The message is strong and it's a fantastic song about acceptance. Everyone should be accepted for who they are.
Whether they realize it or not, I think everyone has been bullied at some point or another. For me personally, I've always had very high self esteem and kept my head held high, but that doesn't mean it hasn't affected me.
The last time the Winter Olympics came, Vancouver 2010, I was stoked. I lived in a suburban municipality not far from Van and wanted to be a part of it. The streets were alive, everyone was patriotic, and the whole world was watching. The spectacle and spirit of the games is something everyone should get to experience. In my heightened state of patriotism, I decided to make a parody video to show my support for Canada's Hockey Team.
I wrote this song, recorded it at my broadcasting school and made the video with my friends. I had an amazing time putting it all together, and there were a ton of laughs along the way. Then the video was posted and not a day later, the trolls came knocking.
This was the first video I'd ever created and "starred" in. It takes a lot to actually put yourself out there online, and every view feels like a victory, while every nasty comment jabs you in the gut. If you watch the video now, you'll notice that comments have been disabled and it's got over 5000 views. This was my way of shutting down the trolls. They can keep their nasty words to themselves. I'm not super model thin and I don't wear a lot of make-up. To some people online, that means I shouldn't be singing or writing or living my life at all. That's just wrong.
For the duration of those Olympics, I got comment after nasty comment on my weight, my looks, and the every minute detail of the video that was "wrong" in some commenter's opinion. Some of them got quite creative in their phrasing, and some of it was downright dark and twisted. You know what? It hurt. It's not nice to hear or read that you're not perfect, especially when someone's taken time out of their day to say so publicly. For a few days I was quite upset. Not one of those negative comments had anything to do with the video itself. They were all shots at me, and shots at Canada by some angry Americans. You really have to consider the source. There are some people who have issues in their own lives they don't want to face, so they take it out on everyone else and try to tear others down. It's up to each and every person to be kind. It's the only way to stop that cycle. Also, Canada winning helped stop the trash talk from USA Hockey Fans. I didn't get a single comment about sport after the gold medal game.
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| Funny how that works, eh? |
I removed the comments on my video, but there's no disable button in real life. Just remember that you're amazing. If you think you're beautiful, incredible and talented, it will show. Everyone else will start to think it too. The people who love you, probably already think so. I couldn't have shaken this off without the kindness of my friends and family. They loved the video, I loved the video and that's all that matters.
If you are the bully, and we've all said some nasty things, do your best to stop. Really think about what you're saying and how it might affect who you're saying it to/about. Also think about why you're saying it in the first place. Cyber bullying is a huge issue for teens/kids, and it IS bullying. What you say online has an offline effect. Police yourself on all mediums.
To everyone, don't ever let the trolls stop you from doing what you love or being who you are. No one can bring you down if you don't let them. If you're feeling low, find someone you love and trust to talk to. It will make a world of difference.
