As teenagers, we all know what a “sub tweet” and a “sub status” is. Some of us may even be guilty of making them, while others know the feeling of being the topic of one.
“I felt super bad about myself, I didn’t understand what I did wrong in the first place. I felt terrible about myself for awhile and was angry at how anyone could be so rude over the internet for everyone to see,” said Sophomore Emily Pierce.
Some people call sub tweets and statuses cyber bullying, but others may consider it slander or freedom of speech. Cyber bullying is defined as the use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically to be intimidating and threatening, while slander can be the action of a false spoken statement to damage another person’s reputation or making a false, damaging statement about someone. Freedom of speech is the right of people to express their opinions publicly without governmental interference, subject to the laws against libel, incitement to violence or rebellion and so on.
According to Minnesota law, the terms used in “Anti-bullying laws” are intimidation and bullying, these laws do in fact cover cyber bullying. But, there are no specific groups listed in Minnesota’s anti-bullying laws. Schools that receive federal funding are required by law to address discrimination on a number of different personal characteristics.
But how is it handled at Buffalo High School?
“Every situation is different, but is always taken very seriously. Each situation is investigated thoroughly and we do the best we can to fulfill the needs of that student and their situation,” said Principal Mark Mischke.
I don’t know what a “Sub Tweet” is. Try to not assume things of your audience like that and then not explain it at all.