Following the suicide of bullied gay teenager Jamey Rodemeyer, Lady Gaga has vowed to book a meeting with Barack Obama in order to petition him to make bullying illegal. The Huffington Post reports:
“Jamey Rodemeyer, 14 yrs old, took his life because of bullying,” she wrote linking to his It Gets Better video, “Bullying must become illegal. It is a hate crime.” Gaga then announced that she is meeting with President Obama to address the growing problem. “I will not stop fighting. This must end. Our generation has the power to end it. Trend it. #MakeALawForJamey.” According to MTV News, a spokesperson for the White House could not confirm at press time if Gaga has officially set up a meeting with the President to discuss the issue.
All right, here’s the thing: Do I commend Gaga for what she’s doing? Yes. Do I want kids to stop bullying each other because it contributes nothing to society and only serves make outcast and enemies out of good kids? Yes. But you cannot ban bullying. You literally cannot. Bullying isn’t just an action; it’s an idea, and unfortunately, a rather vague one, and you can’t legislate away ideas. What does and does not constitute bullying is pretty grey area, and unfortunately, being a complete ass is protected by the first amendment. The price we pay for saying and hearing what we want is that assholes get the same treatment. If, however, those words push someone over the edge then yes, they will have to face legal recourse for their actions, but banning them from saying those words won’t kill the idea and the feelings behind them. If you really want to keep kids from bullying each other, teach them that it’s okay to be different and that it’s not okay to gang-up on a defenseless kid because they hate themselves.
