Editorial: Keep a leash on bullying
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There is something about voicing an opinion online that can turn a forum of ideas into a kennel.
Instead of thoughtful insights, honest questions, legitimate concerns and reasonable critique, it can easily turn to snarling, barking and howling as commenters compete to be heard above the din. It is part preening dog show and part back-alley dog fight.
And so it is somehow unsurprising that a young boy’s dog-training idea first gained attention and then prompted a pack of readers to turn rabid.
Nate Malock, 11, of Whitehall, was set to compete in the PA Invention Convention with an idea he came up with to help train his family’s Labrador retriever. He was inspired after his sister took the rambunctious pup for a walk and almost lost control — she came home crying and covered in mud. Nate imagined a device that would use a common electronic training collar and increase stimulation in reaction to the dog pulling on the leash.
He called his device the “Walk’er Shock’er” — and we can’t emphasize enough that it was a prototype made out of plastic, wood and duct tape and that it had zero electric charge. It was a kid’s idea to help his sister, with a model that was a step up from a Lego design.
But the name is what shocked some people in the “shock-free” community. It prompted a kid’s project to become raw meat thrown to starving dingoes. Adults ganged up on Nate, bullying him from around the world.
Nate is luckier than some kids. His parents knew what was happening and took steps to shut down the website he had created and even contact police. He had support. Other kids — and adults — don’t always have that.
According to the Megan Meier Foundation, 5 million kids are bullied annually and 59% of American teens report cyberbullying or harassment. Kids who are bullied or cyberbullied are twice as likely to attempt suicide and are at increased risk of other self-harm.
Bullying information tends to focus on kids, but anyone who has rolled in the mud of an online comments section can tell you that many of the ugliest comments come from adults.
Free speech is important, but so is responsible speech. Words can bite and lunge, and we should walk them with care, leashing them and keeping them from running wild. It’s hard to find a balance there sometimes.
Maybe Nate will come up with an idea to help.