Glue #FMF

Today’s blog has to be a quick one and I have to get it out early since I don’t know when I’ll have a chance to sit down and write it.  The day has arrived!  Spring Break.  We leave in less than an hour.  Kids are still asleep so here is my Five Minute Friday link up to Lisa-Jo Baker.

Today’s word is GLUE…

 

A silly Saturday Night Live quote that popped into my mind. An old one yet such a simple one.  I have seen that skit so many times and why, until this morning, did it not hit me how profound it really is?  We laugh every time we see it.  That awkward teen, Mary Katherine Gallagher, who was taunted and teased by her peers, had a sense of pride so big that she even called herself, “Superstar!”

So many people are teased and made fun of.  We hear stories of bullying everyday on the news.  Bullying is not a new thing.  We see it everywhere.  We hear about it too often.  If only poems like these really worked to keep it away when it happened.

Mary Katherine Gallagher, although only a television character had such a positive self-image.  How awesome would it be if everyone  could rise about the meanness and still come out feeling like a superstar.  Even better, how awesome would it be if everyone could just be nice?!?

Five minutes is far to short for a “proper” blog about bullying, but is still a good way to send a reminder.  Just be kind.  It is that easy.

Spirit Day

Today, all over the country, people are wearing purple in honor of “Spirit Day,” a day to speak out and prevent bullying and show support for LGBT youth who are victims of bullying.  The name “Spirit Day,” comes from the purple stripe in the Rainbow Flag.  Each stripe of the flag represent something different:

• Pink – sexuality
• Red – life
• Orange – healing
• Yellow – sunlight
• Green – Nature
• Turquoise – art
• Blue – serenity/harmony
• Purple – spirit

Spirit Day was started in 2010 by a teenager named Brittany McMillan.  She did it in response to teens who had taken their own lives in response to being bullied as a result of being gay.  Now, the third Thursday of October, is known as SPIRIT DAY, where millions of people around the country wear purple to show their support.

Spirit Day calls for parents, school personnel, and students to work together, along with highly visible support of grassroots organizations, media outlets, and high profile figures. When youth see a sea of purple, not only in their own school, but on television the internet, as well as from their favorite celebrities, they get the message. (GLAAD.org)

GLAAD – an acronym which stands for, Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation has helped to spread the word. Celebrities, athletes, new anchors, and “everyday people” are wearing purple today to show their support.  Unfortunately, bullying is a widespread problem and awareness is key.   Everyone deserves to be treated equally and showing support for one another could be the key to acceptance.