Tag: Bullying

Movie Review: Just Say Goodbye

Published on by Roshonda BLeave a comment

Disclaimer: This Indie Film “Just Say Goodbye” was sent to me to view by the writer/producer Layla O’Shea. All comments about the film are 100% my own.

Have you ever had someone to tell you a secret and asked you to promise them that you wouldn’t tell anyone? What if the secret they wanted you to keep was detrimental to their life…? Would you still keep it a secret?

Just Say Goodbye Film is about two teenage best friends Sarah Morin (Katerina Eichenberger) and Jesse Peterson (Max MacKenzie) who have been friends since the age of 6. After the death of his mother, Jesse finds himself growing up feeling a little detached from society, his father is an alcoholic and abuser who wish Jesse would disappear, as looking at him daily reminds him of his mom, who committed suicide.

Jesse begins to wonder, why should he live anyway. No one cares or wants him, but someone does care and that’s Sarah, who fights Jesse’s battles at school as he endures taunts, unwanted fights and bullying from the kids at school, especially one kid by the name of Chase Gibbons (Jesse Walters).

With the constant bullying of Chase, a deceased mom and a dad who could care less about his welfare or wellbeing. Jesse decides the ultimate goal of getting rid of all the pain in his life would be to take his own. A secret he’s kept forever is now a secret shared with his best friend Sarah, who’s struggling to keep Jesse’s secret truly a secret between her or getting someone else involved in order to save her friendship.

What would you do, if Jesse was your Best Friend?

This movie was partly inspired by a true event in writer/producer Layla O’Shea‘s life who had a high school friend to confide in her about his attempted plan to commit suicide during an April vacation which at the time was only a week away!! Layla, who thought it was a joke quickly realized her friend was serious. Not knowing what to do, Layla broke her friend’s trust and got his parents involved in their “secret” conversation.

Secrets can kill. Let’s not keep bullying and depression a secret, speak out now! speaking up can very well save a life.

While her friend was disgusted with her that she betrayed his trust in her, days later after much thought, he embraced her, not saying a word but the hug he gave said it all.

This movie is very powerful and challenges us to think about what’s a good secret to keep and what’s a mind-blowing secret we should tell. With bullying on the rise, we have more teens as well as adults killing themselves daily to get rid of the pain and chokehold of society, but what’s really painful, is the secrets friends, family, co-workers, teachers and etc. may know and don’t SPEAK UP and SPEAK OUT about it.

Long live the days of “What happens in this house, stays in this house” – those are words I heard constantly growing up, from my family as well as my friend’s family around me but what our parents and neighbors fail to realize is what’s not said, can ultimately be a friend or family members demise.

This is a movie of Love, Friendship, Secrets, forgiveness & redemption You’ll have to see it for yourself to see what happens in the end. Did Sarah reveal Jesse’s secret?

Do me a HUGE Favor!! Please share this post and follow Layla O’Shea and find out more about the movie and the cast on the social media outlets below:

Check It Out! >> Just Say Goodbye is now streaming on Amazon Prime! http://amzn.to/2VZTpuk 

Just Say Goodbye is the winner of the Indie Spirit Best Director (Matt Walting) at the Boston International Film Festival. Matt was 18 when he directed this movie, making him the youngest in history to win the award. This movie was also nominated as the Stanley Kubrick Best U.S. Feature Film at the Blow-Up International Arthouse Film Festival in Chicago

Related Reads:

Bully, Bully, Bully October Month of Prevention

How to Stay Positive in A Negative Environment

Advertisement

A Survivor’s Story

Published on by amytemple98152 Comments

Photo credit above via Roshonda – B Creative

By Amy Temple

As most of you know I have learning disabilities.

I’ve had to deal with all kinds of discrimination and rejections for most of my life.

However, what I’m about to confess is something that I hadn’t openly talked about to many people.

In junior high, I encountered a lot of bullying and harassment. Every day I was verbally and occasionally physically harassed. I’d get called all sorts of derogatory names, mocking my learning disabilities. There were trippings, pushes, and verbal threats.

Photo credit: Bullying hurts via Canva

I was so frightened to go to school. I would huddle up against the wall in between classes clutching my bookbag tightly. I would often go homesick.

The school administration really tried hard to get the abuse under control but it was a big school so there was only so much they could do.

After two years my parents finally moved away to another town.

I attended high school in a nice and quiet country town. What a relief it was to see friendly people and not be afraid I was going to be assaulted.

However, I dealt with a male student who asked me out frequently for over a year! He wouldn’t take no for an answer. I found all those familiar feelings of fear returning. I finally got a teacher to get him to back off.

I found myself dealing with some serious trauma issues. I dealt with anxiety, fear, and insecurity.

I wanted to be approved of so badly! I wanted to be free from all of my negative feelings. During my senior year, I thought maybe if I had the attention of a popular guy… all my mental problems would be over.

So, I mustered up the courage and asked one of them out.

Gif Image

In the end, instead of it being lovers bliss. It ended up being a practical joke that the guy and his friend played on me. I felt like such a fool. Let me tell you that didn’t help my low self-esteem at all!

As I previously mentioned I dealt with discrimination and rejection in the workforce, too. No one would hire me because of my learning disabilities. A brilliant job opportunity fell through because co-workers lied about me.

Photo credit: Workplace harassment via Bing

When I was volunteering at a local retirement home, a male resident assaulted me by groping and attempting to kiss me.

With all of the trauma, I experienced I was a mess!

I spent years reading self-help books…it was much cheaper than therapy!

I could not understand why I was being treated like I was.

  • Why was I bullied?
  • Why was I harassed?
  • Why was I assaulted?
  • What is so wrong with me that nobody would hire me?
  • Why would someone lie about me so I wouldn’t be hired at was to be my only decent chance for a job?

I found it hard to trust. I pretty much kept to myself only spending time with my family.

I had imaginings of a bigger and better life but all of what I went through kept me away from pursuing it. I spent 30 years trying to improve my life, to overcome all that happened to me.

I thought plenty of times I had been healed but recently it all came to a nasty head. All the emotions that I been feeling came out one night and I cried! I vented to God for most of the night.

As the song states “Have a little talk with Jesus, Makes it Right!” and it sure did, I hadn’t felt that clear and at peace in a very long time!

I understand I may never forget what happened to me but I can honestly say I am starting to find ways to begin the bigger and better life I have been seeking.

I have come to understand I have to take life one day at a time. I have to keep pressing forward and not look back.

To my fellow survivors…

What happened to us was not our fault! We must continue on living and not give the abusers any more power.

You are just as worthy as anyone else, hence the song from Gloria Gaynor!

I WILL SURVIVE! I DID SURVIVE & SO WILL YOU!!

Burger King’s New PSA About Bullying Will Leave You Speechless & Applauding

Published on by Roshonda BLeave a comment

“Did you order a Bullied? or Un-Bullied Burger”, That’s the question Burger King is asking in the most powerful PSA ever to grace television. Since October is National Bullying Prevention month, the burger giant jumped on board with NoBully.org to help spread awareness about a topic that has been and still is troubling to our society today, especially children and teens.

Burger King’s campaign “Bullying Junior” is a PSA in which a group of kids (actors) are bullying a kid inside the restaurant. While that action is taking place in front of customers, there’s a different type of action taking place in the kitchen, where a burger is being bullied as well by an employee (also an actor) and served to customers. The goal of the PSA was to see which incident would get the most attention. The bullied kid or the bullied burger, in which Burger King stated below..

burger-king-bully-e1508853367330

If you’re thinking, the bullied kid would get more attention – Well, think again. In the video shown below, the fast food chain showed more people responding and getting angry over the bullied burger as opposed to the bullied kid – According to Fox News, a staggering or whopping I should say 95% of customers complained of having a bullied burger, while 12% stood up for the bullied kid. I have to say, my mouth literally dropped when I saw those numbers but then again, we live in a society where “Minding your own business” or “It’s not my kid nor my problem” is at an all time high.  As a society we are constantly consumed of news and/or video’s displaying children whom are being bullied or have taken their own lives because they can’t deal with the pain, hurt and shamefulness that bullying brings on. Who do they tell? – Who can they trust? – Where can they go for help?, unfortunately are all questions that sometimes never get resolved or answered in time.

According to statistics 30% of students worldwide are bullied each year.

I have to say while I was very appalled by the reactions of these “real life” people whom didn’t take a stand, I’m even more saddened by the many children whom live this commercial every…single…day. In the video below prior to the PSA experiment, you’ll meet several students all of whom discuss their own personal experiences with bullying at one point or another in their lives.

View the video below and while you’re at it, visit Pacer’s National Bullying Prevention Center website here to find out how you can show your support, add your name to the “Together Against Bullying” pledge, Sign up for the newsletter or attend an upcoming “Bullying Awareness” event within your community!

I applaud Burger King for standing UP! to an issue that apparently according to their experiment didn’t get much of an applause.

While we’re on the subject of Bullying – Stay Tuned as I have a surprise to share with you on this upcoming Friday 10/27/17.

 

 

Roshonda N. Blackmon – Creator of JustsumInspiration, Author, Speaker & Encourager

Let’s Live Well, Laugh Loud, Love Hard & Inspire Often!