For many young people and teens, bullying is an unfortunate reality. When I was in school, (many) years ago, I’m sure that there was bullying, too, though I was never a victim and never witnessed any type of bullying behavior among my friend group. I suppose that I’m very lucky to never have seen it with my own eyes.
But, even though bullying existed, I grew up in a time in which people, especially kids, were not connected through technology the way we are now. When you left school, you went home where you didn’t have to face anyone from school, bullies or friends, unless you wanted to. Now, with social media and the internet so prominent, it is hard to escape people who want to attack you.
Sure, there are detractors that say those kids that are being bullied should just ignore it and stay off social media. First of all, that’s victim blaming which is just plain wrong. Second, why should certain kids not be able to enjoy what is essentially a “public” space, just because other kids are mean? All kids should be able to enjoy the communities available on the internet and social media without being bullied by their peers. The kids who are bullying and doing the damage should be the ones who are punished. Do you agree?
While bullying can have a negative effect on children and cause them to close themselves off from the world, 18-year-old Caitlyn Vanbeck found a way to cope with the pain and even open herself up. When things got rough, she turned to music — although it was her talent that was the butt of all the jokes at school.
This young girl took something extremely negative and managed to turn it into something positive, despite how difficult it must have been for her. As I watched the show, they interviewed Caitlyn before she took the stage for her audition. Her emotional story about her journey made me tear up and am sure that I’m not the only one. I can only hope that other bullied kids see her story and audition, and are inspired by this amazing young girl.
Only moments into her stunning audition, she amazed the judges and the audience with her incredibly powerful voice. Her singing was flawless and she sang with an unbelievable amount of emotion and soul.
Watch the amazing audition below. Please like and share Amanda’s inspirational story and spread the word against bullying!
