a Picking on others is a habit

that’s carried into adulthood

itisn’t a game of picking a card,
In fact it’s a game that’s not real-
ly hard.
it’s for people who think they‘re
so macho and keen,
People whe get off on being
utterly mean.
They calf out these wards that
cause so much hurt,
They disregard feelings and treat
- people like dirt.
‘Why po you do this? | turn and
“ask, °
‘Do you feel like.it’s some kind of
. God-given task?

' t's hard to watch someone being

poked at and marred,

‘< And realize later that he'll be
+ ‘emotionally scarred. .
"J don’t understand why we turn a

ES blind eye,

‘The moment we see someone

~*~ else start to cry.

‘Why 'can’t we stop all this trau-
~ ima and pain? 7
“Prevent people from shouting
«these ‘words out in vain.

It's time we turn all these tables
- around,

And throw their swollen egos

-down to the ground.

7 “But will that make me any more

“sofa man?
‘t don’t think so; I’ve only served
sasafan. | .
Reigniting the flames of my.own.
deep shame, ;
Knowing I’ve only played a big-
~ “ger part in the game.. ;

“ I've had that poem in my mind

“1 for quite some time now. The loony

thing is, I’ve never written a poem
‘before. _

I guess that goes to show just
how involved I am in this topic. If
you’re not sure‘ exactly what this
poem is about, read on. .

It’s about the vicious cycle we
put ourselves through when we put

‘people down and then that victim
puts someone else down to make
himself feel better, and soon. ~

° The reason why this topic is so

, close to me is because I have been

victimized and ] have seen others
being victimized. ;

I know the anguish that one’

goes through, the sadness, self-pity,
loneliness and sometimes suicidal
feelings.

I'm new to North Vancouver
and I have to admit, at first J didn’t
like what I saw.

The high school I attend can be
‘a very cold school. Some students
‘aren't very welcoming and some-
times they can be pretty cruel. I had

LAST WEEK we asked what you

thought of a new program aimed at

teaching clementary school stu-
‘dents how to solve their problems
. without violence.

rey This program will never
‘work, We’ve seen lots of pro-
grams installed and other efforts
. being made and the youth vio-
lence just seems to continue,
that’s why I don’t think it will
"work,

By Chris Illing
ZAP! Contributor

a hard time making friends in my
first few weeks, and once I did
make friends, my problems weren't
solved; in fact some got even big-
ger.

i became a major target for stu-
dents who felt a need to put others
down, I've been cajled everything
from “fag” to “geek.” The more I
fought back the worse it got.

I suppose that mom's saying is
true, “Just ignore them and they'll
stop.”

And, for the first time she’s
right; that's what these students
want. They want you to react, get
angry and run away crying. Why
else do you think they do it, just for
the sake of hearing their own

‘voice? E don’t think so.

The worst thing is, this kind of
bel:avior is prevalent in adult soci-
ety and not just in school. Take the
Ku Klux Klan for example.

“They thrive on putting down

_ other races and they love it when

that other race goes to Oprah or
Geraldo and talks about how mad

-and offended they are at the actions

of the KKK.
But did you know that after the

“KKK, sadly enough, became more

popular in the media, several black
supremacist groups formed to put
down the whites involved in the
KKK?

What these black supremacists
don’t realize is that they have sunk
to the Klan‘s level and therefore are
not any better. :

We have to start taking action
against this behavior by getting to
the root of it. I believe most of
these acts of hatred are brought on
by one's own insecurities.

When someone puts a person

. down it gives them a feeling of

superiority. It's their self-esteem
that needs improving — not their
attitudes.

Support is needed for the vic-
tims and less sympathy for the vic-
timizer. Teachers, employers,
workers and students must realize
that this behavior is unacceptable.

And until that happens, this
vicious cycle will keep moving and
crushing the feelings of anyone in
its path.

Chris lling is 16 years old and
a@ Grade II student at Sutherland
secondary school. His ambitions
and interests include acting and
psychology.

LAST WEEK'S North Van career fair gave
students the opportunity to learn about post-
secondary school and career opportunities. Did
you attend the fair? If you did, what did you
think of it? If not, why not? Are you starting to
make plans for your future?

© Kelly Kennedy

+ WITH NO FEMALE
COMPANIONSHIP ;

CONVERSATION OR
CONTACT...

Just me IN THIS
BiG HOUSE 7
ALU ALONE 7/
BY MYSELF ?//

- FINALLY, | CAN
WATCH ‘BAYWATCH/
iN PEACE /

PLAY OF THE DAY © Bob Kuhn

GET IT TOO, FALCON, GhiETHER AT WORK
OR PLAY THE FEELING HOI NO MATTER

HOW HARD 1 TRY, 1 (UST DON'T SEEM TO
GET ANYWHERE

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