And so it goes

Local news is full of headlines about some idiots who stole some bronze deer statues, Ke$ha going into rehab and the retirement of a man who worked security for the chiefs.  No where is a mention of young man who killed himself as a result of being constantly bullied by classmates.  Maybe if he had been from a wealthy community it would be important.  The subject is something that people NEED to talk about and address.  I don't care much about some stolen deer or some guy celebrating his second retirement.  I REALLY REALLY don't care what Ke$ha does.

Ever since I moved to this part of Missouri - a small suburb just south of Kansas City, I have been amazed at the differences in how news is reported.  Before moving here we had lived a sheltered life on Navy bases and in middle class communities.  Here, the only news from my neighborhood is when they find something really bad.

One of the best examples I can think of happened several years ago when my oldest was in high school.  Two of her friends were driving home on Christmas Eve when they lost control of the car.  Alcohol was not involved.  The driver was badly injured, his passenger and best friend was killed.  The same night some teens in a wealthy suburb also had an accident.  Every news channel had a story on them and all included some phrasing about "young lives nearly cut short" Nobody in that accident had even serious injuries.  I couldn't find one reporting about the kids from my town.  No mention of a young life cut tragically short.  That incident has irked me ever since.

Just ranting and venting, probably in reaction to the pain of my friends who knew the kid.  I did email the news organizations and hopefully someone will pick up the story.  My husband's reaction was probably typical of many adults.  He said "I didn't know bullying was that bad here."  It's that bad everywhere and the more it's shoved in our faces, the harder it is to ignore the problem.