here i've prepared a couple of jokes why did the girl cross the road? because she thought she was being followed home by the boy who threatened her that he would hang her and so she ran five blocks to get away from him ok here's a better one why didn't the girl go to the party? because she was told she was worthless seven times that day and that everyone is secretly laughing at her here's my last one what did the cruel middle school boys do when they got bored? spit on me, push me around, threaten me, spread rumours about me, and more! wait why aren't you guys laughing? see, i didn't think that was that funny but then when i begged for help they asked if maybe the people who did that stuff to me were just joking apparently they were just kidding so they shouldn't be punished boys will be boys right? i was probably just too sensitive, too thin skinned to understand their humour, maybe you guys are too or maybe i said something that made them say that? but that makes no sense... how would you provoke a joke to be told? oh i know it wasn't a joke that's why you're not laughing right? see daily death threats really don't get five star reviews in the comedy clubs and i don't think there's been any skits on snl about being spit on because people thought you were garbage so why did all the adults assume that the boys weren't to blame because they were just messing around? messing around implies there's a mess and when there's a mess you clean it up but it's hard to clean up a mess that everyone thinks you made up and I don't think clorox is going to wipe up the feeling that all of the people i trusted the most thought i deserved to be bullied so i guess what i'm trying to say is that people shouldn't have to walk through the hallways everyday knowing that in a few short hours, the boy in their p.e class will tell them that they shouldn't be alive and when they tell five separate teachers the teachers will all ask are you sure they weren't joking are you sure you didn't deserve it i'm pretty sure that when he pushed me to the ground i didn't break out laughing afterwards and their laughter wasn't contagious when they made fun of how i looked their stand up comedy made me back down sometimes i hear people say oh bullying is stupid, how could it actually you why wouldn't they just tell someone and here's my answer have you ever shouted so loud that you lost your voice? probably shouldn't do that again right well I screamed so loud that when i lost my voice I never really got it back it's because you want to learn from your mistakes learn that when people say that you can always tell someone, you should keep in mind that "always" is apparently conditional don't assume that if you were in their shoes you would just tell someone and everything would be fixed some situations can't be fixed with a talk to an adult you trust some situations you actually did nothing to deserve it some people make the messes and some people can never clean them up some jokes aren't funny some jokes aren't jokes I don't want any more back down comedy this is my stand up piece but only this time I don't care who's laughing