Boy Bullied for Being a Brony Attempts to Take Own Life

[Guest90210 3,568]

If you google the name Michael Morones, all you get is links to the "Recovery Fund". I have been unable to find ANY actual news articles about an eleven year old attempting suicide by searching that name. If you reverse image search the picture, you find it's used as the avatar for several foreign language blogs and sites under various names. I'm afraid this may rank with the alleged kid from Texas that was thrown out of his house for being a brony. As yet, there have been NO confirming news articles for the kid in Texas. This case, as in the Texas one, originated on Reddit. For some reason people tend to believe ANYTHING, if someone anonymously posts it on Reddit.   

 

I would agree with you, but according to Equestria Daily its a legit story, and some staff members have spoken up about it so there's likely some truth to it.

[Krosp I 114]

That is completely false in every sense of the word  

 

I can be certain that no creature has mastered the art of denial as finely as an anonymous internet poster. Was it your intention to spell out "NO U" in so many words? I'd have at least enjoyed for you to spell out why you think I'm wrong. Then again... Here we go, repeating myself. Again.

 

 

But don't think for one moment at all that bullies actually care about the subject matter used to bully. A weapon is a weapon is a weapon. ...watching My Little Pony was the catalyst that caused this, I will assure (like... mathematically certain) you the other kids gave exactly zero fucks about what the kid watched or did in his free time. There was something he may or may not have felt shame about and that button was pressed mercilessly regardless of context.

 

 

Yes. the kid was bullied using My Little Pony as a catalyst, but that itself is irrelevant. They'd have done the exact same thing to him had there been any other thing that would have provoked the same response.

 

I'm going to spell it out in the simplest terms that I can, and hopefully I won't have to resort to a Third Time's the Smarm. If you'd have read what I said did not mention, twice, that he was bullied using MLP? I mean, I could go buckwild with the quotations. 

 

The answer would be: Yes.

 

Now that we've arrived at our affirmative, the next part is what you seem to be having trouble grasping. And that's the concept that bullies don't really care what you do, watch, play, clop to or otherwise jam into one of the many orifices drilled into your body. What matters is the reaction. If calling you out on My Little Pony elicits a reaction, then you have the entire crux of bullying! Magic~! They're not going to dwell on what kind of person you are for what you watch. They're going to chew up your shame and insecurity for the purpose of making you squeal, appearing cool in front of peers or getting a sick sense of satisfaction of superiority over you.

 

So, say it with me: Ponies have nothing to do with bullying. Bullies have everything to do with bullying.

 

 

Again, how can you claim to know this for certain?

 

Because they're fucking bullies. 

 

Edit: An errant forward slash was poking about my punctuation. 

Edited January 29, 2014 by Krosp I

[cuteycindyhoney 13,307]

I would agree with you, but according to Equestria Daily its a legit story, and some staff members have spoken up about it so there's likely some truth to it.

I do not call a fan site about a cartoon an ACTUAL news site. I have been searching every way I can think of. The only results I get lead back to Equestria Daily, or the fund site, and one link to Reddit. I think, as always, Reddit started the ball rolling. I can not find one verifiable news article about an eleven year old named Michael Morones attempting suicide and becoming severely brain damaged. Bullying leading to suicide is big news lately. There should be some mention of it somewhere, but I just can't find it. Until I see it actually confirmed outside of Equestria Daily or Reddit, I think it's a hoax.

[Guest90210 3,568]

And that's the concept that bullies don't really care what you do, watch, play, clop to or otherwise jam into one of the many orifices drilled into your body. 

 

Nonsense. Some bullies do care about that stuff. 100% of bullies don't care? Apparently you know how every bully operates and why they bully?

[Simon 4,557]

I do not call a fan site about a cartoon an ACTUAL news site. I have been searching every way I can think of. The only results I get lead back to Equestria Daily, or the fund site, and one link to Reddit. I think, as always, Reddit started the ball rolling. I can not find one verifiable news article about an eleven year old named Michael Morones attempting suicide and becoming severely brain damaged. Bullying leading to suicide is big news lately. There should be some mention of it somewhere, but I just can't find it. Until I see it actually confirmed outside of Equestria Daily or Reddit, I think it's a hoax.

Eilemonty and a few other bronies have been in contact with the family, and today after the stream they did to raise money they apparently skype chatted with the family and met Michael.  There would have to be a lot of people in on this hoax for it to be a hoax.

 

And also because I'm a distrusting person, I searched the email for the donation and found an old forum post on a non-pony site using that email and that post included info about them being in North Carolina which is the state Michael lives in, so in order for this to be a hoax, the person behind the hoax would have had to use their own actual email and their own actual state in the post (which is a bad idea for someone committing fraud), and get on a video chat with an 11 year old boy pretending to be in a coma in a fake hospital room.  I think it's safe to say that it's not a hoax.

 

Edit:

 

Also forgot to mention this page: http://www.playteamtrivia.com/news.php?id=78

 

Granted it's not a news site, but it's also not a pony site and according to it the family is somehow affiliated or part of this website.  Again, not anything conclusive but this combined with the other stuff is more than enough to comfortably say that this either isn't a hoax, or a very, very elaborate and cruel one.

Edited January 29, 2014 by Simon

[SanityNotIncluded 335]

Seriously? When I was 11 it was perfectly normal to still be watching cartoons and enjoying "kid" things at that age, and now an 11 year old kid gets bullied into attempting suicide for it? 

Unfortunately, I wouldn't say that children bullying each other over gender-related things is in any way a new thing. Still just as tragic when it happens though.

[Mr. Changeling 132]

Sadly, people suck. I remember being picked on for being nice to others in grade school. Hell I remember seeing a 5th grader beat up and rob a 3rd grader when I was 6. People suck, no, people are fucked up. However those evil people make us appreciate the cool awesome people even more.

[Simon 4,557]

Unfortunately, I wouldn't say that children bullying each other over gender-related things is in any way a new thing. Still just as tragic when it happens though.

I sadly have to agree.  Elementary school and middle school are very cruel places.  I got beat up in third grade because I helped a kid up when he fell and he didn't want to look like he needed my help... bullying and cruelty doesn't have an age limit sadly.

[Fantasma Phantasm 673]

I know Topics like these can't be avoided. I am honestly furiously angry with the what people's mindset are nowadays. they think they can subjugate people simply because something THEY WATCH!!!! I mean COME ON!!  I support things like this. Its good you're spreading this about. People(PONIES!) deserve to know.

[FoxyCryptid 4,330]

Kids get bullied over sneakers, bagged lunches what place in line they're in for the cafeteria or the condition of their state-issued calculator. Like I said before, no bully actually gives a rat's vomit (which rats cannot do) about the TV show or sneakers, political affiliation or gender normativity. Especially at school age. Yes. the kid was bullied using My Little Pony as a catalyst, but that itself is irrelevant. They'd have done the exact same thing to him had there been any other thing that would have provoked the same response. To make this child's sacrifices about how so obviously oppressed Bronies are instead about the act of bullying is insulting to him, belittles the fans and just makes both a mockery and a target of the rest of the fans.

 

That's not even close to what's going on, the entire point made how asinine the fact someone was harassed to the point of attempted suicide over a freaking cartoon is. Also, I wouldn't call this any kind of "sacrifice" is more akin to murder on the bullies part because there was no good reason for any of this to happen.

 

It's about the fact someone was willing to do that to another human being over something so pointless.  

Edited January 29, 2014 by Shoboni

[Krosp I 114]

It's about the fact someone was willing to do that to another human being over something so pointless.  

 

You and I are on the same page, arguing over semantics. I'm not at all denying that the cartoon was used as a means of bullying. I'm saying that right now. My intention is prevent the idea that "Bullies are bullying us/them because of ponies" and instead direct it to the much more correct "Bullies are bulling us/them because they're bullies". It all really is pointless. That's the point I'm trying to make. That there's no point to be made in pinning it on him liking MLP.

 

COINCIDENTAL CORRELATION! Yes. There we go. I knew it'd spring to mind eventually. Post hoc ergo propter hoc. I think I can better explain it by saying:

 

This is how I feel others are seeing it—Michael is a Brony. Michael is bullied using ponies. Therefore, he was targeted/bulled because he's a Brony.

 

This is how I see it—Michael is a Brony. Michael is bullied using ponies. Therefore, Michael had something easily exploitable used against him.

 

That and my skepticism lies in the ability of Bronies to not make anything they get involved with about them. 

 

Edit: I had more, but my attention span can be measured in Planck time.

Edited January 29, 2014 by Krosp I

[Simon 4,557]

That and my skepticism lies in the ability of Bronies to not make anything they get involved with about them. 

 

I think you're being unnecessarily critical here.  The family asked for the brony community's help, the family said that this all stemmed from bullying over him liking MLP, and this community responded to that by lending a hoof.  Of course this would be horrible regardless of why he was bullied, but you can't blame the community for feeling particularly bad when the bullying stemmed from MLP.

 

And frankly you don't know anything about the situation.  You have no way of knowing if things would be different if he didn't like MLP.  The only reason you're arguing this point is because you and so many other people want to deny the fact that some people are targeted as victims because of liking MLP.  There's obvious examples of it happening like this, but everything must be turned into an argument because heaven forbid a brony gets annoyed at being harassed over liking a show.

 

If anybody is arguing semantics it's you.  He got bullied for liking ponies, and the pony community appropriately empathized with him and tried to help.  I don't think anything is solved by arguing over whether or not the poor kid would have been bullied over something else anyway.

[Krosp I 114]

@@Simon

 

Sigh. None of you know the situation, either.  It's not my intent to stop anything good from coming of this, so I'm just going to bow out of this one. Thank you and everyone else for their input.

[~Silver Essence~ 2,625]

Kids, parents, humans, what difference does it matter?

 

Thanks to my experiences, I consider anyone in the world to be cruel.

 

I hope the best for the kid, and I hope the best possible outcome for him and his parents.

[Simon 4,557]

@@Simon

 

Sigh. None of you know the situation, either. 

We're assuming when the family said is true and this happened because of MLP, you were assuming that the kid was targeted randomly and would have been victimized to the point of attempting suicide regardless of his interests.  I think our assumption is a bit safer than yours.

[CinemaBrony 1,276]

As someone who was often bullied during middle school, I'm absolutely depressed just thinking about this. Nobody should be ever be bullied/abused in any way just for enjoying a cartoon.

[FoxyCryptid 4,330]

You and I are on the same page, arguing over semantics. I'm not at all denying that the cartoon was used as a means of bullying. I'm saying that right now. My intention is prevent the idea that "Bullies are bullying us/them because of ponies" and instead direct it to the much more correct "Bullies are bulling us/them because they're bullies". It all really is pointless. That's the point I'm trying to make. That there's no point to be made in pinning it on him liking MLP.

 

COINCIDENTAL CORRELATION! Yes. There we go. I knew it'd spring to mind eventually. Post hoc ergo propter hoc. I think I can better explain it by saying:

 

This is how I feel others are seeing it—Michael is a Brony. Michael is bullied using ponies. Therefore, he was targeted/bulled because he's a Brony.

 

This is how I see it—Michael is a Brony. Michael is bullied using ponies. Therefore, Michael had something easily exploitable used against him.

 

That and my skepticism lies in the ability of Bronies to not make anything they get involved with about them. 

 

Edit: I had more, but my attention span can be measured in Planck time.

 

Honestly, I think your bias towards being critical of community is kind of pushing you yo go through hoops to rationalize away someone being victimized for it.  You're basically using the logic "he was bullied for being a brony, but yet he wasn't because there's a chance they may have bullied him over something else" which kind of faulty and realized on assuming. 

[DubWolf 17,263]

Of course it's silly to watch cartoons at age 11..ok I couldn't think of anything stereotypical of 10+ year olds lol, so yeah, that should be normal.

 

I sort of wish we had an elementary-school version of Superman, keeping kids safe from trouble and bullying. I've actually never really heard of bullying leading to suicides or attempts to in the past (maybe I wasn't in the right place). I used to poke fun at anti-bullying commercials at TV for being cheesy and well, instructive (like a "How to" video lol). Now I appreciate seeing them knowing how serious this issue is.

[Simon 4,557]

 

 

maybe I wasn't in the right place

Actually I think you were in exactly the right place if you know what I mean.... 

[DubWolf 17,263]

Actually I think you were in exactly the right place if you know what I mean.... 

No I didn't bully anyone if that's what you're getting at o.O. Not even a pinch... but what do you mean then?

[Simon 4,557]

No I didn't bully anyone if that's what you're getting at o.O. Not even a pinch... but what do you mean then?

No I meant if you never heard of bullying getting that bad, you must have been in the right place.

[DubWolf 17,263]

No I meant if you never heard of bullying getting that bad, you must have been in the right place.

Oh, the "right" place, as in, ...well it can happen anywhere once in a while.

[Simon 4,557]

well it can happen anywhere once in a while.

Sad but true... I think there's really just no way to completely avoid bullying

[DubWolf 17,263]

Sad but true... I think there's really just no way to completely avoid bullying

There is a way; you can tax and regulate it! Bwahaha, jk, this isn't weed we're talking about!

[Simon 4,557]

There is a way; you can tax and regulate it! Bwahaha, jk, this isn't weed we're talking about!

LOL.  Stop by your local government office to apply for a bullying license?  

 

In all seriousness though I really think it's shows like MLP that will help to cut down bullying... I really don't believe kids are just born cruel, they have to get it from somewhere.  I think if there were more shows like MLP that focused on teaching things like kindness and friendship instead of just making fart jokes to keep the kids quiet while mom is trying to do stuff, kids might actually take those values and apply them to their lives.