Child attempts suicide after being bullied at school for being a fan of My Little Pony

[bathroommonkey76]

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- An 11-year-old boy is in the hospital after trying to commit suicide -- the victim of bullying at school.

It's not a new problem in North Carolina, but this puts a new face on the age-old problem as Michael Morones remains in WakeMed with a tube down his throat and potentially life-long brain damage.

Michael tried to kill himself, apparently because he could no longer take the torrent of bullying he was facing at school.

"He's the kid that never walks. He dances everywhere," said Michael's mother, Tiffany Morones-Suttle. "He's so full of energy. He's always on the move.

Michael's parents say he was that way even in the face of daunting bullying at school. Michael likes the cartoon "My Little Pony." It turns out, the cartoon has a growing, and perhaps unlikely fan club -- men and boys known as "Bronies."

Because of that, Michael was teased so much that ten days ago he decided to do something about it.

"He hung himself off the side of the bunk bed, off the railing," said Tiffany.

His parents got him to the hospital, but the damage had already been done. Oxygen to his brain had been cut off.

Read more here:

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=9418200

[link:|

There was something about this story that made me want to spread it around the Internet. Maybe it's b/c we all know how tough it was growing up. I dunno. But if you want to donate toward this kid's medical expenses then GoFund has a page set up for his family. Here it is:

http://www.gofundme.com/michaelmoronesfund

[NYC_SKP]

1. This is disturbing and sad beyond comprehension.

I'll donate.

I can't believe what schools and, really, our society allows in the form of bullying.

So sad.

[freshwest]

2. A kid that "dances everywhere" will no more. What a loss to the world. K&R. n/t

[TDale313]

3. So incredibly sad.

Hoping for the best for him and his family.

[gollygee]

4. Heartbreaking

I have an 11-year-old kid. I can't even imagine.

Bullying is completely out of control. I read on the site that their support page is getting nasty posts on it. It hasn't stopped even with him in the hospital.

[BeyondGeography]

5. Heartbreaking

[1000words]

6. I was bullied incessantly when it was known that I took ballet

Third grade thru seventh weren't fun, at all. Then, I started playing competitive sports. Guess who had above average core strength, balance, speed and flexibility? Guess who everyone suddenly wanted on their teams?

While it never occurred to me to commit suicide, I certainly can understand the angst. I just wish these children would better understand that there is a bigger picture and we all have many chances at new starts and re-invention.

Tragic.

[blue neen]

7. This is horribly sad.

.

[Stargazer09]

8. I'm angry

I have an 11 y.o. son who love Ponies. Our entire family loves them. I don't care what the show says, I want to teach those damn bullies a lesson they won't soon forget.

I want every single kid in that classroom to visit Michael in the hospital. I want them to see what they did, as a bully, or what they didn't do, as a non-supportive classmate.

There is NOTHING wrong with enjoying an age appropriate show, no matter how girly or not-for-girls anyone thinks it is.



With that said, I hope Michael will give this world another chance.

[adirondacker]

22. "or what they didn't do, as a non-supportive classmate". I think you hit on an important aspect of

today's bullying crisis. When I was a kid I often stood up for someone being picked on either on the schoolbus or the playground. There were several of us in our class that basically stood our ground to the several knuckledraggers that would want to harass or pick a fight. This was in a poverty district with rednecks outnumbering preppies 10-1. I also attended a larger city school with the same group dynamics of empathy. You can see it played out in the movie Dazed and Confused and I think many of us in that generation could relate.

I'm left wondering if the whole narcissistic attitude of the 1% has bled deeply into our culture.

[jmowreader]

32. You don't understand sociopathy

Bullies don't bully because they're misunderstood, or powerless or whatever in hell they're calling it these days. They do it because fucking up someone else's life gives them pleasure.

I am going to tell you how to solve the bullying problem. You take any kid that gets caught bullying, have the cops take him out of school in handcuffs and leg irons, and ship him or her across the country to live with foster parents, go to school and be declared ineligible for sports. When it happens enough times, bullies will get their shit straight.

[lpbk2713]

9. School systems fail our children in many ways.

Failing to safeguard their lives is the worst possible way they could betray them.

[davidn3600]

17. Schools side with the bullies

First they do nothing to stop the bullying because they dont want to deal with the parents. And then if the victim tries to fight back, the victim is punished.

The victim is frequently in a no-win situation.

[lpbk2713]

19. Punishing the victim is the path of least resistance.

They will take the easy way out every time.

[get the red out]

27. Exactly

This is why the cries for victims to fight back don't work.

[BrotherIvan]

23. This is such a sad story

But schools are doing the best they can with what little they have. If a teacher has 35+ kids in a class, it's nearly impossible to know what is going on with them at all times. You are so often dealing with the major behavioral problems, just putting out fires, that the little things go unnoticed. Schools have also lost funding for hall monitors and yard duty. We are basically treating kids like cattle. And being thrown into a big, anonymous pool is very difficult for almost every kid to deal with, even up through college.

It will take community involvement and good parenting. Teachers are there to teach, not babysit or parent. But so many parents do not have the time, energy or skills to teach their children and leave it to the schools by omission. Parents of bullies are usually abusive bullies themselves. It's an awful situation all the way around. I know teachers do their very best to make sure it doesn't happen in the classroom, but what about on the playground, after school, in sports? That is when it happens the most.

I am so sad for this family. They must quite literally be broken-hearted and feel the guilt that somehow they didn't protect their son. I wish for some kind of miracle that their little boy will wake up and dance again, but barring that, I send them the most peace and love I can muster.

[defacto7]

10. I hope so much for his recovery.

Kids can be very resilient and sometime able to overcome things that would permanently destroy an adult. I hope this is one of those cases. Hang in there Michael.

[GreenPartyVoter]

11. I have a son who likes "Ponies" too. That poor little boy being tormented to

the point of wanting to end it all!

[Scootaloo]

12. I wish I had the money to give

[davidn3600]

13. And the bullying is still going on..

Incredibly, the bullying hasn't stopped. Michael's parents say just Sunday night on a generally supportive website, a few people left very hurtful comments.

[Behind the Aegis]

14. Now, that is just sick!

[lpbk2713]

15. Just imagine the tormenting and ignorant comments ...

if he suffers permanent brain damage.

[sheshe2]

16. Such a beautiful child.

This is so very sad.

[flamingdem]

18. People can be real shitheads these days

over minor cultural things.

[The Straight Story]

20. So glad my daughter is home schooled (nt)

[Jesus Malverde]

21. Terrible...nt

[DeSwiss]

24. Just stop.

[Thervil]

25. Bullies

It's sad to a young boy try to kill him self because of bullies . Yeah I know he is going through when I was in school I got picked on all the time beause of my ADHD . But never did I even think killing myself for away out . The should have relized people do stupid crap and say stupid things.but you just got to let it go or talk to someone . That being said people have no dam right to make fun of the other .People just need to grow the hell up .

[historylovr]

33. Not everyone can just let it go.

It's great for those who can, but it's not easy for others to do. Not everyone has that personality. For him, being tormented because he liked a certain show, was a big deal. Poor kid.

[azurnoir]

26. How horrible-sad doesn't even begin to cover it............

being the Mom of a teenaged Bronie this sh*t has got to stop-schools need to take action on bullying

[mylye2222]

28. Poor little boy.....

School bullying is a disaster, worldwide. I was also bullyes becasue I have a disabily due du my left eye ( I was born three months before term, and still today, It's hard to me even to find a job). My schoolmates have been trashing me for years, in horribles nicknames and dirty tricks like putting disgusting stuff in my shoolbag.
I thinks the prpoblem must be spoken out in every class of every school, and sometimes, teachers, had to be far more preventives.

[justiceischeap]

29. Bullying--then and now

Is it that these suicides and suicide attempts are more publicized now or is bullying worse than when we were in school? I was bullied for being a pretty obvious lesbian from 8th grade on up. It was relentless until I got into a fight with someone (and won) that the kids hated more than me. Things began to turn around for me then in my junior year of high school but before that it was pretty bad. So, did we have tougher skin back then or is this a trend now because there's so much media attention or is it just that there's media attention now and there wasn't then?

As far as this kid goes, if people would raise their kids based on personality and not gender, this would go a long way in alleviating a lot of these issues, I think. It's not a "manly" thing to do, to like My Little Pony and "dance everywhere" so the 11 year-old gets picked on and bullied. Sadly, the parents of the kids that bullied this poor boy probably would have done the same thing.

[jeff47]

34. It's partially better coverage, partially larger class size

If the class has 40-60 kids in it, there's no way in hell the teacher can know what's going on. Back when it was 20 per class, the teacher was far better able to spot the bullying and stop it.

At the same time, these events are being reported far more broadly than they were 30 years ago.

[Mrdrboi]

30. As A Brony myself My deepest thoughts go for him and his family.

That is just awful. I wish schools would be held more liable for this shit. Maybe when schools are being sued out the ass maybe they might do something.

[Quantess]

31. Failed suicide attempts

Nobody would ever wish it upon themselves, if they knew what the consequences could be.
I have seen self-inflicted, profound, brain damage, and it is even more tragic than a successful suicide, in my opinion.

[JI7]

35. remember people making fun of the Obamacare guy

and how it's not manly and other stupid shit ?

it's the same mentality . these kids learn somewhere that men/women boys/girls are supposed to be certain ways and it's ok to treat them like shit if they don't.