SUNY Oswego seniors across campus have received an official envelope from the college. Enclosed in the envelope is an order form sent for the senior class of 2015 to purchase T-shirts to remember their college career. Shown on the order form is the picture for the front and the back of the T-shirt. The back of the T-shirt will say “TOP TEN REASONS YOU KNOW YOU’RE A SUNY OSWEGO ALUM.” Upon reading the list of reasons, number seven struck us the most …
“7. CRAZY HAIR KID … ENOUGH SAID.”
For those of us on the Oswego campus and surrounding area who have used the newly popular app, Yik Yak (a location-based app where you can anonymously post information), we know all too well who “Crazy Hair Kid” is. “Crazy Hair Kid” is an individual who has been the victim of viral cyber bullying on the app since the beginning of the semester last fall. Earlier in the academic year, students would compose posts meant to make fun of the student. It became essentially an unspoken contest for students using the app to locate this individual and after sighting them, would post and add to the hurtful banter.
Not only does adding the making fun of “Crazy Hair Kid” to the senior T-shirts deplete the meaning of what it is to be a SUNY Oswego alum, it is also promoting bullying and making proceeds on a T-shirt whose sales will support the Class of 2015 programming. When did it become OK to make a profit off of the humiliation of another person? Number one on the T-shirt claims pride in being an Oswego Laker but if this T-shirt is the symbol of Oswego State pride, as future alums we would be embarrassed to sport this shirt.
People don’t realize how hurtful their words can be or the repercussions of ignorant attempts to be funny at the expense of an individual. In no way, shape or form is the humiliation of another person ever worth it … and especially isn’t worth the price of a T-shirt.