DWTS: When FANS attack

My apologies, it's been awhile since I've blogged. It's been a sordid tail of home based technical do it yourself surgery on my Macbook Pro. You won't believe how annoyingly smug apple is about making their computers as inconvenient as possible for you to do a DIY job. Trust me....normally people don't have a torque 6 laying around like you would a phillips, but I digress.

Tonight, I watched round one of the Dancing With the Stars finale. This season I've been far more into it, than previous seasons. Thanks to Bill Engvall and Emma Slater's partnership on the show. I enjoy Bill's comedic genius and that same genius lit up the dance floor. It was nice to see a guy who dances like me and your average guy on the show be able to succeed and whoo the crowd.

Bill & Emma post Argentine Tango

They were eliminated in tonights show, after an amazing run filled with awesome moments, laughter and in general a good old zest for life and all it has to offer.

However through out the whole season, I always came back to this one bitter low point in a lot of things, FANS with horrible sportsmanship.



Through out this season, Bill has been the proverbial upset for many a DWTS viewer. He was the guy expected to lose, he had less skill, poorer timing, pitted against dancers far better, he still managed to win out. The little train that could, the heart the determination. Bill essentially became Dancing with the Stars " Miracle on ICE" ( 1980 USA takes Olympic Gold in Ice Hockey).

The thing of the matter was a lot of the shows loyal viewers turned into vipers. Straight up bullying Bill while being behind a keyboard. Grown adults who had nothing nice to say and no qualms about it either. Many taking their tirades to the DWTS facebook walls and the twittersphere. I let it slide through out the season, Because I grew up in the wonderful world of Hockey and fans trash talk to the moon and back. What really got me was after tonight elimination, These same people were being outright bullies to Bill, nothing but a bunch of adult cyber-bullies.

 I've grown up in the hockey arena, I'm no stranger to trash talk. I have a high tolerance for it, I've even done it a time to two. However during a tournament, when a team is eliminated you congratulate them and tell them you liked something they did right. Even if they're your least favourite team or your arch-rival. It's called honour, it's sad to see that so many DWTS fans have lost their sense of honour and integrity through out the season.

Some people might chalk this up to me, being some melodramatic arse who can't get over their youth being spent getting bullied, but it's more than that. Cyber-Bullying is a huge problem, Alarmingly so, so this isn't OK.  Especially when adults are supposed to be an example to their youth. How can we as adults berate kids for their online bullying, saying how " we didn't do stuff like that" and speak of how hopeless their generation is? when ours is just as bad, no we're worse. We are grown ups, we fully understand the consequences of being bullied, being a bully and we know our rights from our wrongs and that just makes it so much worse.

Now Everybody pay attention, Cyber-Bullying needs to stop. It's not just these young immature high school kids who think they know it all, while they're still kinda stupid. It's also all of us that call ourselves mature adults.

To Bill Engvall, I would like to step out and apologize for any of the bullying that has been extended your way. Though I was never involved with it, and at times told people off, nobody deserves to be beat down each week because they aren't the best or somebody's favourite.  I think you and Emma were amazing this seasons. Your dances both awed and amazed me and you guys did improve. You've had the best lifts, your  Indiana Jones and Argentine Tango were some of my favourites this season. Emma you sculpted the Redneck Dance King and Mayor of Dance town. Your first season as a pro was phenomenal. I hope you're here next season. I'll be watching it just for you....ok and maybe a little Bruno to!

Until Next Time

Stay Beautiful, Because I think you're beautiful.
-H

How to be a Hallway Hero ( Step up to Bullying)

It's still the start of school, you've all still have nine months to go. That seems like forever, just wait until your 20s kid. Nine months...seems like nine days, what you wouldn't give to be back in the class room. Still there are nine months left to start being somebody's hero.

If you notice a kid being bullied, don't shy away from them, be a friend. Ask them to play or about their favourite music. Let them know that even though somebody or a lot of somebodies are being jerks, You'll always be their friend. Stuff like that, it means so much to a kid that feels friendless.

Teachers can't be everywhere and they certainly can't see everything. Sure it's fun to get away with things, like chewing bubble gum in class, sneaking a bit of your snack from your lunch. But bullying isn't one of those fun things a teacher can miss. If you see a student being bullied, find a teacher and tell them. A teacher can't help, when they don't know whats happening. If you don't want to be seen by other students, catch the teacher during recess or just after school.

Maybe you know bullying is happening, but you've never really seen a student doing it in order to tell a teacher. Don't worry thats O.K because there are still things you can do to help. Make a poster about why bullying isn't nice, and how being nice = being cool. Ask your school's principal if it can be put on the school's bulletin board, who knows maybe the principal will turn your small idea into a school wide project.

If your a parent concerned about bullying, be a hero, be active. Get together with other parents from the school in perhaps a PTA setting and brainstorm on school activities that would force your children to get to know other children through fun activities. Activities that would enforce the values of being kind  and not being a bully. This helps in so many ways. Also be mindful of how you act at home, if junior always hears you gossiping and complaining and saying mean stuff about people in your life, they may thing it's ok to do the same thing to their school peers, especially when your kids don't have the contextual knowledge behind some of these actions that you do.

Remember to be a Hallway Hero.
-H