By Maria Cortes
Staff Writer
Putting an end to adolescent suicide and bullying is a serious business. So serious that we have sent in our toughest troops, the only group of people qualified for the job. They know how to talk to children in just the right way to get the job done - the girls from Monster High.
If you have no idea who they are don’t feel bad, anyone from junior high and up would probably be in the same boat. The girls of Monster High are dolls, the third most popular line of dolls by Mattel next to Barbie and the Disney Princesses. The fashion doll line features the teenage daughters of some of the world’s most legendary monsters like Dracula, the Mummy and Frankenstein.
The girls were incorporated into an anti-bullying campaign called the Kind Campaign. Together they will go around teaching children that bullying is wrong; then they’ll let them brush their hair and help them pick out a new outfit for the Spring Formal.
I’m not trying to belittle the project; it’s a good idea. But lessons about bullying should not be downgraded to dolls with blue hair teaching kids that being nice is cool. I understand that the dolls were a way to reach younger children. It was a way to present the problem to them in a way that they would understand, but it still seems like a downgrade.
Having a serious talk with a second grader sounds difficult, but this is a difficult topic. People have died, and they continue dying for the same reason. Bullying is a serious matter, and the only way to deal with it is with a serious tone. There is nothing wrong with pulling your child aside or talking to your third grade class about the problems of bullying.
Children see dolls and they think, “Play time!” not, “Time to try and save a life.” My advice: put the dolls back on the shelves, sit the kids down and talk to them about the dangers of bullying and how to prevent it from happening.
