Jonah Mowry – A typical teenager once again.

I am happy to read this follow up. I hope life continues to treat him well.

My little girl is picked on at school. They say horrible things to her. She comes home crying almost everyday. It brakes my heart to see this. They say just because she is the second tallest kids in class that she is stupid and older then she is. She is only 8 and in the 3rd grade and can read at a 6th grade level . It got to the point where I had to call the school and they did nothing. If and when she was able to stand up for herself she got in trouble. I finally found out where the ringleader if the bullies lived and spoke with her mother . She is still picked on but not as bad . I was also picked on when I was a kid. And it's true it makes you a stronger person to indear all of the pain and come out stringer and more understanding if other peoples fillings.

All I am saying is if you're going to cry about being bullied, don't bully others because it makes you LOOK like a fraud.

I guess you still didn't see the videos of him making fun of overweight and developmentally disabled people on his youtube channel which he later deleted as to not look like a fraud. They are still lurking around the internet and different youtube channels. I bet you believe everything you see on the news too.

Jonah is no fake, I wish him happiness, and love, especially self love. He's beautiful.

Rather than refute the comments that others have made, I think I'll just answer the questions Dan asked in his blog.

Do you believe the second video negates the first video? Not necessarily. There are so many "fake" things on the internet that who's to say what is real and what is not? I only hope that this isn't some kid trying to scam his way through life. I don't think Jonah is doing that, but hey, I could be wrong.

What were your thoughts as I shared my perspective? Dan, my thoughts as you share your perspective are always that you are a kind and thoughtful man and that you really do care about others, especially about kids. That's always admirable.

And, if you could give Jonah any message right now, what would it be? Jonah, I am so torn by this. I hope that you're not just scamming the general public with a fake video that you think makes fun of the kids who ARE bullied. I would like to think that this is not the case. By the same token, if you're not scamming, if you WERE being bullied, my heart goes out to you. No child should ever be subjected to this treatment.

See, it's not so simple. It's a video. On the INTERNET. Who's to say if it's real and if it's not? Either way, symbolically, it significant. Even if "Jonah" is not real, the situation is. And now we're talking about it. So I guess that Jonah (and Dan) were successful.

Dan- I agree with your perspective 100%. Thank you for writing this.

Jonah’s Letter:

“To all my friends and supporters,

I made this video 4 months ago just before school was about to start. I was 13. It was a very emotionally dark time in my life. I made the video at 4:00am in the morning; I hadn't been sleeping at night for a long time, too many things going on in my head. I was dreading going back to school and I had not come out to my family yet. Only my closest friends knew. I didn't know how to say what I needed to say. All I could think about were all the bad things that had been happening at school last year, every year for that matter. I just couldn't bare to go through that anymore. I was done being fake happy, pretending hateful words didn't hurt, done hiding it from my family. So this video was made for my friends that had moved on to High School who were worried for me, to say to them that I was going to take a stand, and to the haters at my middle school that I'm not going anywhere. I am who I am. I posted the video here and told people were to find it. That was it.

My friends were moved by the video and thought I did something important. I was encouraged to upload it to my Facebook page so more people could see it. Maybe it could help someone else going through the same thing. So I linked it Dec. 1st. My Parents saw it for the first time Dec, 2nd.

Then….. all this happened.

I never expected in a million years that it would have such a wonderful impact on so many people. I am truly humbled and truly thankful for all the love, encouragement and support from people all over the world. It's been incredibly overwhelming. I don't know what to say. Thank you so, so much!

Lastly, yes you have seen me happy in a couple short videos replies I posted; I would think that would be a good thing , and yes I do have friends, my High School friends, and I have made friends because when I came out they realized that they had hurt me and that they felt sorry. The video is real, and true.

In the last few months everything eventually came out in the open, I felt a huge weight off my shoulders; I'm happy, I'm excepted for who I am, I'm more confident and feel stronger every day.

Thank you all, Love and peace to all who are hurting.”

Jonah Mowry

PS. (from Amy) - Tell me you aren’t crying now. I was...

Thanks sharon Dvorak...for posting that, people are so ridiculios if they think and say he faked this, you can look in his eyes and know the pain is real and even if this one was fake there are a million other kids that would love to have the guts to post their personal stories like he did...bottom line... bullying needs to stop!

my daughter goes threw this bullying stuff and the schools dont want to do anything about it she hates to go to school and she calls herself ugly all the time

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the you tube videos of Jonah Mowry…the 14 year old boy who 4 months ago posted his very emotional and raw video of himself, crying and talking about feeling depressed and bullied. I don’t really understand the controversy to tell you the truth. What I saw, was a young boy who was being gut wrenchingly honest about his emotions at the time. He had been bullied and beaten down emotionally from people who were constantly picking on him and calling him names. He said he felt that everyone hated him in junior high, and that he was scared. He said he had been a cutter since the 2nd grade, and tried showing us his scars (Unfortunately the lighting on the video made it impossible to see at the time, but since then he has shown us his scars in other videos and yes, they were visible). In the end of the video, he looked determined and told us that he’s not going anywhere because he had a million reasons to be here.

That was 4 months ago. The video suddenly went viral and people from all over the world saw it, and reached out to him. I watched video responses that touched my heart, from people who had been where Jonah was, and they were trying to tell him that it does get better and that they are there for him. People were spreading Jonah’s videos all over Facebook and on Twitter and were sharing his heartfelt message.

Then the controversy began.

New videos surfaced, showing Jonah with some friends, being a typical teenager, singing and laughing with friends. Because of that, people automatically jumped on the bandwagon, and began saying that this entire thing was not real, or that Jonah was making the entire thing up. One video was made (that looked like Jonah) saying that he was lying and was sorry to have betrayed anyone. Negative and hateful comments began to surface everywhere, even on Jonah’s you tube video page where he had many videos posted with him and his friends. People began to question everything…the authenticity of the original video, if Jonah was even real, and if he were just an attention seeking kid. The REAL Jonah posted a thank you response to the individuals who were supporting him, but then it was taken down, so MORE questions were asked.

Seriously? When did we become so damaged ourselves that our humanity and compassion went out the window? When did we become so involved in ourselves and so untrusting that we would actually question someone’s emotional pain??

The reason why his responses and newer videos were taken down, were not because they were fake. It's because he was receiving hateful comments who were doubting him. Better to take them down and not have to endure seeing them, than to leave them up and get depressed again. PLUS, what people are forgetting to understand, is that the original video was made 4 months ago, but it did not go viral until now, ALONG with the happy-go-lucky videos. What people are seeing is one video of him being sad and depressed one day, and then the happy videos the next, assuming that it's happening right after one another. It didn't happen that way. There was a 4 month gap between videos.

Even HERE (a support page for anti-bullying and suicide), people were questioning the motives and if this were real. It angered me. No disrespect toward anyone here in particular, but I was actually appalled that anyone who is a strong supporter of anti-bulling could even fathom the authenticity of this issue.
So I made some points as to why I did not personally feel as if this were fake.

1. We never know what another person is feeling and/or thinking at any given moment unless we are them (which will never happen).

2. If this were fake, then he is one HELL of an actor with tears and all.

3. If this were fake, would it really matter?? The REACTION (the positive ones, that is) were wonderful, as I watched people reach out to him. Isn’t that what we have been preaching all along to get people to do? To stop being bystanders and react AFTER a suicide has happened?

4. Other websites (verified ones) have said it was real. Celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Perez Hilton and Rosie O’Donnel have picked this story up and have spread it around on their circulation.

5. The original post was made 4 months ago. Isn’t it possible that since then, Jonah has gotten happier because people were actually reaching out to him? I use the example of a fellow anti-bullying activist, who recently ended his life. We were all shocked and appalled because we had no warning. The reverse is also true. A person can be so depressed and is asking for help, and once he receives it, that person can feel better. Who are we to judge, once the immediate crises is over? Now that Jonah is happy and is a typical teenager posting silly videos with his friends, we are questioning if he were really depressed in the first place? In my own personal experience with depression, anxiety, and borderline personality disorder, I can tell you that my emotions fluctuate constantly. I can be a happy-go-lucky person one minute, and then be totally depressed and angry the next. The next day, I act as if nothing was wrong in the first place. Am I fake? No. My emotions were real at the time of posting my feelings and because I’m a human being, I’m allowed to change how I feel. We all handle peer pressure, anxiety, depression, sadness, and loneliness differently.

6. Does ANY of this actually matter? What if it WERE a fake? If the actual point from this young boy was to make people realize that sitting there watching people online feel miserable enough that they want to end their lives is something that should be stopped and was asking (in a round about way) to stand up, then was this a failure? Nope. It’s an epic win, because people DID stand up, and they DID talk about it, and they WERE worried about him. I’d think (if this were the case, which I don’t think it was), that Jonah made his point. We are all talking about it, aren’t we?

This bothered me so much, that I actually spoke to my husband about it. I usually don't share much with him about my advocacy...he just takes it in stride, and knows how important it is to me. However, with the death of my fellow anti-bullying activist, and then these new videos circulating about Jonah Mowry and the criticism the videos have gotten, I finally decided to share with him. He is just as much outraged as I am about the negative feedback that Jonah is receiving. He has watched all the videos and when I asked him if he thought the original post was a fake, he vehemently said no. Then he said this...

"You know, I don't even care if it WAS a fake. The point was, that a young boy was clearly in pain and asked for help, so he video taped it. The point was to reach out to people who have normally turned their head away and who have not stood up until someone has ended their life. So in my opinion, it really doesn't bother me if it WAS a fake, but quite honestly, I don't think it was fake. How do you fake such raw emotion like that? People are ridiculous."

Oh, how I love this man. He may not say much, but he DOES listen. ♥

And now…the response from Jonah recently, about his original video. It puts everything into perspective now for me…and only clinches what I have believed all along. It was real. It was raw and emotional and it was what he was feeling at the time of his posting it. Read his comments below with an open heart, and maybe…just maybe…You (the plural form of you), will see that this was not an attention seeking device. It was from a real person with real emotions, and who has changed his way of thinking and has proven that IT DOES GET BETTER.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Thank you

~Amy Hewitt Bonin~ Standing Up For Victims of Bullies (Child or Adult)

i agree. i thought it seemed obvious. i was actually shocked that people took that video as some kind of proof that the kid was lying. (those people must not know much about teenagers)

Completely agree with everything you've said. Like you, seeing his tears, pain in his eyes reflected something I remember feeling growing up being bullied at school and reaching that stage - I was 11 when I first felt like dying because of the bullying I was subjected to.

Of course Jonah was going to make that second video. makes complete sense after his first went viral.

Thanks for your post, I love reading your perspectives - it's like you put everything down on paper that I ever want to say but I can never find the words to do it myself!

weather the actual video he made was true or not shouldt be the issue. the real issue is that it is true to way way too many and this video brang alot of ppl that were too scared to talk to someone out to talk to him. there are so many responces to his video that now others have a place to share when they didnt before. personally i think it was real but it really doesnt matter at all anyways. i think for a boy that went through it or not the message sent was still so strong and powerful and i still commend him on bringing life to a hopeless situation for a lot of kids out there

Amen Marlene!

My son was bulllied from 1st-3rd grade. I see my son in this boy. And for those who say he is acting......you abviously were the bully or you have never been bullied.

I saw Jonahs video a few days before it had come up on my feed via your blog. As I watched the video the tears poured down my face, I once stood where Jonah, yourself and many other teenagers have stood and are standing today. Now I am a Parent, a parent of a beautiful, outgoing, popular teenage daughter who eases her pain and deals with her feelings the same way Jonah did. It has been a very emotional few months for our family and while I've only spoken to a very few close friends and family regarding the past few months...Your blog post and Jonahs video has inspired me to write about the last few months on my blog. Thank you. Your strength in speaking up and speaking out and Jonahs strength and bravery have effected and inspired so many people, including myself.

Every last one of my children have been bullied. I've seen them in the depths of despair like Jonah's first video, and I've seen them bouncing about days, weeks or months later, just like Jonah was. It didn't make the first a lie or the second fake. Also, children will generalize everything, so when a few people hate, everyone hates. When a few love, everyone loves. Again this does not invalidate their feelings. Why were my children bullied? Because I'm gay. Because my first son has become my second daughter. Because my third daughter is a fully grown woman at the age of 14. Because her twin is the smallest in his grade and easily provoked. Because my oldest girl has premature hair thinning, just like I did. It is not right. It is not fair. I've been bullied and I prayed so hard my children would never know that pain. But such was not to be. Now I just stand up for them, fight for them, and reinforce how much I love them, how much their family loves them and accepts them without condition. And some days, that's all it takes to win a smile from them.

I hope things keep getting better for Johah, and that he continues to stay strong. Being a teenager is one of the toughest things he'll ever have to do, and someday he will overcome it, simply by growing up. Bullying is horrible and I am so glad that awareness is getting more focus than ever before. With his heart and sense of humor, Jonah will go far in life. Never let what other people say or think of you hold you back! Gay/straight, black/white, tall/short, fat/thin, pimply/frizzy haired, shy/outgoing, nerd/jock...whatever we all are, we are all put here on this earth to take care of each other, one way or another. People need to remember that we all have feelings...including bullies, so do right by each other...That is all.

Thanks for posting both videos, and I agree with the "who cares if it is real or not, it's still powerful camp." But I found it interesting that in a post about hate an bullying, there were still people blaming one group or another for this, very strongly. That made me mad. One person in particular (Colin) said that Christians and religious people are to blame for Jonah's predicament. I didn't want to create a new log in to a site to confront him (what good would it do anyway) but way to perpetuate the hate Colin. We all need to take away from this that we need to treat all people with respect and teach our kids to do the same. There is dignity in all life and there is a generation out there that is losing sight of that.

So what if it was faked...the message is the same, stop looking for the negatives here people....