Bus monitor bullying video

Last updated

Making The Bus Monitor Cry
Making the bus monitor cry thumbnail.jpg
Thumbnail of the YouTube video
DateJune 18, 2012
LocationSchool Bus #784 – Greece, NY, USA
Also known asBus monitor bullying video
CauseBullying
ParticipantsKaren Klein (bus monitor/victim), 4 male students (perpetrators)
OutcomeStudents: 1 year school suspension + 50 hours community service
Bus Monitor: retirement

"Making The Bus Monitor Cry" is one of three videos filmed in June 2012 which focused on a bus monitor, who was targeted for bullying by four seventh graders attending Greece Athena Middle School. The video went viral and received numerous video responses and news coverage. A donation campaign was launched for the victim.

Contents

Background

The bus monitor, Karen Huff Klein (68 at the time of the filming [1] ) was an employee of the Greece Central School District in Upstate New York. After serving 20 years as a bus driver, Klein had been a bus monitor for 3 years. [2] [3]

Klein, at the time of the incident, had been a widow since 1995 and had eight grandchildren; she was partly deaf and used a hearing aid. [1] [4]

Video of the incident

The video was originally uploaded on Facebook. Later, a YouTube user reposted the video onto YouTube on the day after; June 19, 2012, with the title "Making The Bus Monitor Cry", alongside two other videos with the titles "Bus Monitor Harassment", and "Bus Monitor Harassment 2". Within a few days, it had been watched by millions of viewers. [5]

The Bus Monitor Harassment video series is filmed primarily in the back of Bus #784, lightly focused on Klein. In these videos, one of the children becomes angry from being disciplined and says "Karen, you're fat". The third video, "Making The Bus Monitor Cry" is directly targeting Klein. It was organized by three of the four boys, and the fourth student later stated that he had been asked to film the bullying by means of peer pressure.

In the video, the 7th grade boys are heard bullying Klein with taunts that include her appearance, age, as well as her purse, and comment about "the water on her face", at first saying it was sweat. Once she explains she is crying, they reply that the reason is that she misses her box of Twinkies. They then proceed with remarks about Twinkies, call her a "fat-ass" constantly, touch her, and demand that she provide her address on camera. They also threaten to egg her house, to urinate on her door, to ejaculate in her mouth, and to stab her.

One boy refers to Klein's family, saying, "They all killed themselves, because they didn't want to be near you." [6] In reality, Klein’s oldest son had committed suicide in 2002, ten years before the video was uploaded. [7] It was not known if the boy who made the comment was aware of this. Klein attempted to ignore them, and forced herself not to retaliate. She instead remarked a few times such as "I know all of your addresses! I'm going to send you all thank-you cards, for being so nice."

Klein said she had been bullied by the boys before, and that one time, she had her hearing aid knocked out. When asked by the media if the bullies were just being jerks or if they were actually rotten apples, Klein responded, "Two are jerks, and two are rotten apples." [2]

Reactions

After the bullies' identities were revealed, they received many death threats. [2] The video prompted an investigation on the part of school officials and local police. [8] Klein stated that she would not press charges against the students, partly because of the flood of death threats and criticism aimed at them. [9] She also stated she would like an apology and a different bus route. [10] When an apology was issued, however, she rejected it as insufficient. [11]

On June 29, 2012, the Greece Central School District announced that the boys would be suspended from the middle school for one full academic year, and each boy would also be required to complete 50 hours of community service with senior citizens and complete a formal program in bullying prevention. [12]

On his show Anderson Cooper 360° , CNN anchor Anderson Cooper announced that Southwest Airlines offered to pay for a trip for Klein and nine people of her choice to Walt Disney World for a three-night visit. Klein responded, "It does make me feel a whole lot better. I appreciated everything. I think it's awesome." [13]

Soon after the video went viral, Max Sidorov, a Ukrainian immigrant living in Toronto who says he had been a victim of bullying as a child, started a campaign at fundraising site Indiegogo with a goal of $5,000, to help give Klein a vacation and posted it to Reddit. [14] Within a few days of its creation, the fund had surpassed half a million dollars, and by June 25, over $650,000. [15] An Indiegogo spokesperson stated that the website was in touch with Klein, who would receive the money raised by the scheduled end of the fundraiser on July 20, 2012. [16] When the campaign ended on July 20, Klein's campaign had received a total of $703,833. Klein stated that she planned to use $100,000 of the earnings to establish the Karen Klein Anti-Bullying Foundation, as part of the GiveBack Foundation. [17]

On July 27, 2012, Klein announced that she planned to retire as a bus monitor, calling it "a tough decision". [18]

Aftermath

In March 2015, two of the four students who appeared in the video with Klein were accused of bullying a special-needs classmate with several other students in a bathroom in the local high school, forcing him to hold his crotch and consume urine out of a toilet. When interviewed about the incident, Karen Klein told WHEC, "I don't believe this is happening again". [19] [20]

Related Research Articles

Greece Athena Middle School is a middle school in Greece, New York, a suburb of Rochester; it is located on the 3rd floor of the Athena Complex and covers grades 6–8. This school was visited by President George W. Bush in 2005. The school is also the location of the Greece Central Performing Arts Center (G.P.A.C.). The high school shares the library together with the middle school, along with the G.P.A.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suicide of Kelly Yeomans</span> Suicide of an English schoolgirl

The suicide of Kelly Louise Yeomans, a 13-year-old English schoolgirl from Allenton, a suburb of Derby, became widespread news when the cause was blamed on bullying, to which she had been subjected by other local children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greece Central School District</span> School district in New York State

The Greece Central School District is a public school district in New York State that serves approximately 14,000 students in the town of Greece in Monroe County with over 3,700 employees and an operating budget of $180 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Hadley High School</span> School in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States

South Hadley High School is a secondary school in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States, for students in grades 9–12. The school has a student population of just over 500. The school's name is frequently referred to as "SHHS".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diana Vickers</span> English singer-songwriter, actress and fashion designer

Diana Vickers is an English singer, songwriter and actress. She was semi-finalist on The X Factor in 2008. Vickers signed a record deal with RCA Records and, after touring with her fellow finalists from The X Factor, played the title role in a West End revival of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rumer (musician)</span> British singer-songwriter (born 1979)

Sarah Joyce, better known by her stage name, Rumer, is a British singer-songwriter. Supported by leading music industry figures including Burt Bacharach, Elton John, Carly Simon, and Jools Holland, Rumer was nominated for two Brit awards on 13 January 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suicide of Tyler Clementi</span> Suicide of an American college student

Tyler Clementi was an American student at Rutgers University–New Brunswick who jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge over the Hudson River on September 22, 2010, at the age of 18. On September 19, 2010, without Clementi's knowledge, his roommate, Dharun Ravi, used a webcam on his dorm room computer and his hallmate Molly Wei's computer to view Clementi kissing another man. Clementi found out after Ravi posted about the webcam incident on Twitter. Two days later, Ravi urged friends and Twitter followers to watch a second encounter between Clementi and his companion, though the viewing never occurred.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rebecca Black</span> American YouTuber and singer

Rebecca Renee Black is an American singer, songwriter, and YouTuber. She gained extensive media coverage when the music video for her 2011 debut single "Friday" went viral on YouTube and various social media sites. The song had a polarizing reaction as while it peaked at number 58 on the Billboard Hot 100, it was also panned by audiences and music critics, many of whom considered it "among the worst songs ever made". In 2013, Black released a follow up single "Saturday" to similar commercial success and marginally improved reception. Her debut studio album Let Her Burn—preceded by two extended plays—was released in February 2023 to generally favorable reviews.

<i>Bully</i> (2011 film) 2011 film by Lee Hirsch

Bully is a 2011 American documentary film directed by Lee Hirsch and produced by Hirsch and Cynthia Lowen. It documents the lives of five students who face bullying on a daily basis in U.S. schools. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 23, 2011.

Lily M. Halpern also known by the stage name Lily Lane is an American performer and singer. She is best known as her second reincarnation in the entertainment industry, Lily Lane, whose debut 2014 EP "Nothin' But Trouble" gained critical acclaim and was featured on the abc family hit show Pretty Little Liars. As Lily Halpern, she is best known for her viral video of Nicki Minaj's song "Starships", her hit song "Wishlist", for being an opening act for Big Time Rush on their nationwide tour, In 2012, her original cover video of Nicki Minaj's song "Starships" went viral on YouTube and surpassed a million views in a few short weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suicide of Jamey Rodemeyer</span> Suicide by a bullied American blogger teenager

James T. Rodemeyer was an American teenager from Amherst, New York who was known for his activism against homophobia and his videos on YouTube to help victims of homophobic bullying. Rodemeyer died by suicide on September 18, 2011, after having been a victim of homophobic bullying himself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suicide of Amanda Todd</span> Suicide of a Canadian student in 2012

Amanda Michelle Todd was a 15-year-old Canadian student and victim of cyberbullying who hanged herself at her home in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia. A month before her death, Todd posted a video on YouTube in which she used a series of flashcards to tell her experience of being blackmailed into exposing her breasts via webcam on the livestreaming and online chat service Blogger, and of being bullied and physically assaulted. The video went viral after her death, resulting in international media attention. The original video has had more than 15 million views as of May 2023, although mirrored copies of the video had received tens of millions of additional views shortly after her death; additionally, a YouTube video by React has a video of teens reacting to Todd's video which has garnered 44.7 million views as of May 2023, and various videos from news agencies around the world regarding the case have registered countless millions more. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police and British Columbia Coroners Service launched investigations into the suicide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melanie Martinez</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1995)

Melanie Adele Martinez is an American singer and songwriter. Born in Astoria, Queens, and raised in Baldwin, New York, Martinez rose to fame in 2012 after appearing on season 3 of the American television talent show The Voice. Following the show, she was signed to Atlantic Records and released her debut single "Dollhouse", followed by her debut extended play of the same name (2014).

<i>Shes Dating the Gangster</i> 2014 Filipino film

She's Dating the Gangster is a 2014 Philippine coming-of-age romantic comedy drama film based on the Pop Fiction book of the same name originally published on CandyMag.com's Teen Talk section, which was popularized on Wattpad by Bianca Bernardino under her pen name SGwannaB. The film is directed by Cathy Garcia-Molina, topbilled by Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla, together with Dawn Zulueta and Richard Gomez. It was distributed by Star Cinema with the co-production of Summit Media and was released on July 16, 2014, in theatres nationwide as part of its 20th anniversary presentation.

Athena Manoukian is a Greek-Armenian singer and songwriter. She was set to represent Armenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "Chains on You" prior to the contest's cancellation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Lincoln Memorial confrontation</span> Viral race-related controversy

On January 18, 2019, a confrontation between groups of political demonstrators took place near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The interaction between Covington Catholic High School student Nicholas Sandmann and Native American Nathan Phillips was captured in photos and videos disseminated by major media outlets. Other recordings of the incident showed that initial media reports had omitted details. Reports of the incident triggered outrage in the United States, including calls to dox the students, after stories falsely reported the Catholic students acted as the aggressors. The students received death threats and Covington Catholic High School temporarily closed due to fears for its students' safety.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aviva Mongillo</span> Canadian actress and singer (born 1998)

Aviva Chiara Mongillo, also known as Carys, is a Canadian pop singer and actress. She is best known for her roles as Alya Kendrick in the Family Channel drama series Backstage and Juniper in the CBC sitcom Workin' Moms. After the online success of "Princesses Don't Cry", she released the EP To Anyone Like Me on October 2, 2020, through Warner Music Canada.

Karen is a slang term typically used to refer to a middle-class white American woman who is perceived as entitled or excessively demanding. The term is often portrayed in memes depicting middle-class white women who "use their white and class privilege to demand their own way". Depictions include demanding to "speak to the manager", being racist, or wearing a particular bob cut hairstyle. It was popularized in the aftermath of the Central Park birdwatching incident in 2020.

References

  1. 1 2 Coscarelli, Joe (June 20, 2012). "Horrible, Rotten Kids Abuse Bus Monitor, Internet Buys Her a Vacation [Updated]". New York Magazine . Archived from the original on April 11, 2024. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 Axelrod, Jim (June 22, 2012). "Karen Klein's school bus bullies receive death threats". CBS News. Archived from the original on June 22, 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  3. ↑ Zimmerman, Neetzan (June 20, 2012). "New York Schoolkids Mercilessly Taunt Elderly Bus Monitor [UPDATE]". Gawker . Archived from the original on June 22, 2012. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  4. ↑ M. McDermott, Meagan (June 21, 2012). "Fundraising goes viral for victim of school bus taunting". USA Today . Archived from the original on June 23, 2012. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  5. ↑ CapitalTrigga (June 19, 2012). Making The Bus Monitor Cry (Video). Archived from the original on June 20, 2012.
  6. ↑ Stewart, Dodai (June 21, 2012). "Cruelly Taunted Bus Monitor Tells Matt Lauer She Wants The Boys to Be Punished". Jezebel . Archived from the original on June 11, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Funds for bullied bus monitor skyrocket over $400K". CBS News. June 21, 2012. Archived from the original on June 22, 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  8. ↑ Ortiz, Erik (June 20, 2012). "Video of school bus monitor being bullied sparks investigation". New York Daily News . Archived from the original on August 24, 2024. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Bullied bus monitor Karen Klein won't press charges". WLS-TV . June 21, 2012. Archived from the original on June 22, 2012. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  10. ↑ Farhi, Paul (June 21, 2012). "Karen Klein: Why are people giving money to bullied bus monitor?". Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 9, 2014. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  11. ↑ Murray, Rheanna (June 22, 2012). "Two school bus bullies apologize to monitor Karen Klein after video of cruel treatment goes viral". New York Daily News . Archived from the original on June 23, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Students who bullied N.Y. bus monitor are suspended for a year". CNN . June 30, 2012. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
  13. ↑ Harish, Alon (June 22, 2012). "Bullied Bus Monitor: Boys Apologize, Public Donates $500,000". ABC News. Archived from the original on June 24, 2012. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
  14. ↑ Williams, Matt (June 22, 2012). "Bullied bus monitor Karen Klein's online fund tops $500,000". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  15. ↑ "Hot Online: Karen Klein fund earns nearly $650,000". The Repository . June 25, 2012. Archived from the original on August 24, 2024. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  16. ↑ "Vacation of a lifetime pledged for bus monitor bullied in viral video". MSNBC. MSN. June 20, 2012. Archived from the original on June 22, 2012. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  17. ↑ Findlay, Stephanie (September 11, 2012). "Bullied bus monitor Karen Klein receives $700,000 cheque in Toronto". Toronto Star . Archived from the original on August 24, 2024. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Bullied NY Bus Aide Retiring, Calls Decision Tough". ABC News. Associated Press. July 27, 2012. Archived from the original on July 28, 2012. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
  19. ↑ Ciavarri, Amanda (March 12, 2015). "Bullied bus monitor reacts to new Greece Athena bully incident". WHEC-TV . Archived from the original on March 14, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  20. ↑ Alford, Natasha (March 17, 2015). "Greece Athena Mother Speaks Out After Bullying Accusations". WROC-TV . Archived from the original on June 23, 2017. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.