October is 'Bullying Prevention Month' and Monica Lewinsky, popularly remembered as the White House intern who got labelled a 'tramp' after her affair with Bill Clinton has announced the launch of her "In Real Life" PSA campaign.
Lewinsky is a bullying prevention social activist, and while her PSA shows how people react to real-life bullying in comparison to online bullying, she has also released the #BeStrong suite of emojis. She urges people to use these emojis when someone posts hateful comments online.
The video shows people bullying homosexuals, Muslims, classmates and even overweight people. And shows how real people react to such situations when they happen in reality, the final question that the video raises: "If this behavior is unacceptable in real life, why is it so normal online?"
While the bullies and their targets were actors, the people who came to support the targets were real people, that does restore one's faith in humanity.
Lewinksy collaborated with the award-winning agency BBDO New York to create the pro bono campaign.
"After watching this, you'll rethink the way you interact online," tweeted Lewinsky.
after watching this, you'll rethink the way you interact online. i cry every viewing. https://t.co/rPUiMIhvwt #ClickWithCompassion @BBDONY
— Monica Lewinsky (@MonicaLewinsky) October 9, 2017
Monica works with numerous anti-bullying organizations, and her 2015 TED Talk, "The Price of Shame" has been viewed over 11,400,000 times and translated into 41 languages.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that suicide is the leading cause of death for teens and young adults, estimating that 1 in 5 teen suicides are caused by bullying. It also reports that between 2007 and 2014 rates of death due to suicide among children more than doubled.
The campaign's goal is clear: to have viewers reconsider the effect of their words and actions online.
