From Casey’s YouTube profile:

“I founded The Kris Snary Project in May of 2011 after Kris passed away. We were both bullied but had different outcomes.
I want to help people avoid his result. The world needs more love.
Talk to me at facebook.com/thekrissnaryproject or on Twitter @CaseyInRealLife”

And Casey’s Testimony:

I met Kris while going to college in a small South-Eastern Ontario city. We had a few mutual friends and it didn’t take long before we were able to talk openly to each other about certain things. Just for the heck of it, I used to call him my gay best friend and I was one of his straight best friends. After Kris moved back to his hometown, we lost touch a lot of the time, something I kick myself for almost every day. Coming home to see his name in Facebook obituary-style statuses on October 17th of 2010 was one of the worst experiences many of us here will never forget. 

The Kris Snary Project was formed months later in an attempt to take on bullying and suicide issues while integrating Kris’ favourite thing in the entire world which was music. In May of 2011, four bands (The Dead Sparrows, Unbound, Fingers X’d and Stealing Patience) gathered at our local pub and we fundraised with a concert for a bursary created in Kris’ name (The Kristofur Edward Snary Memorial Bursary).

The video served as an attempt to reach out to friends, family and strangers alike to try and create a connection with them whether they knew Kris or they were bullied themselves or knew someone else going through something similar. There are two versions; the orignal featuring “Invincible” by Hedley and the newer version featuring “All I Know” by Toronto’s Faint Reflection.

Up next, we have a Toronto rock band, Riots and Revelry, going into the recording studio to create a single for the project in order to keep that musical connection while still remembering why the project was started in the first place; Kris.

I can’t tell anyone at this point how to fix the bullying issue nationwide. That being said, after the experiences of the past year, I will say this:

You can tell a child not to touch a stove in case it is too hot but they will likely continue to do it behind your back until they get burnt.
The same thing goes for bullying. You can tell someone not to bully another but they will likely continue when you’re not looking until they feel the burn.

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The Kris Snary Project can be found online at http://www.facebook.com/thekrissnaryproject

After such a great post in which Casey talks about The Kris Snary Project, her last sentence really made me stop and think. I would gather that the majority of people in this world know it is not okay to bully others and that it’s not okay to be mean to others, but people still do and they still are. So really, why does it continue? Are there not enough consequences for people who bully others? While laws are getting tougher, should lawmakers start cracking down on individuals who bully/harass/torment others no matter where the bullying takes place, who it offends, or what the bullying entails? Does the fact that Casey’s friend was gay change the degree of punishment or change the way people feel punishment should be handled- does it make the ‘making fun’ of someone okay? I certainly hope not, but are there people out there who would disagree with me? I’m sure there are.  Let’s continue to stand up for what’s right and let’s continue to stand up against bullying no matter WHO the bully or victim is or what they themselves stand for.

What do you guys think? Please comment below!

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