Sameer Hinduja
"This is my heart..."
Sameer Hinduja, author and professor for the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida Atlantic University, was victim of traditional bullying while he was growing up.
“I grew up very introverted and shy and bashful,” Sameer said during a phone interview. “I had all of these very nerdy qualities I guess, so that gave ammunition to my peers to give me grief or make fun of me. I was just a late bloomer and that’s just how it worked out … When you’re in the middle of it [adolescence], you’re trying to figure out who you are, how you can get people to like you and be interested in you and want to date you; and when you feel rejected and isolated and you don’t really fit in, it’s really really rough. It takes over your life and it’s not something you can compartmentalize.”
Sameer’s empathy and experience has been a driving force for his research, books and peer-related journals.
“I feel like both Justin [Patchin] and I have [been victims of bullying]. Which I’m sure filled us with more compassion and motivation to really do something about this issue … We care. It’s not just a ‘OK, this is on my to-do list for the day’ or ‘this is my professional work.’ This is my heart,” Sameer said. “This is something that we live and breathe and we’re really trying to make a difference.”
Sameer acknowledged that today’s news coverage involving cyber bullying and related suicides can be sensationalistic.. However, his hope is that ground-breaking movements will continue to grow across the nation. He would like to see communities come together and doing their part when it comes to prevention and getting all the stakeholders involved - including teachers, parents and of course, teenagers.
Sameer also hopes that their book, “Words Wound: Delete Cyber Bullying and Make Kindness Go Viral,” contributes to the end of cyber bullying and gives teens the inspiration, motivation and ideas to change how cyber bullying is viewed.
Written by Gillan Ludlow
