TAKING A STAND: Staying strong in beliefs, standing up to bullies

Fourteen year old Pakistani blogger Malala Yousafzai, girls' rights activist, seen here from a post when she won the 'International Children’s Peace Prize’. Yousafzai is in stable condition after being shot by Taliban gunmen Tuesday.

Imagine being a teenage girl in a country where you  aren't allowed to attend school. Imagine that your attempts to share your thoughts in support of change put you under the target of a Taliban gun.
That's what happened to 14-year-old Pakistani blogger Malala Yousafzai, who was shot by Taliban gunmen in northwestern Pakistan's Swat Valley on Tuesday.

Yousafzai, a campaigner for girls' rights, is reported to be in a stable condition after the operation where they removed a bullet from her head was successful. BBC News said the militants targeted her because she "promoted secularism". A spokesman for the Islamist militant group, Ehsanullah Ehsan, told BBC Urdu on Tuesday that Miss Yousafzai would not be spared if she survived. I just can't understand how a young person could be gunned down like this for their beliefs, especially when I totally agree. Miss Yousafzai, a true inspiration, was standing up for what she believes in, and it's a travesty that in 2012 this type of mentality where bullies can try to kill people over opposing beliefs is still occurring. Her family are peace loving people, and I am thrilled that the people of Pakistan are showing up to stand behind her and protest these militants. This world has good people with positive beliefs, and they stand behind their own when threatened. This brings me to a topic closer to home.

With this being an international website, I have met thousands of people online from across the globe. We represent different countries, races, religions, and heritages. Some of us are very privileged. Some of us are barely getting by. We all come together in a spirit of fandom to promote Cassandra Clare and her books. Now I realize fandom problems are a small cry from the harsher realities facing the world, where people are gunned down for standing up for what they believe. I guess my thoughts on the whole issue of Cassie receiving negative comments via Tumblr and Twitter comes down to this... We all have the right to an opinion. Lord knows there are billions of them out there. BUT, tearing down someone is such a waste of time and effort. These kids (and I say kids because that's what they are acting like and I assume they are younger than a 34-year-old me) are wasting their time on being foolish. LOOK AT WHAT IS TAKING PLACE IN THE WORLD! Do you really want to waste your time dissing an author (grant it, she's my fave author) about a work of fiction???? I just don't get it. This is the real world, people. We all have real feelings. Cassie has real feelings. Why hurt her feelings when she has gone above and beyond what she has to do to make fans happy?

It all comes down to this: if you are not a fan...then so be it. Do you have to trash it or ruin it for others when there are SOOO many other things to go be passionate about? Go promote a charity. Fight for peace. Save an animal. DO SOMETHING POSITIVE.

I could rant more, but I promised myself I wouldn't waste a lot of time giving my two cents. Cassie fans, we will trend #WeLoveYouCassie today at 12pm EDT. Just do this as much as you want! Support Cassie and help her see that not everyone out there is negative!