The world has dealt with bullying longer than we know.
It’s a problem that has been around for decades and has yet to stop. It starts
with teasing at school as kids, but spirals
into more with time. “If bullying persists, they may be afraid to go to school.
Problems with low self-esteem and depression can last into adulthood and
interfere with personal and professional lives” (“Bullying and Teasing”). Children
think it is all fun and games now, but even the person doing the bullying risks
long term affects. “Bullies
are affected too, even into adulthood; they may have difficulty forming
positive relationships. They are more apt to use tobacco and alcohol, and to be
abusive spouses. Some studies have even found a correlation with later criminal
activities” (Bullying and Teasing). It technically isn’t illegal to bully, but there
are circumstances where they can be. Name calling and saying things that are hurtful
is not illegal because of the 1st Amendment, which protects and
allows freedom of speech. Now, if a bully goes too far as to stalk, and harass
someone then it is in fact illegal. More laws and consequences should be
enforced to stop bullying as a whole. Bullying today is only getting worse.
History:
Bullying has been around for longer than we
know. Why is that though? People bully for all different types of reasons. Some
do it to feel better about themselves, power, arrogance, and even boredom. You
have to remember that not everyone was raised the same. It starts at home with
what you see, and what you know. Where did the term bullying even come from?
“The term has changed drastically over time. In the 18th and 19th
centuries bullying was mainly viewed as physical or verbal harassment commonly
linked with, “death, strong isolation or extortion in school children.”
(Koo,2007) (Tamietti)Back then bullying wasn’t as emotional. They didn’t have
counseling, or therapy to help understand why one chooses to bully or to help
one get through the trauma of being bullied. It was more of a physical act.
Fighting and getting aggressive were the only signs:
Any type of aggressive behavior was seen as
mischief and a normal part of childhood. In fact, according to Koo (2007),
bullying was thought of as innocent “misbehavior” among schoolboys (p110)
(History of Bullying). Thankfully bullying is taken a lot more serious than it
was back then. While bullying in schools remain a critical issue, throughout
the years several events and studies have been taken place that have made a
significant impact on bullying and have expanded its meaning in many ways. (History
of Bullying)
Bullying has always been apart of life. Back
then there weren’t as many different types. We have definitions for different
ways of bullying, and there are even people who study how to diagnose it. Today
we have cyberbullying for instance. There wasn’t any way to post a tweet or
share a photo of someone to embarrass them because back then we didn’t have the
social web. As each generation gets more technology, each generation also gets
more materialistic. Kids start to judge other kids on the clothing brands they
wear. If its not a certain brand, they get made fun of for being too cheap.
Then there’s television that we now have that makes kids want to start wearing
makeup, and getting dressed to impress. Wanting to look older than they are
because of reality super stars like The
Kardashian’s. Bullying today is more of a problem than it ever has been.
Does it ever end?
Examples:
Examples
that scare, embarrass, and make one feel small:
§
Persistent or
egregious use of abusive, insulting, or offensive language
§
Aggressive yelling or
shouting
§
Unwarranted physical
contact or threatening gestures
§
Making repeated
negative comments about a person’s appearance, lifestyle, family, or culture
§
Regularly
inappropriately teasing or making someone the brunt of pranks or practical
jokes
§
Circulating
inappropriate or embarrassing photos or videos via email or social media (Peck)
Bullying in the work place:
§
Unnecessarily
interrupting or disrupting someone’s work; inappropriately interfering with a
person’s personal property or work equipment
§
Repeatedly discounting
a person’s statements in group meetings; unfavorably comparing one person to
others
§
Blaming a person for
problems they did not cause
§
Taking credit for
another’s contributions
§
Spreading
misinformation or malicious rumors
§
Purposefully
inappropriately excluding, isolating, or marginalizing a person from normal
work activities (1)
These are 4 types of bullying:
1) Verbal: Verbal bullying, or bullying with cruel spoken words,
involves ongoing name-calling, threatening, and making disrespectful comments
about someone's attributes (appearance, religion, ethnicity, disability, sexual
orientation, etc.). (1)
Example:
When a child says “You’re ugly” You’re not pretty enough” “You’re fat” “Are you
from Mexico”
2) Physical: Physical
bullying, or bullying with aggressive physical intimidation, involves repeated
hitting, kicking, tripping, blocking, pushing, and touching in unwanted and
inappropriate ways. (1)
Example:
When a kid pushes a kid on the ground.
3) Relational: Relational
bullying, or bullying with exclusionary tactics, involves deliberately
preventing someone from joining or being part of a group, whether it's at a
lunch table, game, sport, or social activity. (1)
Example:
Being the last one picked on a team to play a game, and then letting that
person feel left out
4) Cyberbullying: Bullying
in cyberspace, involves haranguing someone by spreading mean words, lies, and
false rumors through e-mails, text messages, and social media posts. Sexist,
racist, and homophobic messages create a hostile atmosphere, even when not directly
targeting your child. (1)
Example:
When someone goes on social media saying “Victor is stupid.”
Posting
pictures of someone without there permission to embarrass them socially.
Solutions:
Most of the time when
people see a bully in action they do nothing. It easy to act like you didn’t
see anything. That’s the problem with today’s society. So many of us are scared
to stand up for what is right.
When you see a person
being bullied, it is your responsibility to step in. Say something. Do
something, anything. Walking by and doing nothing gives of the impression that
what they’re doing is okay. When you’re at younger age its easier to just tell
a teacher, parent, or just someone in charge. As you grow up, you learn that
its not always going to be that simple. You have a voice, so use it. Imagine
your sister, child, a loved one getting treated as if they were worthless.
Anyone getting bullied means something to someone. Stop the bully in the act.
If you see cyberbullying, don’t scroll right over it. If you have a friend who
is doing the cyberbullying, don’t like the post even though you don’t agree
with it just because its your friend. Report the post. Contact your friend
privately, let them know what they’re doing is wrong. Not everyone is going to
care to listen, or agree. But, it starts with you. Make a change into making
the world a better place. People commit suicide, hurt themselves, every
day because they don’t feel good enough. They think to themselves, what did I
do to be hated, judged, and ridiculed? Does it get any easier? “Suicide is the
third leading cause of death among young people, resulting in about 4,400
deaths per year, according to the CDC. For every suicide among young people,
there are at least 100 suicide attempts. Over 14 percent of high school
students have considered suicide, and almost 7 percent have attempted it.” (“Bullying
and Suicide”) This is absolutely saddening. If only there was more that we
could do to erase the numbers. To bring back the lives that are now gone. Even
though that isn’t possible. Lowering the numbers is. Be
a leader by putting a stop to bullying: “Be kind to the kid being bullied. Show them that you care
by trying to include them. Sit with them at lunch or on the bus, talk to them
at school, or invite them to do something. Just hanging out with them will help
them know they aren’t alone.” (“What Kids Can Do”) Others will see your
strength and courage. They will feel confident enough to come from behind the
shadows to make a stand with you.
Absurdity in Life:
Its
absolutely absurd that because of bullies we live in fear. People are scared to
express themselves for who they are, what they like, and even for who they
love. We shouldn’t be worried about getting jumped or talked about just for
being who we are. Everyone is different. You can expect us all to be the same. “Insanity
is contagious”, and bullies are insane (In class notes). But because bullying
is such a problem in todays culture we have family, and friends who feel the
need to hide who they are. Absolute absurdity is what that is.
Conclusion:
Bullying is a
problem that has yet to have been put a stop to. By using these solutions, we
can help put a stop to bullying little by little. Spread the word. Spread love,
peace, and kindness. Help make the world a nicer place to live. Don’t go
through each day living in an ugly world. Be positive. We all have bad days.
But be selfless, because at the end of the day you get what you give. “Many times we
can’t tell what the last straw is for somebody and we don’t always know how our
words and actions may affect another person! One small insult or sarcastic
comment gone awry could send someone over the edge, while a smile or other
gesture of concern and kindness could save them from reaching that point.” (“My
Friends”) You have more power than you think. Save a life.
Work Cited
“Bullying and Teasing: No Laughing
Matter.” Scholastic.com, www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/social-emotional-skills/bullying-and-teasing-no-laughing-matter.
“Bullying and Suicide.” Bullying Statistics, 7
July 2015, www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/bullying-and-suicide.html.
In class notes. April 19, 2018
“My
Friends.” Rady Children's
Hospital-San Diego, www.rchsd.org/health-articles/a-world-without-bullying-brigittes-story/.
Peck,
Suzanne. “The 4 Common Types of Bullying.” Parents,
Parents, 6 Dec. 2017, www.parents.com/kids/problems/bullying/common-types-of-bullying/.
“Tamietti, Robin. “History of Bullying.” History Of, 1
Jan. 1970, bullying190.blogspot.com/2012/10/history-of-bullying.html.
“What Kids Can Do.” StopBullying.gov,
www.stopbullying.gov/kids/what-you-can-do/index.html.
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