Bullying begins in the really early
stages of life as soon as we are able to play with others as toddlers and start
to develop jealousies and insecurities. This epidemic happens worldwide, in
many aspects of life such as the work place, schools, in homes, social media,
and even with strangers in public. It affects everyone around us in some kind
of way, whether they are the ones being bullied or their loved ones are the ones
being bulled. What can be done to put an end to bullying? Can this epidemic
even be solved?
History
Social media and mass broadcasting brought light to
the issue of bullying that has been happening for centuries. It has not only
been happening in the current or recent centuries but dates all the way back to
when history began to be recorded. It started with the bible (Patricia
Allanson), it was filled with
many stories of people being bullied, first being Cain and Abel, the rivalry of
Joseph and his brothers, David and Goliath, and the parable of the good
Samaritan. Christians were bullied and persecuted in the Roman Coliseum by Saul
and the first noted bully of the Christian Church. Literature in the 19th
and 20th centuries showed the social nature of bullying art work by
Hughes (1857) Tom Brown’s Schooldays and Golding (1954) Lord of the Flies. The
definition of bullying has evolved over time, it has now reached the internet
in most recent times allowing people to be cyberbullied which no longer limits
bullying at only school and work. Cyberbullying is extremely popular on social
media because people post photos and videos of themselves and once it gets on
the internet it reaches everyone in the world that can log on to Facebook,
Instagram, Twitter, or whatever site they use. Cyberbullying even exist through
cell phones by text messages or phone calls. This type of bullying allows
people to hide behind their computer screens, making it much easier to do (Sameer
Hinduja and Justin Patchin).
Social
Effects
Bullying effects all victims in different ways, a
study shown in teenagers ages 13 to 16 that bullying is stressful and leaves
the victims either irritable or some panicky or nervous in school (Sharp, Sonia). Coping strategies are different also, which
include being passive aggressive by walking away, aggressive by fighting back,
and being assertive by standing up for themselves without physical aggression. For
most children the effects of bullying follow them into adulthood, which can
either make them an advocate of bullying by helping others who are going
through the same thing or make them a bully themselves by making other people
feel the pain they felt or even still feel (Robin M. Kowaiski, Chad A.
Morgan, Susan P. Limber).
These effects are also true for victims in the work place. Clinical observations have shown effects of
exposure to workplace bullying such as social isolation and maladjustment,
psychosomatic illnesses, depressions, compulsions, helplessness, anger, anxiety
and despair. Research shows that victims exposed to bullying in any form or in
any place, had more suicidal thoughts and more likely to attempt suicide than
those who have not been exposed to bullying (Ståle Einarsen, Eva Gemzøe Mikkelsen).
Examples
There
are stories published daily on the news about people committing suicide because
they were bullied to death. One being a nine-year-old boy named Jamel Myles,
was found dead by his mother in their Denver, Colorado home. Jamel was bulled
because he told his friends that he was gay and was told by his class mates
that he should take his own life (Foxnews). It is unimaginable to me that a
child that young would even think of death as a solution. Children should be
happy and have no worries in the world.
In Southhaven, MS a twelve-year-old
boy, Andy Leach, committed suicide after he was bullied relentlessly by a group
of kids at Southhaven Middle School, he was constantly told that he was fat,
ugly, and worthless. He was found in his home by his father hanging in his room
(WMC5 Action News).
In Calimesa, CA a 13-year-old girl
named Rosalie Avila was bullied so badly that she also took her own life. Her
peers constantly put her down for her appearances and it led her to hang
herself in her room, and later she was found by her father (ABC13 news).
Solutions
Since bullying is something that has been
around since mankind was created, it is going to be a very hard thing to stop.
Even though there is no simple solution for this, we could start by teaching
kindness in schools. “Schools can set up
programs to educate all students from a young age about the dangers and effects
of bullying” (Jessica Daniel) is a suggestion from theclassroom.com. Which is a
great idea to make kids realize what people go through when they are bullied.
Teachers should be more involved in all grade levels and create discussions in
classrooms that get the students to interact with each other to decrease
stereotypes and labels that divide and cause the bullying in the first place.
Also, in school systems there should be more consequences for those who bully, “Set
a policy related to bullying, such as required counseling for the bully and
victim and a scale of disciplinary actions, such as required community service,
depending on the severity of the case” (Jessica Daniel) this would help make
the students realize the severity of bullying and also this will teach them to
take responsibility for their actions. Another solution for kids starts in
their homes, both parents should be notified of any incident that occurs, so
the consequences should continue at home for the bully and support for the
victim.
“Cyberbullying
is the fastest growing type of peer-on-peer mistreatment today.” (Community-Matters)
Parents should also be monitor their kids’ online activity more often, if all
parents created their own social media profiles and kept up with their kids
then it would decrease the amount of cyberbullying that occurs.
Solution
for bullies in the work place is a bit trickier, because in these environments
they are dealing with adults
that should already have the emotional maturity to know right from wrong and
know it is not okay to bully someone. “60 million Americans are affected by
workplace bullying” and “Up to 81 percent of employers are perceived
as doing nothing and resisting taking action when targets of bullying fill out
a survey. In the general public, only 44.8 percent perceive the employers as
doing nothing.” (Susan
Heathfield) If the employer does nothing to help the victim, there are a few
ways they could deal with the bully on their own. First, by gaining the courage
to stand up for themselves, such as, setting limits and letting the bully know
how their behavior is affecting them in the workplace and demanding them to
stop, and let them know it will no longer be tolerated in the future. If they
continue to harass then they could take it to a legal level to get help.
Camus and Absurdity
Albert Camus was a French-Algerian novelist,
playwright, journalist, essayist, and Nobel laureate. He believed that a lot of
people made absurd choices and was always trying to figure out why. If he was
asked his thoughts on bullying then I think he would say it is absurd to live
in such a hateful way, and that there is no good purpose to bully anyone for
any reason. I know he would strongly be against bullying, because bullying is
the cause of many suicides and he disagrees with physical suicide. He said, “It
is the job of the people not to be on the side of the executioners.” (Camus)To
me that means he is saying to have more compassion for people.
Conclusion
In the end, if it is an adult or a child
dealing with a bully, it can never be easy. Even though it is easier said than
done, the best way to end bullying is spread kindness and love wherever you are
and to have more compassion for people, because no one knows what someone is
going through in their personal life and why they act the way they do.
Works
Cited
“11 Ways You Can Help to Stop
Bullying” Community-matters.org. 2017-2018.
“13-year-old girl who committed suicide
was victim of bullying” ABC13 News. By Rob McMillan. Friday December 1, 2017. https://abc13.com/bullying-leads-to-13-year-old-girls-suicide-family-says/2728010/
“A History of
Bullying” Patricia Bolton Allanson , Liberty University, Robin Rawlings Lester,
Walden University, Charles E. Notar.
International Journal of Education and Social Science www.ijessnet.com Vol. 2
No. 12; December 2015
“Boy,
9, Commits suicide after coming out as gay, being bullied by classmates” Fox
News.
Colorado. Kathleen Joyce. August 28, 2018.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/boy-9-commits-suicide-after-coming-out-as-gay-being-bullied-by-classmates-mom
“Bullying and Emotional Abuse in
the Workplace” By Ståle Einarsen, Eva Gemzøe Mikkelsen.
October 3, 2002. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9780203164662
“Bullying blamed for 12-year-old
boys’ suicide” WMC5 Action News by Brix fowler.
March 12, 2018. http://www.wmcactionnews5.com/story/37704936/12-year-old-southaven-boy-commits-suicide-due-to-bullying
“Bullying, Cyberbulling, and
Suicide”. Active of Suicide Research. Volume 14, 2010- issue 3.
“How much does bullying hurt? The effects of bullying on the personal
wellbeing and educational progress of secondary aged
students.” Sharp, Sonia 1995. Educational
and Child Psychology.
“How to Deal with a Bully at Work,
Don’t Allow Yourself to Become an Easy Target”. By Susan Heathfield. November
6, 2018. Thebalancecareers.com.
“Traditional
Bullying as a Potential Warning Sign of Cyberbullying” School Psychology
International. Robin M. Kowaiski, Chad A. Morgan, Susan P. Limber.
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