Terrified.
Humiliated. Powerless. And many times, with no way out. These are the feelings that surface everyday
for victims of bullying. For many of us,
this idea sounds strange but for some it is all too familiar. There are many ways to hurt someone else and
for some students, as you may know, it is a refreshing game they like to play.
Violent
behavior seen in school playgrounds, classrooms, and neighborhoods continues to
increase. The historical games many of
us remember playing in school such as kickball, tag, or hopscotch are no longer
desired activities in middle school. Instead, more adolescence use their energy to
bully other classmates. The behavior of
bullying is an act of violence; unwanted yet unavoidable. It can be defined as a repeated attack towards
someone to cause harm or instill feelings of fear or embarrassment. Those who bully use various forms of verbal,
physical, and psychological abuses to gain control of their victims. No matter which form is used – whether rumors
are being spread, threats are being made, or physical violence is taking place –these
experiences can have devastating effects on the well being, education, and life
in general for not only the victims but the bystanders, families, and bullies.
Nothing
positive surrounds the act of bullying. The only thing beneficial is perhaps the
bullies own perceived gratification they receive. People who bully others do it for self
empowerment and entitlement; they do it to gain a sense of power over others. Real power or not, bullies feed off the reactions
they receive; many times by the teachers, bystanders, and school personnel who
possibly do little to stop this behavior.
Some people may believe witness of bullying
and others who are aware of it taking place are equally responsible for the
bullying occuring because everyone has the ability to stop this violent behavior
from happening. Watching at a distance does not mean you are not involved and
cannot take action as well.
The
power bullies gain over others is jaw dropping. According to Paul Langan,
author of Bullying In Schools (2011) asserts, “…approximately 160,000 kids skip
school to avoid being picked on by their peers” (p.9). This shows students are forced to miss out on
their education because they are too scared to even step on campus. More seriously, sometimes students pass the
point of being too scared and enter the point of no return. Many teen suicides
have been linked to bullying. Langan
(2011), stresses the United States looses over 4,000 teens a year to suicide as
a result of being bullied (p.9). Halyee
Fentree and Paige Moravetz, two 14-year old girls, were included in these
findings. During a weekend sleepover
party these young girls committed suicide after allegedly being bullied (Prois,
(2011).
According
to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (2012) the act of bullying
affects not only the victim but also the bully and bystanders. For example, kids who are bullied can struggle
with depression, their health, and academic achievement; whereas bullies
themselves tend to participate in high risk behavior, drug use, and lead a more
dysfunctional lifestyle (U.S. Department of Health & Services (2012). They also concluded that people who witness
bullying have an increased chance to experiment with drugs or alcohol and may
even skip school.
Bullying
can also cause financial difficulties for families. The parents of children who
have been bullied may be forced to leave their jobs to properly care for their
children. In addition, depending on the psychological toll bullying has caused a
child, many families may be forced to pay for counseling sessions. A child may even be forced to switch schools
which can cost more time away from work for parents.
At
times, the people who are responsible for stopping this kind of behavior may be
the ones causing it. CNN News’ Anchors Michael Martinez and Tom Laabs report that a young middle aged boy experienced
this first hand when he was bullied by his teacher and classmates at Kopachuck
Middle School (2011). Feeling pure
humiliation, the adolescent was forced to switch schools after the video of him
being bullied went viral when his parents felt they had no choice but to air
the video online to bring awareness because the school administration failed to
take action.
In a similar situation ABC News' 20/20 anchors Jim Dubreuil and Eamon Mcniff report
Tyler Long, a 17-year old with Asperger’s Syndrome, committed suicide allegedly
after enduring several years of bullying. They stressed, that for years Tyler’s parents exhausted
their attempts informing school officials of the bullying taking place;
however, even after all the efforts and death of this young teen, the school
personnel still failed to take action.
There
have been many programs implemented to help support victims of bullying. A report by Chetry and Garrett (2010) supports
a program called Sociable Kidz implemented to help supply children with tools
they need to face their bullies (Chetry & Garrett, 2010). A parent of one of the children enrolled in
the program expressed, ‘They’re helping him believe in himself’ (Chetry &
Garrett, 2010). Tracking the true success of programs like this may be
difficult, but the testimonies from parents may be satisfying enough.
The
technological capabilities we see today allow people to communicate quickly to
a large amount of people. Because of
this, and new social networks like Facebook and Twitter, bullying has become
easier than ever. The Government’s role
should be to set guidelines to manage the issue of bullying. This alone will
make a significant impact on future bullying.
A rise
in bullying is being seen in schools among teenagers and by taking a closer
look at why bullying is an issue, the affects it has on others, along with
other key factors will allow us to have a better understanding of this
behavior. There has to be a fair, firm,
yet consistent way of addressing this behavior. This worldwide issue may be
difficult to conquer; however, the behavior of bullying will see a positive
change if teachers are enforcing rules, parents are supporting their children,
and students are being held accountable.
References:
Chetry K. & Garrett D. (2010,
December 10). ‘Sociable Kidz’ program helps vulnerable children combat bullying.
CNN. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/12/09/bullying.autism/index.html?iref=allsearch
Dubreuil J. & McNiff E.
(2010, October 15). Bullied to Death in America’s Schools. ABC News 20/20.
Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/2020/TheLaw/school-bullying-epidemic-turning-deadly/story?id=11880841#.UFf32Y1lT_t
Langan, P. (2011). Bullying
in Schools: What You Need to Know. New Jersey: Townsend Press, Inc.
Martinez M. & Laabs T.
(2012, September 1).Washington state teacher placed on leave again in pupil
bullying case. CNN. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/01/us/washington-bullying-school/index.html
Prois, J. (2011, April 21).
Bullied Middle Schoolers, Paige Moravetz and Haylee Fentress, Take Lives In
Suicide Pact. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/21/marshall-middle-school-suicide_n_852252.html
U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services. (2012, September 15). Effects of Bullying. Retrieved from http://www.stopbullying.gov/at-risk/effects/index.html
