Karina
Ortega
Professor
Martin
English
114B
April
09, 2012
Little Victims Big Problem
Bullying
is an issue involving children as well as adults, infecting like a virus. In
the article, “Recognizing Bullying” it states that bullying is based on three basic
components. The first component is that bullying is a hostile behavior that
engages unwanted and negative actions from another. Secondly, bullying involves
a pattern of behavior repeated over time. And thirdly, bullying grips an
imbalance of unnatural power or strength from one person towards another. These
three components defines the act of “bullying.” The problems from bullying have
caused havoc in many family’s homes. Cases like depression, low self-esteem,
health problems, poor grades and suicidal thoughts are all effects of bullying (“Recognizing
Bullying”). The problems “bullying” inflicts onto the victim are devastating
and pursues the victim all throughout their lives. The bully tends to be a fear-inflicting
person and is most of the time a danger to society because he or she is more
likely to carry a weapon. Furthermore, in some cases the bullies tend to be a
part of a social crowd and get along with adults so the identification of a
bully is much more difficult. The problem with bullying is that it tends to
happen when more than one or two people are present but do absolutely nothing
about the present issue. Whether it’s out of fear, carelessness, or because
they approve of bullying, the bullying does not stop but keeps going on.
Unfortunately, bullying is not just a stage in childhood; it’s a danger that
can last a lifetime.
In
an article called “Teenager a Young Voice in the Battle Against Bullying”, a
young girl named Katie Butler was bullied in middle school because she was a lesbian.
She had the regular symptoms that many victims show like not wanting to be in
school to the point where she would get physically sick. Even though she had
broken fingers because of a group of boys that had slammed her fingers in a
locker, her courage to come forth and speak against bullying was very strong
and she did (Donna). But unfortunately, not many victims have those strong and
powerful attitudes towards continuing forth. For example, “Stories” is written
by a young woman named Lydia who had been harassed and bullied for years from
age seven to eighteen, has depression, social anxiety disorders, and severe low
self-esteem issues. But with situations like that of Lydia and Katie that
usually begin at school, is it possible that the school can take a stand and
punish without being “unconstitutional?” (“STOP Cyberbullying...”). Unfortunately
there have been incidents, for example:
“When
schools try and get involved by disciplining the student for cyberbullying
actions that took place off-campus and outside of school hours, they are often
sued for exceeding their authority and violating the student's free speech
right. They also, often lose” (STOP Cyberbullying...).
The position that schools have been in
for putting an end to bullying often backfires.
For
this reason bills have been brought up in order to give schools the right to do
what is best in bullying situations without it backfiring. In “Bullying Bill
Still Needed,” it says that Maine is in the process to pass a bill to reduce
bullying in schools. During the time being, the bill is being reviewed in order
to be passed (Douglas). This bill would require each administration at every
school to adopt an intimidation and bullying prevention policy as a way to stop
bullying.
Physical
bullying has become so widespread and known in the k-12 grade world. Due to the
fact that some students stay away, others ignore, and some become a part of it
when they cannot fight, many children are put at risk for falling into the
category of bully or victim. In a common video found on website “youtube” where
a fight between a bully and his victim took hold, the victim has had enough at
the end of the video and picks the bully up and throws him towards the ground.
It was unknown who was blamed for the fight, but the truth of the matter is
that the role of a bully can be swapped from victim to bully, and who is to
blame for this action is unknown. Whether a child falls victim at home from
domestic abuse or at school from bullying, the effect tends to lean toward a
victim child who, out of rage can become a bully.
Additionally, physical bullying
is not the only issue addressed; cyber-bullying is also a part of this new
policy promoted in the Maine bill. In “STOP Cyberbullying”, the definition of
electronic bullying is when a young boy or girl is being besieged, threatened,
humiliated or embarrassed by another child or children. Cyber-bullying is not a
one-time thing; it usually persists more than one time.
Consequently, due to
the growth of cyber-bullying many children are fighting an unseen perpetrator
that has no end to the harassment for many to see. Cyber-bullying also involves
the issue of “sexting” which involves the act of sending inappropriate pictures
to other people’s cell phones. Those pictures are then out in the open and once
they are sent, it is an irreversible mistake that leads to bullying harassment
(“Course Raises Awareness...”). These children are theoretically put into a
cage fighting against an untraceable opponent and are getting hit hard, and
when these hits are being had at a young age, suicide can be seen as the only
way out at the time, when suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary
problem.
Mistakenly taken as a
child phase, many people, mostly adults, believe that the bullying epidemic is
not to be looked into, and that it is just a form of “toughing up” a child’s
personality. In another video on “youtube” a news report was recorded where a
devout Christian admits to a news reporter that he does not think that bullying
is a real problem and should not be addressed nonetheless be looked into within
the justice system and school districts. But the truth of the matter is that
children are committing suicide and bullying is at fault along with other
issues involving supportive figures. Bullying victims are laughed upon instead
of helped correctly and also their problems are not being addressed correctly.
With
attention to this topic of bullying and cyber-bullying, the truth of the matter
is that these are children nonetheless. Therefore parents should be in this
picture as legal guardians and be involved with the safety of their children.
Some of cyber-bullying usually involves the issue of “sexting” which involves
the act of sending inappropriate pictures to other people’s cell phones.
Incidentally those pictures are out in the open and once they are sent, it is
an irreversible mistake that leads to bullying harassment (“Course Raises
Awareness...”). Parents should not be providing their children with
smart-phones since it tempts them to open Pandora’s Box and be faced with
difficult situations that can scar them physically and or mentally. Bullying is
a real problem and although twenty years ago it was not as problematic, it has
progressed and become an epidemic that is infecting many children that usually
will never get to look back upon it as just a phase when they are adults.
WORK CITED
C.
Salmivalli, K. Lagerspetz, K. Björkqvist, K. Osterman, and A. Kaukiainen,
"Bullying as a Group Process: Participant Roles and Their Relations to
Social Status within the Group," Aggressive Behavior 22 (1996): 1-15.
"Course
Raises Awareness About Cyberbullying And Sexting." WMFD.com.
Mansfield Ohio News, 20 Mar. 2012. Web. 21 Mar. 2012.
<http://www.wmfd.com/newsboard/single.asp?Story=49818>.
Kimmel, Douglas. "Bullying Bill Still
Needed." The Bangor Daily News. 10 Aug. 2011. Web. 18 Mar. 2012. <http://bangordailynews.com/2011/08/10/opinion/contributors/bullying-bill-still-needed/?ref=relatedBox>.
Lydia. "Stories" National Bullying
Prevention Center. PACER, 18 Jan. 2012. Web. 18 Mar. 2012.
<http://www.pacer.org/bullying/stories/>.
"Recognizing Bullying" Violence
Prevention Works! Hazelden Foundation, 2011. Web. 18 Mar. 2012.
<http://www.violencepreventionworks.org/public/recognizing_bullying.page>.
St.
George, Donna. "Teenager a Young Voice in the Battle against
Bullying." JournalStar.com. Journal Star, 17 Mar. 2012. Web. 18
Mar. 2012.
<http://journalstar.com/news/national/teenager-a-young-voice-in-the-battle-against-bullying/article_77535831-4ad9-58d5-9dd2-281ed0910b80.html>.
"STOP
Cyberbullying: What Is Cyberbullying, Exactly?" STOP Cyberbullying.
Web. 21 Mar. 2012.
<http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/what_is_cyberbullying_exactly.html>.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
C.
Salmivalli, K. Lagerspetz, K. Björkqvist, K. Osterman, and A. Kaukiainen,
"Bullying as a Group Process: Participant Roles and Their Relations to
Social Status within the Group," Aggressive Behavior 22 (1996): 1-15.
In this research
article, the psychologists studied the roles of students in a school, and named
it their bullying circle. In this circle there were many components such as bullies,
followers, passive bullies, passive supporters, disengaged onlookers, possible
defenders, defenders. Each role affects the other and allows another to
continue with its role, and that tends to let this circle keep flowing. I used
this article because it supports my argument. Much of the students in this
circle stay with these roles and or become either the bully or the victim.
These circles exist in a vast majority all around schools.
"STOP
Cyberbullying: What Is Cyberbullying, Exactly?" STOP Cyberbullying.
Web. 21 Mar. 2012.
<http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/what_is_cyberbullying_exactly.html>.
In this article it
talks about cyber-bullying. The growing form of bullying that is affecting many
children. It includes the form of “sexting” that involves sending inappropriate
pictures or text messages that are sent to another’s cell phone and from then
on it is capable of being seen by a lot of people. I used this article because
it helps being a current form of bullying, that is becoming very powerful and
there is no opponent to be seen on the other side which makes it hard to win
the battle of bullying.
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