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Bullying
By Allyson, a high school senior
December 29, 2008
Have you ever been teased by your friends, or had completely untrue rumors spread about you?
In many movies and television shows, bullying has been stereotyped as being done by physically strong and intimidating boys. The reality is that the most damaging of the types of bullying is more mental than physical and often can involve a group of people rather than a single instigator.
Most of us have made fun of our friends and acquaintances for something silly, but most of the time this teasing is not necessarily something we take personally. Such ?harmless? teasing is often exchanged between friends, but teasing sometimes can reach a level that attacks someones self-esteem, and when it reaches that level it is no longer so ?harmless?. Teasing becomes bullying when it starts to overwhelm the target of such attacks because of its persistence and strength.
Technology has allowed bullying to reach far more personal and extensive levels. Cyber-bullying, or bullying on the Internet, is a growing problem for many youth today. Though many sites like MySpace and Facebook have their own rules as to what is considered acceptable to post, it is still difficult to regulate bullying on the Internet because there are no laws determining how to deal with people who bully someone on the Internet.
In the long-term, such bullying can damage a persons self-esteem, confidence, and may even lead to long-term problems like anxiety or depression; in some cases bullying has lead to the suicide of the youth being targeted.
It is difficult to find reasons why people begin to bully others. It is a complex issue at best, and ?zero tolerance? policies in some schools where there are expulsions imposed on the bullies tend to disregard the fact that the bullies themselves might have underlying self-esteem issues as well, but most importantly is an oversimplification of the issue. Punishment should not be the focus of schools today in terms of bullying; prevention is what will make a greater difference and foster better relations between students.
December 29, 2008
Have you ever been teased by your friends, or had completely untrue rumors spread about you?
In many movies and television shows, bullying has been stereotyped as being done by physically strong and intimidating boys. The reality is that the most damaging of the types of bullying is more mental than physical and often can involve a group of people rather than a single instigator.
Most of us have made fun of our friends and acquaintances for something silly, but most of the time this teasing is not necessarily something we take personally. Such ?harmless? teasing is often exchanged between friends, but teasing sometimes can reach a level that attacks someones self-esteem, and when it reaches that level it is no longer so ?harmless?. Teasing becomes bullying when it starts to overwhelm the target of such attacks because of its persistence and strength.
Technology has allowed bullying to reach far more personal and extensive levels. Cyber-bullying, or bullying on the Internet, is a growing problem for many youth today. Though many sites like MySpace and Facebook have their own rules as to what is considered acceptable to post, it is still difficult to regulate bullying on the Internet because there are no laws determining how to deal with people who bully someone on the Internet.
In the long-term, such bullying can damage a persons self-esteem, confidence, and may even lead to long-term problems like anxiety or depression; in some cases bullying has lead to the suicide of the youth being targeted.
It is difficult to find reasons why people begin to bully others. It is a complex issue at best, and ?zero tolerance? policies in some schools where there are expulsions imposed on the bullies tend to disregard the fact that the bullies themselves might have underlying self-esteem issues as well, but most importantly is an oversimplification of the issue. Punishment should not be the focus of schools today in terms of bullying; prevention is what will make a greater difference and foster better relations between students.
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