Take a Stand on Bullying

Bullying is a form of verbal and physical abuse that needs to stop. This type of abuse takes place every day all over the world. This has a long term effect on its victims such as mental and emotional stress that can carry on into the future. “Bullying has become established in our society and schools that it is often ignored and considered as “part of normal behavior during our adolescent years.”(Dracic, S. 2009). This type of abuse can lead people to living an unhealthy life which therefore can relate to self-esteem issues and therefore cause unhealthy lifestyles. While bullying is commonly associated with face to face interactions it may also be done online (Cyber bullying).

This form of bullying is becoming more popular especially with social media and makes it easier for the person or person (s) doing the bullying to be able to hide easier. Cyberbullying has been defined as ‘‘willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices’’ (Hinduja & Patchin, 2009). “There is a degree of difficulty of detecting the misbehavior, identifying the offending party, proving of verifying the wrongdoing” (Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J.W. 2010). We need to set rules and make sure that cyber bullying comes to an end.

People that are often bullied in school are bullied online and sometimes in their own neighborhoods from gang members that are trying to recruit the kids to do their evil biding such as running drugs. These victims usually are not capable of holding down steady jobs, mostly because of the lifestyle they have chosen to live, this includes but is not limited to the use heavy alcohol, gambling and drug abuse. In a research survey there were high percentages of drug and alcohol abuse by the kids that got bullied. “However, there is great concern regarding students who are being bullied and those who are reporting symptoms of depression and alcohol use” (Statewide Survey Finds Drug Use down, Bullying up. 2011). There is a higher suicide rate with kids and young adults that have been bullied. There should be some form of laws and rules that lean heavily against bullying, but with the bullying being done electronically the only way to catch the offender is if the victim says anything about who is doing the bullying.

Schools are becoming better at educating kids on the effects of bullying, “Fortunately, schools have strategies to prevent bullying. These strategies are most effective when they are part of a comprehensive prevention program implemented at the district, school, and classroom levels. Research indicates that schools can cut bullying by as much as 50% with a comprehensive school wide prevention program” (Shore, K. 2009), this would be a huge step towards eliminating bullying in schools around the world. Teachers are the core of bully prevention. Teachers should provide instruction and anti-bullying programs to discourage bullying and inform students of the consequences resulting from it.

Sometimes kids learn from their environment if they happen to have a parent that is somewhat of a bully or the parent or one if the parents is a victim of domestic violence the child may learn that bullying is an acceptable form of love and/or acceptance with the popular kids at school. In conclusion, bullying has a mass effect on people all around the world. If we educate our teachers and our kids on the effects that bullying has on our society and how vulnerable our kids will be and how this effects their self-esteem and what choices they make for their future. It seems that bullying doesn’t give anything positive back to the community as a whole or to the world. The best way to eliminate bullying is to come together globally and take a stand against bullying. We need to work together and stand up against violence verbally and physically.

References

Shore, K. (2009). PREVENTING BULLYING. Education Digest, 75(4), 39-44. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Statwide Survey Finds Drug Use down, Bullying up. (2011). Curriculum Review, 50(6), 3. Retrieved from Ebscohost.

Dracic, S. (2009). Bullying And Peer Victimization. Materia Socio Medica, 21(4), 216-219.