This week I wanted to talk about bullying and the way that I see it. I think that bullying has been seriously increased over the years because now there is texting and social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter for example. In school I remember getting teased, but I don’t every think that I was bullied. To me there is a definite difference between being teased and bullied. Teased can be just a playful joke, but if it becomes vicious and you find it hurtful then it has gone too far. An act of bullying would be if you are being physically pushed around or emotional battered. Bullying is a crime I believe and in a way I am glad that it is.
About 77 percent of students have admitted to being the victim of one type of bullying or another. That is terrible and I am sorry to be a part of society that intentionally abuses each other. We should love and not fight. Yes I may have teased someone a little, but let’s be real, everyone teases everyone in some way or another. I am sure that we are not proud of it, but it is just the way our environment is.
I feel that the two main places people get bullied would be at school and work. Probably more at school though. I remember being in elementary school and wanting to have friends so badly. It was winter and me and a couple of kids in my class ganged up on this one bigger kid. We all threw snowballs at him and I have always regretted it. It was mean and now I can understand that the Golden Rule really is something that I would like to live by.
In our generation we can be mean in a whole different way. The Internet is a great research tool or a way to get connected with old buddies, but we all abuse. We update our status and maybe we forget that everyone can see it. We may not be thinking about who is going to see it and may be offended. I just wish bullying could just be careless teasing that does not get viscous.
A few stories come to mind when you speak of bullying. Bullying as ended the lives of many but continues to damage the lives of many and i feel is going to lead toward life changing experiences. Tyler Clementi, a freshman student attending Rutgers University, who commitited suicide by jumping of off Washington Bridge. All caused by his roommate who streamed live footage of Tyler and another man who he had been in a homosexual relationship with. Tyler was humiliated, only due to his sexual orientation. The bullying behavior that Dharun Ravi caused to an innocent boy will never be forgotten. I hope that all of the young adults that encouraged and peer pressured his behavior is felt everday, as this family mourns the loss of an intelligent young man.
ReplyDeleteMy son is going through some bullying at school. As a parent it infuriates me. I told my son to go through the proper channels in school to take care of it. But I told him, if the bullying continues, he has my permission to beat the kid up, and I would not punish him for it. But he is a big softy like me and probably wouldn't get into any fights.
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