Bullying- An Opinion

[Arathorn136]

It is familiar knowledge that most bullying goes unnoticed and unreported, mostly because there is no common definition of ?bullying?. Some people think of bullying as being thrown head first into trash bins, and others think of it as anything as small as a sarcastic comment. In schools today around the nation, ?bullying? happens every day in many different forms because of multiple perspectives. It can be as subtle as a dirty look or as obvious as verbal insults or physical violence. Something that educators and parents need to accept is that bullying will likely happen to every child without the knowledge of an adult no matter what precautions are taken to prevent peer to peer abuse.
When we extend the boundaries of bullying to ?dirty looks?, sarcastic comments and minor insults, we are now saying that nearly every teenage girl is guilty of ?bullying? because of typical disagreements, and nearly every teenage boy is guilty for teasing his friends or making the occasional condescending remark. Heck, even some teachers ?bully? students if you apply the same criteria to them. Many teachers at the high school level won't think twice about shooting a nasty look at a student who is misbehaving, telling a student to ?shut up?, or making a sarcastic comment towards a student that is being annoying or obnoxious. How this is different that two students doing the same is beyond my comprehension, because the end result is the same. Someone has been humiliated and had their feelings hurt. Some would argue that a teacher has authority in the classroom and that they must discipline their students, but it seems a lot like hypocrisy to me. If students have to be kind and civil at all times for fear of a visit with an administrator, teachers must as well.
In a way, minor ?bullying? actually teaches a lesson. If a child grows up never receiving the short end of the stick, they think that the world is made of cotton candy and fluffy bunnies. When the said child reaches a situation where they are put down or made fun of, they do not know how to handle it. If a child is exposed to the ?real world? where not everyone is like the kind old lady next door, they are able to look past the small inconsequential negative things about life. I am not saying that children deserve to be shoved into lockers and have obscenities shouted at them, yet at the same time being babied by adults that project the idea that we live in a perfect world is not the proper course of action either. The real world is not all lollipops and daisies.
Bullying goes unnoticed because often the very group of people that campaign against it can be just as guilty as the students that are condemned for it. Minor ?bullying? goes unnoticed because so many people do it that it has now become a societal norm, yet students are still called down to the principal's office to be disciplined for something that a large majority of the school population takes part in and is never reprimanded for. What we need to do is define ?bullying? and stick to that definition when attempting to resolve issues, or we risk getting sucked into the never ending spiral of hypocritical disciplinarian actions, upset parents, abashed students and educators, and hurt feelings. Bullying is ?the willful, conscious desire to hurt or threaten or frighten someone else. To do this, the bully has to have some sort of power over the victim, a power not always recognizable to another person.? Much of the time people that are reprimanded for ?bullying? are not trying to hurt feelings, but rather they do it by accident. Bullying is a gray area that needs to be turned clear so that everyone involved understands what is and is not considered ?bullying?, and in what cases discipline is required. You might agree with my opinion, then again, you might not. But there is some truth in what I say.
Bullying hurts.
Ouchie.

__________________________
I'm writing this for personal use, but I have not finalized it yet.
I am willing to entertain different opinions on the matter, and I understand if your opinion differs from mine. I am open to different thoughts and ideas, as I'd like to learn from you guys. The article has to be relatively short, so forgive me if I lack some key points. Feel free to point them out though.

Do you agree with my statements? Disagree? Why or why not? What can I add to my argument to make it more convincing?

Let's see if OT can handle a serious topic.

[jorbaud]

It is familiar knowledge that most bullying goes unnoticed and unreported, mostly because there is no common definition of ?bullying?

Bullying ~ Use superior strength or influence to intimidate (someone), typically to force him or her to do what one wants.

From that definition I think it would be a case by case situation of what qualifies as bullying. Some people mess around and do things which can seem like bullying but is not between the people involved. It really differs from person to person.

Let's see if OT can handle a serious topic.

Good luck with that.

[*jdm*]

so serious stuff is bad but minor stuff is fine, natural even?

[Korakc]

I seem to also see truth in what you say... Though I was a small kid when I was 10-11 years old, and nobody wants to be shoved and beaten up. Disagreements are ok as you said, yet major bullying (hurting others in a physical manner) is something I don't approve of.

[Furrr]

natural even?

Minor bullying happens all the time outside the human race... Especially in herd/pack animals.. You see a hierarchy and the bullying induced between the animals to maintain that hierarchy all the time, and its seen as perfectly natural as these creatures rip, kick and bite each other.

Its only because we've become more intelligent that bullying is now frowned upon, which of course it should be, but its still natural, especially minor bullying, because whether you like it or not, in society, there is always a hierarchy within social groups. As thorn said, it teaches you to become stronger as a person and will make you more prepared for life ahead.

However, when it reaches a serious level in which the victim is feeling totally emotionally crushed, not wanting to go to whatever social group is involved, blahdeblah, something should be done about it, because its wrong. But dealing with the issue alone is an extremely difficult territory and in some cases could make it worse...

Sometimes even minor bullying could cause a serious effect on the victim, due to a third party situation making them more emotionally or physically delicate, of course usually the assailants would not usually be aware of this and therefore would not know the extent of the damage they're causing with regular banter. Or it could reach a serious level, not by the severity, but by the frequency that it occurs, to the point that the victim becomes overwhelmed...

Its a difficult subject to define into what is right or wrong, as its so specific on and individual level and a multitude of circumstances.. As well as tapping into the person in questions thought process could potentially be nigh on impossible.

[teatotal]

sooooo many word can someone sum the thread up in three sentences pleaseeee :P

[Korakc]

sooooo many word can someone sum the thread up in three sentences pleaseeee :P

Thorny TOLD you this wasn't for OT WA and Ban Game people :P

[teatotal]

Thorny TOLD you this wasn't for OT WA and Ban Game people :P

erm...i think ill just read OP ...some time thanks anyway :P

[BOMMM]

ive changed my mind 5 times since i started to write this, and the conclusion i came to is,

Bullying is fine the way it is,
it teaches us social acceptance at an age where we are young enough and foolish enough to laugh it off



you make the rules stricter or more defined, then that will lead to more effective bullying
bullying is something ment to hurt others, you explain that "certain" things are THE WORST of the worst
thats what people will start using to hurt others instead of the usual conventional bullying methods


you leave the rules the way they are, bullying will remain as the odd rumour that no one remembers or believes in a years time, or the odd school yard scrap that in a years time is nothing but bad day



the only way to combat bullying is to focus on friendship

if someones being bullied, if theres a kind person willing to be a friend and side with them ,POOF
that bullying has no/minimum effect, coz all of a sudden, what others think of you ceases to exist,
as long as your friend thinks well of you, your happy, and in turn , future friendships blossom coz uve shown that through think or thin, you can be reliable and not mean.


the odd bully case that leads to suicide is tragic and something i loathe with all me being to see, but despite anything that can be done, the only way i can see that prevented is,again by focusing on friendship and maybe self esteem,


anything i said here resonate with anyone?
or anyone think im missing a partial/the full picture ,quote me im interested in seeing what this thread comes up with.


one thing i dont agree with is when the OP said, a lot of the time bullying is unseen,......maybe it isint by adults, but seriously,when your in secondary school (im guessing ye call it "high school??") the bullying that goes on is defiantly seen by the student population


i didnt really go into older people bullying, i kind of kept it at a younger person orientation, mainly coz thats a whole different bag of spuds, and its to late to give it sufficient thought, but maybe 2moro

[Boleslav]

Bullying is a form of terrorism. It's the threat of violence or use of intimidation to impose your will unlawfully on others. Doesn't matter if it's online, domestic violence, or incidents at school, it's something that corrodes society.