Bullying: by Cameron Willis

Bullying
By
Cameron Willis
English 10CP
Mrs. Jordan, Period 3
April
Have you ever been picked on by another student, or have seen another
student getting teased, picked on, or even physically abused? This is called
bullying. Bullying has always been a problem among children and we need to put
an end to this bullying problem both for the wellbeing of the bully and their
victim.
What is bullying? In Dan Olweus’s article, “a profile of bulling at school,” he

said, “one definition is that a student is being bullies or victimized when he or she
is exposed repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or
more other students” (17). Just from this definition you can realize that there are
a lot of things that can be considered bullying. Bullying can be direct or indirect.
Direct bullying may consist of teasing, taunting, threatening, hitting, and stealing.
Bullying can be more indirect by causing a student or child to be socially isolated
through intentional exclusion. Boys are more likely to engage in direct bullying,
but girls are more likely to take part in indirect bullying by spreading rumors and
enforcing social isolation. So when you think that you’re, “just playing around,” it
might be considered bullying and the effects can be severe
But that is not all, there are two more types of bullying and they can be the
worst of all bullying methods and they are racial and sexual bullying. In Barbara
Coloroso’s article, “The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander,” coloroso states,
“Racist bullying doesn’t just happen. Kids have to be taught to be racist before
they can engage in racist bullying”(15). This means children are being taught by
someone, possibly even their own parents to discriminate against a group of
people. As children grow up with this they start to pick up on racial slurs, and
certain discrimination acts that will hurt their victims. Just as racist attitudes can
collide with bullying, so, too, can sexist attitudes. Coloroso states that, “All three
forms of bullying- physical, verbal, and relational- can be wrapped in sexual
overtones.” Sexual bullying cuts at the core of our being and can have drastic
consequences! It is one of the largest forms of bullying in schools today. Bullies
often target those who are slightly different that the others, whether they are
gay, straight, lesbian or whatever. The fact still remains that people who are
different, tend to get bullied more often than those who are not.
Being bullied can often lead to depression and low self esteem;
problems that can carry into adulthood. In Ron Banks article, “Bullying in
Schools,” he states that, “Victims often fear school and consider school to be an
unsafe and unhappy place”(2). Banks also did a survey and found out, “As many
as 7% of American Eight-graders stay home at least once a month because of
bullies”(2)! Being bullied can also cause psychological and sometimes physical
scars that last a lifetime. Many victims have reported having great fear and
anxiety in the years following high school. Victims also have bad social skills from
not having anyone to talk to because they other children didn’t want to lose
status, or didn’t want to be bullied themselves. The worst thing that could happen
to a victim is they turn their anger inward and commit suicide because they think
all is lost and it’s the only option left.
Victims are not the only ones with consequences; the bully has problems
that are just as bad if not worse. People who bully fail to learn how to cope,
manage their emotions, and communicate effectively. These skills are key in the
adult world. Tara Kuther stated,” Without intervention, bullies suffer stunted
emotional growth and fail to develop empathy”(5). Bullies must always get their
way, and when they don’t; they usually blame others for their actions. Dan
Olweus conducted a survey in Scandinavian countries and found out, “60% of
those characterized as bullies in grades 6-9 had at least on criminal conviction by
age 24” (2). Some bullies continue their behavior into their adulthood, causing
them to have hard times keeping their relationship. Adult bullies are also more
likely to have more criminal convictions, be an abusive spouse, and have
aggressive children. These aggressive children are likely to become bullies
themselves. Therefore starting the bully cycle all over again.
Liberty High is not immune to the bully problem, and our staff and students
should be doing everything possible to put an end to the bullying problem. In a
poll conducted at liberty high in 2010 we found out that there is a lot of bullying
at our school. Some of our information we discovered is;
“84% of sophomore students have witnessed kicking, hitting,

tripping or pushing most of the time at our school. 86% have
witnessed or been subjected to name calling some of the time.
82% have hears rumors about others some of the time.”
Just from these percentages you can conclude that liberty is far from being bully
free. That is why we need to start right now to put an end to this problem.
It is time for bullying to come to an end. There are several things you can
do to help stop and prevent bullying. There are clubs you can join and participate
in, for instance,” Safe School Ambassadors,” is a great club to help those with
bullying problems. You can have “Bully Free Rallies,” all about bullying and the
consequences of it and how to prevent it. You can always go to your friends for
support, which is why we have friends after all. But you have to tell someone your
having problems. Cause If nobody knows, then nobody can help you.
Bullying will no doubt, be around forever, but if we take the right steps we
can prevent it and try to put an end to it. Eventually making schools a safer, more
fun place for children to learn and grow up. I will fight bullying forever, but the
call is now yours, what can you do to aid the fight against bullying?
Works Cited
Banks, Ron. “Bullying in S chools” Educational Resources Information
Center (ERIC) Digest. April, 1997. Champaign, IL: ERIC Clearinghouse on
elementary and Early Childhood Education. Info tract 15 August 2003
Kuther, Tara. “Understanding Bullying.” National PTA. 20 Feb. 2005
Olweus, Dan. “A Profile of Bullying at School.” Educational leadership,

Mar 2003. Online academic search premier, February 14, 2005
Liberty High School poll
Coloroso,Barbara. The Bully, The Bullied, and the Bystander. New York:
Harper/Quill, 2004
http://www.oecdobserver.org/news/fullstory.php/aid/434/Bullying_at
_school:_tackling_the_problem.html
http://parentingteens.about.com/od/bullying/a/bullying4.htm

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Bullying

What is bullying? In Dan Olweus’s article, “a profile of bulling at school,” he

“84% of sophomore students have witnessed kicking, hitting,

Kuther, Tara. “Understanding Bullying.” National PTA. 20 Feb. 2005

Olweus, Dan. “A Profile of Bullying at School.” Educational leadership,

Liberty High School poll

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