Are you victim or perpetrator? (Bullying in Schools)

Member Name: Zoekie

Product:	Bullying in Schools
Date:	03/12/08 (138 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: None

Disadvantages: Humiliating, ruining a persons life

Bullying is one of tose subjects that get most of us hot under the collar. Most people in my opinion fall into one of two categories. You are either a victim of bullying, or you are a bully.

I would like to describe myself as a victim of bullying. As a child, being born with a very minor disfigurement, it was a wonderful target for schoolground bullies, and it took me many years before I could accept that it was nothing to do with me, and they were the ones in the wrong.

As an adult I have been a lot more aware of bullying, and how it affects other people, but it pains me so much to see how common it is in society today, and how much our children suffer as a result of bullying.

If we look at bullying in itself, it has evolved dramatically over the last 10 years. As the technological age took over, it has opened and expanded the avenues for bullies to reach their vicitms, and what was once restricted to the playground, has now become something that can follow a child into their own home, where they used to feel safe. The schoolground bully can now keep up the harassment by sending texts and emails to the victim, and instill an even bigger fear in their minds....will they never leave me alone?

Another extremley distressing form of bullying that has become evident, and of course shockingy popular, is the "happy-slapping" phenomena. Again the advancement of the technological age has enabled bullies not just to only film the humiliation of their victims, but even spread it on the internet, on popular sites such as Youtube.

We as adults, and as society have a very big role to play in stopping bullying under our children. They are after all the adults of the future, and unless we change these behaviour patterns now, we will never resolve this growing problem. But what can we do you might ask?

Firstly we need to sweep in front of our own door. Are we not setting an example that bullying is funny, and nothing bad will happen to you if you bully others? You might think this is a strange question, but you just need to switch on the TV or radio today, and you hear and see examples of adults bullying other adults, and getting away with it, in fact in many cases glorified!

Where did that happen you might ask? Well, for example I listen on occasion to the Chris Moyles show on Radio 1 in the morning. Now if that is not an exampe of obvious bullying, then I dont know what is. Chris is a talented man, but it is such a shame he wastes it on trying to be "the cool kid on the block". We are all familiar with his constant slagging off of poor Nicola from Girls Aloud, but that is just one example. I find he oftens say very demeanng things about many people, and groups, but it appears he gets away with it as it was all said as " a bit of fun". That in itself might not be seen as a problem, but have we ever considered how many children are listening with thier parenst to his show, and hear this behaviour as being accepted by the adults. How can we then expect them to behave any different when they get to school?

Another example which I saw recently was an ad for a mobile phone ringtone, which was clearly mocking a Turban wearing man. It might sound funny, but in allowing our children to download that onto thier phones, we are encouraging bullying of other religious and cultural groups.

The most obvious example recently was the radio show involving Russel Brand and Jonathan Ross. It does not matter what the content was of what they said, but to leave a dsitressing phone message on an elderly mans voicemail, where he cant defend himself, is an extreme form of bullying in my opinion. But again, unless we as adults stand up and act, and say this is not acceptable, we can not try and teach our children any different.

We laugh at Anne Robinsons "funny comments" to her contestants, but what other than bullying is it to make sarcastic remarks to a person based on their appearance, as she so regularly does?

If we really want to eradicate bullying on the schoolground, it is time we as a society stand up and say it is not acceptable, but more importantly we need to start leading by example!

Summary: What is our role in encouraging bullies?