Sunday, July 28, 2013

WHAT IS A BULLY

There are many definitions of a bully,here are a few.
  1. A person who uses strength or power to harm or intimidate those who are weaker.
  2. Use superior strength or influence to intimidate (someone), typically to force him or her to do what one wants.
Two good definitions.There are many forms of bullying in today's society, cyber-bullying, text, hate e-mail physical and mental bullying.Bullying has become so rampant that more and more teen's are ending their lives because of it.

There are 3 types of bullying.

  • Verbal bullying is saying or writing mean things. Verbal bullying includes:
    • Teasing
    • Name-calling
    • Inappropriate sexual comments
    • Taunting
    • Threatening to cause harm
  • Social bullying, sometimes referred to as relational bullying, involves hurting someone’s reputation or relationships. Social bullying includes:
    • Leaving someone out on purpose
    • Telling other children not to be friends with someone
    • Spreading rumors about someone
    • Embarrassing someone in public
  • Physical bullying involves hurting a person’s body or possessions. Physical bullying includes:
    • Hitting/kicking/pinching
    • Spitting
    • Tripping/pushing
    • Taking or breaking someone’s things
    • Making mean or rude hand gestures
     
Bullying can occur during or after school hours. While most reported bullying happens in the school building, a significant percentage also happens in places like on the playground or the bus. It can also happen travelling to or from school, in the youth’s neighborhood, or on the Internet.

New bullying statistics are showing that bullying is still a problem among children and teens, but is taking on a different approach with cyber-bullying becoming more and more rampant in school and after school among teens and children. Social networking has provided an entirely new environment for bullying to take place. According to bullying statistics, there are about 2.7 million students being bullied each year by about 2.1 students taking on the roll of the bully.

New bullying statistics revealed about one in seven students in grades kindergarten through 12th grade is either a bully or has been a victim of bullying. Sometimes a teen or child who has been bullied eventually becomes the bully as a way to retaliate. In fact, revenge for bullying is one of the strongest motivations for school shootings, according to recent bullying statistics. A reported 61 percent of students said they believe students shoot others at school because they have been victims of physical violence at home or at school. This is a true indicator that bullying can occur in all forms by other students, children, teens as well as adults. According to various bullying studies, many teens and children act out violently on their peers through acts of bullying because they are abused at home.

Other bullying statistics:
  • Over half, about 56 percent, of all students have witnesses a bullying crime take place while at school.
  • A reported 15 percent of all students who don't show up for school report it to being out of fear of being bullied while at school.
  • There are about 71 percent of students that report bullying as an on-going problem.
  • Along that same vein, about one out of every 10 students drops out or changes schools because of repeated bullying.
  • One out of every 20 students has seen a student with a gun at school.
  • Some of the top years for bullying include 4th through 8th graders in which 90 percent were reported as victims of some kind of bullying.
  • Other recent bullying statistics reveal that 54 percent of students reported that witnessing physical abuse at home can lead to violence in school. 
  • Among students of all ages, homicide perpetrators were found to be twice as likely as homicide victims to have been bullied previously by their peers.
  • There are about 282,000 students that are reportedly attacked in high schools throughout the nation each month. 

Bully-cide statistics:
Suicide continues to be one of the leading causes of death among children under the age of 14.Bully-cide is a term used to describe suicide as the result of bullying. New bullying statistics 2010 are reporting that there is a strong connection between bullying, being bullied and suicide, according to a new study from the Yale School of Medicine. Suicide rates are continuing to grow among adolescents, and have grown more than 50 percent in the past 30 years.  Bullying can include various types of behavior from physical attacks, to destroying one's personal property or clothing, verbal abuse, starting rumors, name calling, verbal attacks online as well as other forms of cyberbullying. For teens and children who feel they are being bullied, it is important to address the matter with a parent or teacher right away. It may feel like you are telling on someone for doing something wrong, and that admission might get you in trouble with the bully later. However, this is not the case. In the majority of cases when a bully is reported, the bullying stops because the bully is faced with dire repercussions or they are sent away to a juvenile detention center. If you see bullying occur, it is just as important to tell a trusted adult about the situation. There are many ways to try and prevent bullying from getting worse and by reporting incidents, you can help cut down on future cases of bullying involving other victims. Maintaining a strong sense of self and good overall self-esteem is another way to ensure you won't be a victim of bullying attacks since bullies generally only prey on those they feel are weaker than them. This is also why it is important to have a solid group of friends that will have your back if a bully does try to attack in some way. Parents, be sure to talk to your children and teens about bullying and how to prevent it from happening to them or their peers. Make sure they know the importance of reporting such incidents and ways to handle a bully.

3 comments:

  1. Thank you for posting this Jared. I think that every LGBT individual has experiencing bullying in their lives at one time or another.

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  2. Great post on a difficult subject, buddy!

    The statics you point at re really scary.

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  3. This blog is of the best things anyone has ever done in Second Life. I wish more people could get involved in helping teens at risk from bullying. I would love to see teens at risk log on to SL and be able to see how healthy and friendly an LGBT environment can be.

    Just one life saved is enough. As the famous quote says, "And whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world". - Babylonian Talmud.

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