Bullying is one of the biggest problems that all schools deal with. Whether it’s physical or verbal bullying, it can affect an individual in many ways, including: social skills, the ability to fit in and keeping a positive image among peers. Being bullied at such a young age can cause someone to have social anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and cause refusal to go to school and participate in academics. In some cases, it can lead so deep into depression that the subject will resort to drugs and alcohol.
Everyone has been a target of bullying at some time in their life. Elementary, junior or senior high school, there is no way of getting away from it. For some, it follows them throughout their school career. There are stories of young students who committed suicide because of being bullied; they never had the chance to live and experience life.
The characteristics of a bully exist more in guys than girls. The difference between the two is, guys will approach an individual and figure out what they are all about. Are they athletic? Are they smart? Do they have the social skills to be easily liked and respected by others? And above all, are they mentally fit to handle discrimination? Once the bully knows the answers to those questions, he will decide if the individual is worth pursuing. A bully will also be quick to judge, if he/she thinks their target is weak, they will strike. While guys can be physically violent, girls can be verbally abusive, which is just as damaging.
Verbal abuse is most commonly done by spreading rumors or pursuing through harassment. Rumors are more believable if the person spreading them has a high reputation among their class or the work place. Harassment is done directly, and can result in psychological damage.
Schools do so little to prevent bullying. Most teachers don’t want to get involved, and end up ignoring the issue and let it continue. I felt that my own middle school did so little to prevent bullying. I remember in gym class, one of the slightly bigger students wiped me with a towel before going into the pool. I’ll admit, I tattled. But all he got was restricted privileges from the pool for two days. I regretted tattling, because after, he got his cousins and friends to look at me as a target.
Looking back on my experiences, I would suggest not only asking for help, but fighting fire with logic. Point out the bully’s flaws and figure out reasons why he’s doing what he’s doing. If you can prove to him that everyone sees him as an equal, then he probably will stop. I regret not doing that. Also, bullies thrive on fear and being superior. If you show that what a bully is doing doesn’t affect you at all, he/she might give up and find a new target.