Preview

Bullying - a Social Epidemic

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1562 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Bullying - a Social Epidemic
Bullying – A Social Epidemic
Katherine A. Witt
Strayer University
Abstract

Society has become more aware of the harmful results of what once was thought of as just a period of growing up, to a social epidemic of sorts. What used to be considered just a part of adolescence has now escalated into what some experts have agreed is an epidemic within our society. Who should be held responsible and what can be done to stop this continuous practice of bullying. Bullying and teen suicide have officially been linked, and now it is more important than ever that we find a solution to this problem.
Bullying – A Social Epidemic Statistics have shown that what was once was considered and accepted in society as a form of growing up or adolescent pranks, has a direct correlation to the suicide of young people who are victims of these childish pranks. Bullying is now being viewed as a social epidemic and is no longer considered just words in a nursery rhyme. Bullying has always been a problem since the beginning of time but there are now more ways to bully than ever before. Technology has unleashed a whole new way of bullying called cyber-bullying and the media tends to sensationalize these events in order to receive higher public ratings. In the writer’s opinion, this type of bullying is far more insidious than your every day run of the mill case of face-to-face bullying. In order for society to take up the cause against bullying, bullying must clearly be defined. However, if you over-generalize the definition to include name-calling, you could probably say that every child is being bullied every day. In an article entitled Overcoming Bullying Behavior, bullying is described as “one or more individuals inflicting physical, verbal, or emotional abuse on another-includes threat of bodily harm, weapon possession, extortion, civil rights violation, assault and battery, gang activity, attempted murder, and murder” (Clore, p.5). This description of

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    “Historically, school bullying has not received a great deal of attention from academic researchers; policy makers or the general public [until the amount] of suicides became media attention” (Neiman, S., 2012). Bullying does not discriminate to whom or where it happens. Bullying has occurred for many decades at school, on the playground, jobs; any place a person has experienced an unpleasant encounter with another individual. This is a serious concern around the world. According to Henry (2000), “Any instance of crime or violence in the schools not only affects…

    • 2999 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Best Essays

    Bullying is on the rise in the U.S.; therefore, more researchers are attentive to the effects of bullying. There are extreme cases wherein victims have resorted to drastic measures. Bullying is a widespread plight, which is having both emotional and tragic effects; therefore, bullies should be harshly prosecuted and imprisoned. In arguing that bullies need a harsher punishment, this research paper will closely examine the types of bullying and statistics, detail two teen suicide cases, and provide the state law.…

    • 1538 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bullying refers to any kind of aggressive behavior, which is normally intentional and entails am imbalance of strength or power. Cyber bullying also referred to as social online cruelty can be described as an intentional aggressive act which is carried out by an individual or group of individuals against a victim done repeatedly over a long period of time and sent through electronic contacts. Cyber bullying is usually repeated over time unless it is a death threat. The definition of cyber bullying is limited to children while in adults; it is referred to as cyber harassment or cyber stalking. In this essay, we will look at the prevalence of cyber bullying across the US, some specific instances, its psychological effects on the teenagers and…

    • 2153 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the article by John Cloud, “The Myths of Bullying,” he expresses the exaggeration of the supposed growing “epidemic” of bullying that is spreading across schools. He then begins by presenting two stories that relate to bullies and victims of bullying in their own right. One of which is about a shooting at Chardon High School, Ohio, where 5 students were shot and 3 killed. The other is about a suicide at Rutgers University where the victim was supposedly tormented by his roommate causing him to jump off the G.W. Bridge. Following these events and a couple more, measures have been rushed into place in response to these tragedies--furthering the idea of a growing bullying epidemic. Though, this is most likely an exaggeration as the U.S Department of Justice reported about 37% of students reporting that they do not feel safe at school. However, these figures have remained stable the way they are over the years, supporting the fact that the bullying epidemic is just an exaggeration.…

    • 488 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bullying is an epidemic our nation has seen enter into the lives of young children, and teenagers through social media, social groups, and most importantly school. For most students school is a safe zone, a place off the streets or away from the abuse they see or receive at home. Schools have been taking a turn the other way being a place where students dread coming to with the fear of facing the bullying they receive. Within the the past ten years, with advancements in technology being a contributing factor, bullying has become a more common thing heard about within the schooling systems. The CDC has had recent research indicate that persistent bullying can lead to or worsen feelings of isolation, rejection, exclusion, and despair, as well…

    • 414 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bullying

    • 2278 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Suicide is the third leading cause of death among students and young adults. Bullying causes over 4,000 deaths amongst students and young adults. Not everyone realizes how serious bullying is or how harmful it can be. More people need to be informed on what bullying is, how bullying differs as children grow up, the effects of bullying, how bullying has changed and how bullying can be prevented.…

    • 2278 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cyber Bullying In America

    • 480 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Cyber Bullying is the modern way to bully. Cyber Bullying is a growing issue in America. Cyber Bullying affects both genders and all culture groups. Due to the onset of suicides and homicides America is taking a stand against cyber bullying.…

    • 480 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bullying In America

    • 1274 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Bullying in society is seen as a minor thing. Bullying is made into something humorous through movies, songs, television, and stereotyping. Therefore, teenagers can be misled about the real devastation bullying can have on their classmates. It is more than short-term hurt feelings; it can be psychological and physical scarring that could potentially last the victim a lifetime. According to the American Society of Positive Care for Children’s website, “about 28 percent of students aged 12-18 reported being bullied at school during the school year” (Bullying Statistics and Information). This means almost one-third of students are dealing with this widespread dilemma, and it is only getting worse with more outlets for bullying such as social networking and easier access to the internet than ever before. Bullying in all forms is a threat to teenagers and can have serious or even deadly consequences to its…

    • 1274 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Did you know that victims of bullying are 2 to 9 times more likely to contemplate suicide? “According to bullyingstatistics.org” People often don’t understand what the effects of bullying have on a student. The number of kids getting bullied alone is outrageous; also, there are parents and teachers that see it happen but do nothing about it. A lot of students get bullied every day while adults and other people see it happening but do nothing about it.…

    • 260 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Best Essays

    Adult Bullying

    • 2367 Words
    • 10 Pages

    widespread as bullying among teens and children. This essay will shed some light on exactly…

    • 2367 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bullying in Schools

    • 1642 Words
    • 7 Pages

    According to No Bully.com bullying is defined as a form of repeated aggression that is directed by one or more people towards another person. One of the biggest problems facing our school kids today is bullying. A typical schoolchild has a nearly 25 percent chance of being involved in bullying on school grounds, teasing or taunting on the bus, sexual harassment, “flaming” on the internet, and beatings or gang activity (Sheras, 2002).…

    • 1642 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Bullying Social Control

    • 535 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Bullying is considered a social evil which can be seen all over the globe across all cultures, ethnic groups and socio-economic groups. The number of school children involved in bullying is significant. It has been estimated that about 20-30% of school children are either perpetrators or victims of bullying. Kids learn the act of bullying at a very early stage and the act is repeated in their schooling as well as high school education. Family, teachers and school peer group are the agents of socialization groups to which bullying can be associated with.…

    • 535 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Due to the growing number of social media sites, bullying is no longer physical but also emotional and psychological. Bullies use social media to not only bully the victims but also harass them; bullies not only physically harm their victims but they also target the victims emotionally and psychologically. With the help of these social media outlets, the bullies constantly harass their victims by sending them hurtful messages and spreading nasty rumors about the victim. Unlike, physical bullying that usually happens within the school campus; cyber bullying is not something that can be confined because it happens within the eyes of the public through social media. With the continuous boom of technology, bullying has not only affected physically but also emotionally and psychologically which sometimes lead to suicide and depression.…

    • 304 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bullying: Film Analysis

    • 980 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Since every adolescent seeks acceptance by their peers, they often will act and behave in anyway to be accepted by their friends (Siegel & Welsch, 2016). Unfortunately, this may involve kids engaging in bullying others because their peers behave in this way. In addition, without peer acceptance, one becomes susceptible for bullying because they do not have friends that can help them confront the bully and make them quit, so a bully may see these anti-social individuals as easy targets to bully. This may lead the victim of bullying into becoming aggressive towards others, such as their parents or siblings, or other peers. Additionally, because of the bullying, individuals may be stop going to school, prompting them to drop out. Furthermore, victims of bullying who cannot escape the harassment resort to ending their own life, like Tyler Long and Tyler Fields did. This term is often called “bullycide.” Moreover, Kelby said that without the support from her family and friends, she would have went through with committing suicide too (Hirsch,…

    • 980 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Anti Bullying Movement

    • 1264 Words
    • 4 Pages

    “You’re fat and ugly!” “You’re such a loser!” “Loner!” “Brace face!” “What a freak!” These are the comments that deeply penetrate a child or teenager’s mentality. Psychological problems have occurred that could drive a person to suicidal actions, and to think it is suicidal actions over words. With that, a social movement has developed to bring awareness on bullying and its wrongness. The anti-bullying movement exists today and is rapidly spreading with various campaigns supporting it throughout the United States and to other countries as well.…

    • 1264 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics