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PAGE 24. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2006.
Experts suggest that bullying escalating
(MS) — Few students make it
through their school careers without
a little teasing or taunting, which
seems par for the course.
Most can handle it and go on to be
confident, successful individuals.
However, more and more, students
in schools across the country and the
world are facing much worse:
beatings, threats, emotional ridicule,
and humiliation on a daily basis.
The trend seems to be escalating,
say experts. Or perhaps it's just that
others are taking a more active
concern in bullying and bringing the
topic into the limelight.
DEFINING A BULLY
Bullying occurs when an
individual repeatedly picks on
another individual. It can be
physical, verbal or psychological,
according to the Canada Safety
Council. With today's electronic
age, bullying doesn't even have to be
face-to-face. Harassment e-mails,
text messages or instant message
pop-ups on the computer can spread
words of hate electronically.
Professionals agree that there are
many reasons behind bullying.
• It can be a means to lashing out
against an insecurity that a bully has,
such as a learning disability, mental
impairment or other shortcoming.
When the frustration builds, bullying
makes this individual feel powerful.
• It is learned behavior. A bully
may be the child of an abusive
relationship or is disciplined in this
manner at home. He or she transfers
his aggression to others at school.
• The individual may have fallen
in with the wrong crowd or is
experiencing limited supervision at
home. Bullying is a form of
acceptance or initiation to an elite
club of "friends."
Bullying may lead to more
destructive or criminal behavior as a
child ages.
EARLY BEGINNINGS
While many equate bullying to
schoolyard antics, there is reason to
be concerned that this behavior may
initiate earlier on in an individual's
life.
Early childhood centre workers in
New Zealand, who participated in a
national conference, reported having
several problem children with
aggressive behavior in their centres.
Most of the staff also stated that they
had not been properly trained on
how to effectively handle this
aggressiveness.
Teachers said that toddlers
repeatedly used standover tactics
and resorted to punching and biting
others to get their way. Some hit,
pushed, punched, yelled, streamed,
and threw temper tantrums. Others
showed little respect for other
children or adults. What's more, the
children also knew how to slyly
engage in this behavior when the
teacher wasn't watching.
There is concern that this type of
behavior needs to be curtailed at this
impressionable age when real
behavior modification is possible. If
left unchecked, children can carry on
bullying throughout life, as many in
fact do. Teachers feel that parents
should work together with the school
staff to recognize inappropriate
behavior and instill lessons early on.
NOT JUST A BOY'S CLUB
While it may be easy to categorize
boys as the main offenders in
bullying, girls are equally
represented. Just look at the way the
bully stereotype has transformed
through Hollywood movies. While it
was once the deviant boy causing all
of the trouble (think Scott Farkus,
Ralphie's nemesis in A Christmas
Story), now girls are getting equal
airtime in movies such as Mean
Girls, Heathers, Cruel Intentions,
etc.
Boys are more likely to engage in
a physical type of bullying, while
girls are experts at the emotional and
psychological type. They often
employ relational aggression,
meaning they use their relationship
as a weapon to get what they want.
For example, "Do this or I won't be
your friend anymore."
In other cases, girls use rumors
and innuendo to ruin the lives of
other classmates. This is especially
effective through e-mail or other
electronic methods because of mass
reach. Some girls who are on the
receiving end of bullying say rumors
are oftentimes more hurtful than
physical abuse.
MAKING CHANGES
Bullying is wrong, but not so
easily overcome. First and foremost,
many students who are being bullied
do not report the incidents for fear of
further retaliation. A study of
Toronto schools found that a
bullying act occurred every seven
seconds while teachers were aware
of only four percent of the incidents
Close to 40 per cent of victims said
they had not talked to their parents
about the problem.
What is agreed upon is that
bringing the topic of bullying to a
conversational forum goes a long
way in educating students that this
type of behavior is offensive and
wrong. It also gives those who have
been bullied a voice and a chance to
receive support from others who
have been in the same shoes.
Ignorance will not alleviate the
problem, nor will stating that it is a
"phase" or "just what kids do."
According to Rachel Simmons,
author of two books on girl bullying
and someone who has been both the
bully and on the receiving end, "the
hardest thing in the world is to get
somebody to say, 'No, I am not
going to go along with this
[bullying].' It's the hardest thing
because lots of girls [and boys]
relate conflicts with everyone
abandoning them. They believe if
they stand up to somebody they're
going to lose all of their friends.
Unfortunately, some kids are just not
going to do that. And no amount of
good parenting or teacher
supervision is going to make that
okay for a kid to do."
For general information on
bullying, visit any number of
websites including
www.bullybeware.com ,
www.bullypolice.org or
www.bullybuster.org.
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