Effects Of Bullying On The Society Research Papers Examples

Introduction

Clutching his bag with both hands till him knuckles turned which, Tim crossed the playground in a few swift steps. His heart thumping hard against his chest, he tried to focus on and try to listen to the sounds of footsteps approaching like they did every day this time of the day, hoping that they would miss them this time, and he would find shelter in the janitor’s closet until school was over. All his efforts were in vain, and his body turned numb as soon as he felt the big hand grab his school jersey and drag him all over the ground to the basketball court. He stood as still as he could until the mean boys emptied all of his pockets for the lunch money his father had given him minutes ago and then rummaged through his bag for the first period homework. The biggest one came close, and Tim shut his eyes and the next thing he knew, he was on the ground and was being kicked and punched by three boys twice his own size. Poor Tim stayed on the ground long after the boys had left and after what felt like hours, picked himself up and walked to class. This was how Tim’s day started most of the days and the days when they didn’t notice him were the best ones he could remember.
This scenario explains the stress and fear that a child suffers when under attack by others and countless similar situations come to pass in innumerable schools all over the country. These bullying incidences affect not only the child who is bullied but also impacts others who are watching and influences the people who are doing the bullying. Students who suffer through bullying are very commonly known to develop physical disturbances counting headaches, stomach pains and sleeping problems. These children are mostly afraid of attending school and also of going places even to the school like the bathroom. They also end up losing their self-esteem and, in addition, may even undergo depression and suicidal thoughts. The students who are bullying, on the other hand, are also not safe from the implications of their acts. Research suggests that bullies are more likely to get into fights, steal, drink and demonstrate all kinds of unwholesome behavior. The question that is crucial at this point is that if bullying impacts so many lives, why have we seen no success in eradicating it from our schools?

Bullying could be defined as the exposure of a person to the recurring negative behavior of one or more persons. A person can be bullied in either of the two ways first of which is direct bullying. This type of bullying involves direct attacks on the person physical as well as verbal. Indirect bullying in contrast involves the enforcing of social isolation on the victim in order to inflict suffering. The incidents of bullying have three factors in common which are the imbalance of power, unjust intent, and repetition.
We observed earlier how the people who are the bullied suffer from suicidal thoughts. The problem, however, is that in some cases, these thoughts tend to turn into actions, and many students end up taking their own lives just to rid themselves of the repeated torture. One example is 14-year-old Jeremiah Lasater, who was a Vasquez high school freshman. Lasater committed suicide in the boy’s bathroom sometime during December 2008 and again left us with the question of why bullying still persisted. These suicides result in the circulation of fear and negativity in the society and the parents of the deceased also go through immense torture. The greatest social concern that bullying behavior is giving way to is the numerous incidents of school shootings that affect countless lives and terrorize numerous victims who have no part to play in the act. October 2014 saw yet another school shooting the seeds of which were also planted by a few bullies. The incident came to pass in the Marysville-Pilchuck High School in Washington and took three lives counting that of the shooter and left three others in the hospital in critical condition. The shocking part, however, is this; The Marysville-Pilchuck High School saw the 38th school shooting all of which occurred in 2014 alone.
Bullying amongst all other things also affects the mental state of the victim and causes immense pain due to the unkind words that are said to them by their own peers. This is one very major reason why these victims have low self-esteem. Moreover, because going to school become an unpleasant experience for the sufferers, they stop enjoying school and do not take as much interest in their classes. Resultantly, their grades start falling, and they begin to struggle academically as well. This builds on the pressure and mental stress that adds to the anguish of the recurrences.

Why do we still allow bullying?

A UCLA psychology study recently presented us with statistics of bullying which are astounding. Twenty percent of the U.S. students who attended grade 9-12 confessed to being bullied or to feeling bullied. 28 percent of the students in grades 6-12 said the same. But why does bullying not end and why do the school teachers and administration not take appropriate action to stop bullies in their tracks. There are a few reasons why this happens. Firstly, teachers and sometimes parents to consider teasing of peers as something normal that children do. In their opinions, every child is different from one another and for the same reason, there are bound to be disagreement. The problem, however, is that these teachers and parents fail to see the seriousness of the child’s suffering and so bullying carries on.
Another reason is that teachers find it much easier to ignore the violence that is taking place and focus on the positive attitude of the students. This means that many incidences of maltreatment may also go unnoticed intentionally just because the adults are not willing to step in. Another explanation that supports the failure of taking action against bullying is that some children do not even realize that they are being signaled out. The students are naive enough to believe that since they are not physically abused, any other form of retaliation does not qualify as bullying.
Since a child often doesn’t realize the information and sometimes does not share it deliberately, it is important that teachers and parents recognize the signs which suggest that a child is a victim of hounding. Physical harassment often leaves marks like bruises and scratches on a child’s body and any mark that is seen or a child is attempting to hide may point towards the involvement of a bully. Frequent loss of toys and stationary and damage to the child’s property are also indications of carrying. Also, children who don’t want to go to school or do not want to ride the school bus are more likely than not the bullied. what's more, children who are being bullied often show a sudden decline in grades and seem confused and unsure of themselves.

How can we prevent bullying in the society?

Stopping the trend of bullying is a responsibility that falls upon many participants of the society inclusive of the schools, teachers, parents and the children themselves. The role of the schools in this respect is most crucial as they are a part of the society that is able to directly control the maltreatment that happens in schools. The schools should in this regard teach and explain to the children the signs of bullying behavior and how to recognize these signs so that these children know when they are being bullied. Also, schools should have systems where the students can anonymously report incidences of bullying without the fear of any retaliation. Furthermore, classrooms discussions should also involve the analysis of problems that stem from bullying and the impact of the practice on the lives of others and on the society. Schools should also have counseling for the students who are bullied to help them get over their problems.
The teachers and parents can also play a significant part in ridding the community of the problems associated with bullying. The first step is to analyze the extent and level of bullying taking place in classrooms and also in other parts of the school. This step could greatly assist in deciding the correct approach for dealing with these types of situations. Another way could be to delineate and reinforce a code of conduct in the class which defines acceptable behavior to be followed. Also, teachers as well as parents should be sharp and vigilant and on the lookout for any disturbances and disagreements where one individual is being treated unfairly. The schools and teachers together can also organize campaigns that emphasize the importance of community and unity so that antagonistic attitudes can be uprooted from the schools.
In order to really make the attempts of the violence futile, it is also important that the children know of the correct way meant for dealing with bullies. The best way could be to ignore the bully. People who terrorize others feed on the reaction that they get from their victims, so if the victim does not react to the bully’s efforts, the tyrant is likely to stop bothering the same person again. Another very effective method could be to make more friends and hang out with them as much as possible. Bullies are people who prey on the fear of the weak and students who have strong support in the form of friends are less likely to be their targets. Another way could be to stand up to the bully. Confidence can be intimidating, and a trait that the bullied can turn to their advantage.

Conclusion

Bullying is a social issue that touches millions of lives every year, and the social impacts that it demonstrates are devastating. The practice of bullying also creates adults who are mentally unfit and lack self-esteem. Researchers have been able to conclude that at the age of 50, people who have been the victims of bullying maintain poorer physical and psychological health and have inferior cognitive abilities than those who have not been bullied. Even people who bully when young lead less than normal lives when they grow up. Since this practice affects us in so many ways, it is about time we stand up and fight against it and this fight cannot succeed until all the members of the community strive together.

Works Cited

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Wallace, Meri. 7 Ways Schools Can Prevent Bullying. 04 December 2012. <https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/how-raise-happy-cooperative-child/201212/7-ways-schools-can-prevent-bullying>.