The movie My Bodyguard was a pretty big hit when I was a teenager in the 1980’s, and I remember seeing it and cheering for Clifford in his battle with the incessant bullying dished out by Moody. I remember it being a pretty good movie. Sure, the kids get their revenge on the bullies, something I doubt many bullying victims actually seek, but it does a great job of capturing the eeriness of bullying. I remember wondering whether the bullies I grew up with rooted for Matt Dillon, who plays the bully with an absolutely perfect creepy heartlessness, and who, of course, gets his in the end.
I might be all grown-up but bullying continues, in both direct and virtual form; yes, today’s kids bully online too. Recently, the New York Times launched a series of articles called Poisoned Web, with an expose’ covering “cyber-bullying – a newly coined term that covers all sorts of creative abuse that takes place through texting and on social networking platforms like Facebook.
Bullying has also gained national notice because of the case of Phoebe Prince and People Magazine’s cover story: Bullied to Death? Phoebe Prince: Her Final Days. She committed suicide on January 14, 2010 after months of being bullied by her classmates in the western Massachusetts town of South Hadley. Phoebe faced both direct confrontation and cyber-bullying, through negative Facebook messages and texts. Phoebe Prince’s suicide spawned a wave of anti-bullying legislation through the US, including New York. The New York Times article does a good job of exposing some of the legal boundaries, many of them free speech related, to combating forms of bullying that stop short of physical violence.
Over the years we have come to learn that there are long-lasting social effects to incidences of bullying. Its existence severely subverts the social atmosphere in schools and the emotional development of kids, regardless of whether they’re the ones doing the bullying, getting bullied, or just passively watching. Today we know that nearly 9 out of 10 kids say they have seen someone bullied and at least 10% of all kids are bullied on a regular basis. The National Crime Prevention Council reports cyber-bullying is a problem that affects more than 40% of all American teens and that, of those affected, almost 60% do not tell their parents or another adult (teacher) about the incident. We also know that bullies are 4 times more likely to evolve into criminals and that being bullied can cause children to experience fear, depression, loneliness, anxiety, low self-esteem, physical illness, and in some cases, even, as noted in the Phoebe Prince case and others, suicidal thoughts or even suicide.
We also know that bullying can be reduced by up to 50% when there’s a school-wide commitment to end it. Meanwhile, in case you’ve forgotten what it feels like to face the wrath of the bully, check out My Bodyguard.
I’m currently involved in a book read with the other PCS administrators. We’re reading, The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander. After reading chapter one I noticed that there are many scenarios which I’m too familiar with being the principal of a middle school. My hope is that this book will give me insight into stopping the cycle of intentional violence. It shouldn’t take long for me to complete this book and I would be happy to share it with any who wish to read it.
Resource: www.stevekrupa.com
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