It starts off with words.
Loser. Nerd. Dork. Freak. Fat. Ugly. Stupid. Useless. Disgusting. Retard. Worthless. Awkward. Waste of space. Gay. Fake. Dumb. Conceited. Obnoxious. Annoying. Jerk. Loner. Idiot. Strange. Over-dramatic. Different. Lame. Geek. Weak. Unimportant. Unwanted. Fool. Psycho. Obese. Plastic. Lunatic. Maniac. Disgrace. Shallow. Dirty. Hopeless. Clumsy. Gross. Creepy. Repulsive. Smelly. Poor. Odious. Stuck-up. Revolting. Disappointing. Nasty. Moron. Poser. Reject. Failure. Hideous. Coward. Mistake. Friendless. Uncool. Pathetic. Unpleasing. Empty.
Then comes the physical harm.
Punch. Slap. Kick. Hit. Pull. Blow. Jab. Bash. Smash. Strike. Slam. Knock. Whack. Crack. Spank. Wham. Break. Tear.
Then the thoughts.
I don’t mean anything to anyone. Nobody cares. Would anyone care if I was gone? Probably not. Would anyone’s life be different? Probably not. Would anyone miss me? Probably not. I’m not worth a thing. I should go now. There’s no point in me being here anymore.
Bullying is a serious issue in today’s society. What is bullying you may ask? Bullying is using a superior strength or influence to intimidate someone, typically to force him or her to do what one wants. Bullying often occurs due to physical or mental differences. Another root problem of bullying is that kids who bully often have low self-esteem or a low opinion of themselves. They put other people down in order to feel good about themselves. There are many different forms of bullying. Three common forms of bullying are physical harm, verbal abuse, and cyberbullying.
Physical harm is the most common form of violence among teens. Approximately 160,000 kids stay home from school every day because of fear of bullying (Bullying Statistics). School is supposed to be a safe place for kids to be. Teens should not have to worry about being physically injured and beat up by other students in their school. Kids should not be afraid to go to school. With being in extracurricular activities, as many teens are, and keeping up with grades, being bullied is just another way to add stress into a child’s life.
Another frequent form of bullying is verbal abuse. This is another common form of bullying that happens in schools. 282,000 students are physically attacked at school each month either verbally or physically (Bullying Statistics). Kids should never be put down because of their physical attributes. “Your nose is too big.” “You’re fat.” “You’re too skinny.” “Your forehead is big.” Most of the things teens get made fun of are things that they cannot change about themselves. This is unfair. The different physical features of others should be considered unique and special, not something that is wrong or unwanted. There is no perfect person. Stop acting like there is.
The last common form of bullying is cyberbullying. Especially with all of the new technology, it’s very common for bullies to feel more in control when they say things behind the screen of a computer. Many threats and insults are posted online. People see the internet and social networking sights as a sheet to hide behind. It’s not. Kids often don’t tell their parents when they’re being bullied online. They just let the words sink into their skin. And before they know it, the words become an anchor, drowning them. Because the words are on a screen, they can be re-read over and over again. Because of this, teens end up believing all of the things that are said about them. Although these teens start to believe the words that are said, the words say more about the bully then they do about the chosen victim.
All three of these types of bullying are anything but okay. Many people consider bullying to be a part of life. But ironically, most of the people that say that, are in fact the bullies. Sure, it’s easy to say that it’s just a part of life. That every kid goes through it. But let’s be real, when we say that, we’re lying to ourselves. We all know that one kid that gets picked on every day at school. We all know the one kid that gets made fun of for being the teacher’s pet, the kid that gets pushed into lockers and gets their books knocked out of their hands. We all know THAT kid.
Victims of bullying often feel helpless and hopeless. They don’t see any way out. How do you think that kid feels? The kid that repeatedly gets bullied. Pretty bad right? Bullying often leads to suicide. Kids don’t think they can get any help. This leads them to plan ways to commit suicide or start self-harm. Kids who bully are two to nine times more likely to commit suicide (Bullying Statistics). They don’t think they can do anything else but leave this world. But, this isn’t true. There are many ways to get help. People should value and embrace the differences of others, not knock them down. If you are being bullied, don’t keep it to yourself. Tell a trusted adult. Tell SOMEBODY. A friend, a teacher, anyone. Don’t be afraid to tell someone and get help. And if you see someone being bullied, tell a trusted adult. Don’t ever be a bystander. If you turn and face the other way when someone is being bullied, you might as well be the bully too. Don’t be a bully. Stand up, speak up, and help stop this issue.