Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Cyberbullying
Recently, Parents are reporting that kids are being bullied at school at an alarming rate. Their first concerns were ignored because school officials didn't see the urgency and felt that it was harmless horseplay that started years ago. The problem is that the hoseplay is now in cyberspace, and now involves more than just a small circle of bystanders-it's now on the internet. I came across this video on youtube about a father whose son committed suicide after being bullied on the internet. Georgia has now responded to the problem by passing an anti-bullying bill last year. Anti-Bullying Bill Unfortunately, it took suicides and lawsuits for parents and children to be taken seriouly.
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With today's vast amount of technology/media, it is amazing how they reach their peers to torment them. Parents, teachers, and the public in general must pay attention. Not only pay attention, but be proactive to inform all children of the consequences that come with their actions. Educate, educate, educate...
ReplyDeleteI guess I have been busy the past couple of years, but I din't realize it had gotten this bad. When I was in school, people stood up to bullies, had a fight, and sometimes became best friends. Sometimes people who say and do mean things are jealous and don't know how to react any other way. I try to build teen self esteem whenever possible.
ReplyDeleteAs educators, we are way behind on this. My students recently gave persuasive speeches on any topic of discrimination they wanted as a way of connecting with MLK, Jr. One of the most common topics was bullying. They know it's an issue. They know that their generation is killing themselves because of it. The longer we don't do anything about it, the more silent support we are giving to the bullies. We can't police the Internet, but we can help our students support each other.
ReplyDeleteI watched an incident on "The View" yesterday involving a young man that had been bullied by several older boys who videotaped the incident in which they placed the young man on a fence. A woman was passing by, got him off the fence, and took him home in her car. The parents were on the show and stated they had been to the school on 2 other occasions complaining about their son being bullied. The school's response was, "Keep your son at home tomorrow, and we will talk to the boys." In my opinion, that school punished the victim and in essence told the bullies that they were doing nothing wrong. It seems to be an epidemic in this country and is not a laughing matter.
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