How can you think this is not a big issue?!

Some people might not think agree that bullying and cyberbullying is as big of an issue as many have made it sound like, therefore there are not that many victims to this issue. They are wrong, an American Life Survey found that on average 33% of teenagers are cyberbullied. Also “Bullies are notorious for tormenting their victims face to face - usually at school - on the playground or in the cafeteria. But in recent years the Internet has not only increased the ability to bully at school, but has brought the problem into our homes and elsewhere - actually just about anywhere - at any time” which reinforces that fact that those who say it is not as big of a issue are wrong (NY DCJS). Like mentioned because of the availability of the Internet almost everywhere now, at home, school and even on the street on our mobile devices people can be bullied anywhere anytime. To those who argue it is not a big issue yet, if it is not a big issue then why do so many teenagers such as Tyler Clementi and Amanda Todd take their lives everyday for being bullied, or even worse like my sister’s friend who tried to but was unsuccessful because of my sister and I. If it is not a big issue then why has Hollywood stepped up and created movies such as Cyberbully to show the importance of this issue. Even the popular TV show, Glee created a couple of episodes about bullying and cyberbullying and how it can affect someone’s life and what the outcome of it can be. These TV shows and movies and real life events are perfect examples as in to bullying and cyberbullying are a big issue in today’s society and also why they are not a “victim-less” crime as many have put them. New York State Department of Criminal Justice Services has published on their website that “Peer approval is very important to children. This means that cyber bullying can have a negative or even destructive emotional effect on victims, ranging from hurt feelings to intense anger. It can also result in significant depression and in the most severe cases has even resulted in suicide. Someone taking their life is a big issue, and it should not be taken lightly, which is why New York State has launched a website to inform its citizens of such issues and tell them how they can identify and help those who have become victims of bullying and cyberbullying. 

Source: NY DCJS. "Cyber Bullying." New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services. New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, 26 Nov. 2012. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. <http://www.criminaljustice.ny.gov/missing/i_safety/cyberbullying.htm>.

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Just a bit more about bullying and cyberbullying...

As a result, in today’s society no one is safe from being bullied. Researches have shown that the vast majority of the people being bullied are teenagers, ranging anywhere from middle school to high school and sometimes early college. Researchers estimate that 20 to 30 percent of school-age children are involved in bullying incidents, as either perpetrators or victims (Burrell), and the victims are generally weaker and shyer compared to their peers, which [is] why they are perfect target for the bullies.

Consequently, both people who are bullied and those who have done the bullying start to have changes in their mood and behavior in a negative way and most times they require immediate help before their situations worsens. For example, kids who are the victims of bullying usually start to become more depressed and their attentiveness starts to decline, “If [a] child is the victim of bullying, [they] may suffer physically and emotionally, and [their] schoolwork will likely show it (Burrell), which then leads to “kids [wonder] what they did wrong and whether anyone will sit with them at lunch” instead of paying attention to the teacher (Burrell). Bullies are also affected by this issue but in a different way and usually the results are not seen until they reach adulthood, for example “they may have difficulty forming positive relationships” (Burrell) and in the future they are more likely to become “abusive spouses” (Burrell). Often, the result of someone who was bullied is far worse than planned by the person or persons who are carrying out the bullying.

One of my sister’s friend tried to commit suicide as a matter of fact last night. She, just like many others, was under a lot of pressure at home and at school and she felt as though there was no body that she could talk to about her problems. Last night my sister received a text from her that she was going to take her life with sleeping pills that she had found, and my sister was so scared that she didn’t know what to do. I called 911 and reported her address to the police and they got there just in time to save her and stop her from doing anything that could possibly harm herself and those around her. Sometimes all it takes is someone who is willing to listen to you.

Source: Burrell, Ian. "Lies, Damned Lies and New Media: Is Online Gossip Out of Control?" SIRS 

Issues Researcher. The Independent, 12 May 2011. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. <http:// 

sks.sirs.com/>.

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The World Is Finally Speaking Up

Even though bullying and cyberbullying are growing rapidly in our society, the amount of effort put into educating the society about these issue and trying to stop them is either little, or too late only after the damage has been done. There are organizations and groups that are fighting to put an end to bullying in general, for instance “Thinkb4youspeak.com” is a group sponsored by GLSEN to fight to put an end to the bullying of people who are gay and lesbians. In other words, “the group fights to put an end to the word ‘That’s so gay!’ and similar phrases that target gays and lesbians in a negative way” (Burrell). But that is not enough, today parents and schools are being instructed to teach their kids to fight against bullying and report them whenever they see someone else is being bullied or even if they happen to become the victim of this vicious issue. Another recent change that is becoming big are the social media and entertainment companies such as Hollywood, TV networks, and news agencies [as they] have begun to raise awareness of this issue by creating movies and TV shows that show how bad bullying can go. Not too long ago, “ABC Family worked with Seventeen magazine to make [Cyberbully], in hopes that it will try and fight this issue ” leading to ABC Family launching a campaign called “Delete Digital Drama” which gained over 75,000 supporters nationwide in order to raise awareness to stop cyberbullying.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently in the last few years has launched new website, stopbullying.gov and has continued to put out advertisements and infomercials to educate kids, teenagers and parents about the issues of bullying and cyberbullying. Stopbullying.gov recommends that parents should “Help them be smart about what they post or say. Tell them not to share anything that could hurt or embarrass themselves or others. Once something is posted, it is out of their control whether someone else will forward it” (StopBullying) and they make a very good point. It is the parent’s responsibility to educate their child well enough about the uses of internet and the ethics behind it; how misuse of it can really affect and harm someone.

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Source: StopBullying.gov. "Prevent Cyberbullying." StopBullying.gov. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 19 Nov. 2012. Web. 19 Nov. 2012. <http://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/prevention/index.html>.

Burrell, Ian. "Lies, Damned Lies and New Media: Is Online Gossip Out of Control?" SIRS 

Issues Researcher. The Independent, 12 May 2011. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. <http:// 

sks.sirs.com/>.

Don't Become/ Cause a Stat

Unfortunately many people are bullied everyday whether as they attend school or when they get home and get online on social networks such as Twitter, and Facebook, and even YouTube. Not too long ago a student named Tyler Celementi committed suicide as he became one of the victims of cyberbullying. Tyler Clementi was only 18 years old and a freshman at the Rutgers University in New Jersey where he was filmed by his roommate and broadcasted on the internet while being intimate with another man in his room. Research has shown that “Nine out of 10 gay, lesbian and bisexual students are bullied in school, according to a 2007 survey by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network. And they are four times more likely to attempt suicide, according to a 2007 Massachusetts youth risk survey” (CBS), and Tyler Clementi unfortunately became part of the statistics. Many times people feel uncomfortable around people who are bisexual and feel the need to bully them about it, and in most cases these people who are bullied feel very exposed and feel as if they have reached the end of the line and they try to commit suicides in order to escape all the mean things that they are told. 

Another person who became a victim to this horrible issue of cyberbullying was a canadian teenage girl from Vancouver named Amanda Todd. Amanda became very depressed and started having anxiety problems when some random guy on the web threatened to release a photo of her flashing him on camera. Amanda could not deal with all the stress and in the end she made a YouTube video as her last message before she committed suicide on October 10th, 2012 at the age of 16.

These are just a couple yet very powerful sad results of bullying and cyberbullying in general. Most people who do the bullying often don't think about what kinds of consequences their actions might have on the person and their family. At the same time not all those who have been bullied commit suicide, some become greatly depressed and start having other forms of problems in their life, anxiety and eating disorder are just a few of the problems that can arise from being bullied.

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"Tyler Clementi Suicide Result of Hate Crime?" CBS News. CBS, 30 Sept. 2010. Web. 14 Nov. 2012.

     <http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-500202_162-6914403.html>.

Cyberbullying - The Newest Form of Bullying

In the modern world of technology bullying has evolved and turned into the cyber space. People all around the world, specifically teenagers, find it easier to go online and post about other kids and make up rumors, talk trash about others easily since they don’t see that certain individual or group of individuals face to face to tell them. Cyberbullying is becoming a huge growing issue in today’s world, which is filled with technology and Internet.

Bullying has been around since the world started, but as people entered 21^st century and technology grew, so did bullying as it evolved something much worse through the growing technology known as “Cyberbullying”. Today bullying is done throughout many levels, shapes and forms and it has no limit for what age you are or how harsh it might be. Dr. Mathews explains “Bullying based on sexual orientation and gender identity happens every day to teens across the country”, but those are not the only things, religion, culture, ethnicity, socio-economic backgrounds are also factors of bullying. On top of the traditional bullying such as being verbal and/or physical, another form has come along that takes place online known as cyberbullying. Dr. Mathews continued to explain “While there have been a lot of fight against bullying and the awareness of being different is ok, a study done by Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) has shown that 89 percent of teens said the phrase ‘that's so gay’ was frequently heard in school”. In fact cyberbullying is by far the biggest and most dangerous form of bullying and it grown more powerful everyday as technology advances and only until now nothing has been done for the awareness of this growing issue. For example, GLSEN reports that “53 percent of gay and lesbian students said they'd been cyberbullied.” 

In a survey done in 2009, in particular “Bullies can target aspects of teens' lives other than sexual orientation, such as appearance, hobbies, and ethnic background”. "In the year 2000 a University of New Hampshire study found that one out of every 17, or 6 percent of kids in the United States, had been threatened or harassed online." (Meech) and that number has grown significantly 12 years later and unfortunately it continues to grow everyday.

Source: Meech, Scott. "Cyber-Bullying Is Worse than Physical Bullying." Media Violence. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2004. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Cyber Bullying: Worse Than Traditional Bullying." Educators' eZine. 2007. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 11 Nov. 2012.

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