November Blog Post

Before Thanksgiving break we discussed bullying in class. Bullying is nothing to push off to the side and ignore. It sadly has been a serious issue and becoming even more of an issue even at younger ages. Who would've thought that bullying would have been an issue at the age of six or seven? Because of technological advances, I feel like now there are many more influences on these children that bully others.  These influences include video games, TV shows, movies, the internet, parents, home life, and community/ environment. These influences bring multiple types of bullying.

There a handful of different types of bullying. There is Physical bullying which involves hitting, shoving, pushing, tripping, and other kinds of force. There is also Verbal bullying which involves hurtful comments, name-calling, and teasing. Another type of bullying is Social bullying which involves using relationships to hurt someone. It involves excluding or ostracizing someone from a friend group, spreading rumors, or “the silent treatment”. The last type of bullying is Cyberbullying which happens over cellphones or the internet. Some people may think that one of these is more serious than the other, but they all have an effect on the person being bullied.

I have been a victim myself of being physically and verbally bullied. I was in the 6th grade when it started and carried on into 7th grade. I would get teased mostly for having long hair and knowing Spanish. I don't like to call it bullying because I wouldn't necessarily let myself be pushed around, however I wasn't a violent person and I didn't respond often to comments because my parents would always tell me to "be the bigger person, no need to get the last word." So when I look back on it, this kid and his friends that would make up names to call me, cutting me in lines, and "accidentally" bump and shove me, were actually bullying me. I hated seeing them and would just prepare myself to deal with whatever they were throwing at me that day. I had great friends that never let them take anything too far without saying anything and telling me "don't worry about them". I know how it feels being pushed to the edge and wanting to avoid a bully in every way without confronting them directly.

I understand now looking back on my personal experience that bullying is something that can occur in the smallest ways and overtime can grow into a big issue. Bullying has become so much more intense and a bigger problem in the world. I can only imagine the type of bullying taking place in a world full of technology allowing for cyberbullying and promoting more violence than ever before.