Bullying is now an 'Epidemic'?..... Absurd!

[sigmapi1501]

There was a summit to prevent bullying this week. A summit. 

This is not a new or growing issue.  It hasn't got any worse than it was 60 years ago.  It is NOT 'running rampant'  or out of control.

Every single cheesy sitcom (Saved by the bell, Growing Pains, Leave it to Beaver, you name it) has dealt with bulling. In every case the solution was to STAND UP TO THE BULLY!!!!

We are becoming way too sensitive as a people and the male gender is evaporating.  Dodge ball has been outlawed many places and tee ball doesn't keep score.  The only refreshing thing is that it seem the recent trend is for these "victim" to just kill themselves instead of shooting up their school.

[amyrouse]

Harsh words, but I can't help but agree with you somewhat.  The majority of people have been bullied at some point in their lives.  The issue here, though, is the response to it.  Saying "It gets better" isn't going to do anything to improve the situation.  The issue with the latest stories of bullying in the news is the fact that the victims are homosexuals.  The problem lies with the message adults send, because kids listen to adults, no matter how much they protest and claim not to.  When adults vote against gay marriage and adoption, when they talk about something "being so gay", when they throw a fit over a male child wanting to dress up as a princess for Halloween or wanting to play with a barbie doll, they are adding fuel to the fire.  How can we expect kids to accept others' differences when we consistently refuse to do the same?

[jordandog]

The only refreshing thing is that it seem the recent trend is for these "victim" to just kill themselves instead of shooting up their school.

Yeah, that IS 'refreshing', isn't it? We all know that it is either 'suicide' or 'shoot-em-up' - nothing lies between. Unadulterated baiting remark there.

[sigmapi1501]

The only refreshing thing is that it seem the recent trend is for these "victim" to just kill themselves instead of shooting up their school.

Yeah, that IS 'refreshing', isn't it? We all know that it is either 'suicide' or 'shoot-em-up' - nothing lies between. Unadulterated baiting remark there.

I prefer the former to the latter.

[Markemp89]

Well I don't know. Regardless of whether or not bullying is an epidemic or not, shouldn't we be concerned? I mean, kids or young teens getting pushed into killing themselves is just wrong. Even if it isn't an epidemic in somebody's own mind, maybe we should just be concerned with stopping the problem? Lately there have been a lot of reports on gays and trans-gender people, teens, taking their own lives as a result of being bullied and put down. I think the key to solving this issue would be to stop treating things like this as wrong or sicknesses, and approaching it as "you are different, but that's okay." We should be telling kids that it is okay for them to be different rather than something is wrong with them. At least however that is how I feel about it'

[sigmapi1501]

I mean, kids or young teens getting pushed into killing themselves is just wrong. 

NO ONE... NO ONE  pushed these kids into killing themselves.  Of course someone should be disciplined for their actions. In one case a video was leaked of a guy and one of his gay sexual encounters.  of course these kids should be expelled from college and prosecuted for showing and uploading the video.  But to be responsible for his murder??? Absurd!

[Markemp89]

Lol, come on now. I never said to hold others responsible for the "murder" or suicide. But yeah, have you ever been bullied into the point of thinking you are worthless piece of S***? I don't think so, don't judge what you don't know. You are still alive, so you can't explain or relate to what these teens and kids are experiencing. The attitude of telling them to suck it up and get over it, isn't helping us have less numbers of people killing themselves from severe depression from bullying. SOmething's wrong, if you don't want to put responsibililty on anyone then fine, but you can't lay apathetic and justify people commiting suicide because "nothings wrong". It is a serious problem, and the solution isn't to tell them "Hey, bullying is part of life, suck it up, stop killing yourself or cutting yourself." Go tell that to the dead teenager who hung himself after feeling like his homosexual feelings were wrong and unjust and nobody loved him..... ask his dead body how he feels about it.

[sigmapi1501]

Go tell that to the dead teenager who hung himself after feeling like his homosexual feelings were wrong and unjust and nobody loved him..... ask his dead body how he feels about it.

Now that's illegal.  Look, I draw the line at grave robbing... I'm not Ed Gein.

[sigmapi1501]

By the way.. just to sort of reset the conversation and my point.  Bullying is WRONG! it is not ok.  My point is that it isn't an epidemic.  The bully is usually in as much or more pain as his or her target.  I'm just saying this is no epidemic.  More people died last year from coconuts falling on their head than this.

My point is that this isn't some new out of control problem. It's something special interest groups will likely use to push an agenda.
Also, either you do or you don't care what other people think.  If you care enough about what people think about you that it causes you to kill yourself.... were you really alive anyways?

[animikokala]

While I agree somewhat with sig, there is one point that I do think needs to be brought up.  While bullying has existed for a long time now; it is both a lot more visible now, and not as easy to escape.  60 years ago a kid being bullied at school would have a reprieve from said bullying once they got home. 

Today, that's not the case.  It isn't that the bullying is always more vicious now, it's that the kids today can't really escape it so easily.  If they have a cell phone, or use a social site, then the bullying can often continue on those, making kids today feel they have nowhere that's "safe" from bullying.  With the added ease of creating free websites/blogs/email addresses, bullies have all sorts of ways to make a person feel miserable all the time. Feeling safe/unsafe has an enormous effect (psychologically) on a person's mind, leading to reactions that are basically extreme versions of "fight or flight" if a person begins to feel "cornered".

Oh, and I don't believe that "bully is in just as much/more pain" crap.  That person makes a choice to make others miserable; no one's forcing them to do it. 

[AmyTrivitt]

"But yeah, have you ever been bullied into the point of thinking you are worthless piece of S***?" Markemp89
Yes read the paper, search online. Its a fact that most suicides are later found out over the fact that children, teens only accept what they are shown. Thus if someone bullies them over and over and over they think they are worthless. They believe that the world would be better without them.
Its not bullying in our time when we would just call someone a harsh name and go about our business. Kids today are so vengeful with hate that they deliberately attack and belittle someone until honestly there is nothing left in the other persons heart and mind to keep them going.

" In one case a video was leaked of a guy and one of his gay sexual encounters.  of course these kids should be expelled from college and prosecuted for showing and uploading the video."
sigmapi1501
Why? Did they force others to watch their video they made?
Bottom line if we teach or kids hatred for people in a group or general we will create the problem if we teach or children that there is more good in this world than bad and we show and help them along the way we are making an improvement. GET INVOLVED.

[roguetodd]

More people died last year from coconuts falling on their head than this.

DUDE.  Coconuts are SERIOUS BUSINESS!!


Sorry...I couldn't help but add a bit of comic relief. Even though I know its bad...

On topic:

Bullying isn't an epidemic. I don't believe these kids should be "pushed" into killing themselves, however, if they do indeed commit suicide they had more underlying problems than just being bullied which is a sad state of affairs in itself. But Bullying  has been around FOREVER, people making it out to be some brand new problem is absurd. Just like always, parents need to teach there children to stand up for themselves and what they believe in.

[amyrouse]

There is a big difference between bullying now and bullying then.  When a gay kid is bullied now, he is not only getting crap from his classmates, but the adults at his school are ignoring it, the adults in the school board, and he's hearing on the news about how homosexuality is abnormal and that there is something wrong psychologically and spiritually in people who are attracted to the same gender (cause they're going to hell...gays have no place in heaven).  It seems you can't open a magazine or newspaper without reading about some star who is or isn't out with his lifestyle, or a gay politician, or a homophobic politician who was caught with a rent-a-boy.  Try hearing a comment in a movie about someone thinking someone is wrong and saying "that's so gay".  These kids that are being bullied are consistently told that there is something wrong with who they are, that who they are isn't the right way to be and who they are isn't worthwhile...by everyone, including people they don't know.  When someone is constantly and consistently being beat down, its hard not to listen.  You can only be told you're worthless so many times before you believe it... and it is not only kids that are telling them they are worthless.

If "they" really want to fix the problem, having a summit to prevent bullying isn't going to do a damn bit of good.  Its only masking the problem, which is that people consistently profile others that are different... whether it is based on sexuality, gender, intelligence, or religion and nationality.  The issue lies in everyone trying to compartmentalize everyone else and stick them in a nice neat category in an effort to make themselves feel better.  We're all the bullies here.

[anguyen21]

I don't think it has gotten worse, I think bullying is now more visible with new technologies.

[Falconer02]

It's all Obama's fault.