KennMerchant04222010

= **BULLYING AWARENESS IS A MUST** = By: KENN MERCHANT kenntheconverse@gmail.com //Editorial//


 * BANGOR** - How many people have you bullied? Have you ever called someone names before, or even tried to force someone into doing something they don’t want to do? Usually the general response to these questions are no. In that case let me ask, how many of you who answered no gave an honest answer?

Expectations tell me that very few people would answer these questions truthfully. This is not okay. Bullying is not a right to be taken lightly. It is not funny and it isn’t a good habit either.

According to the National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center (NYVPRC), almost thirty percent of youth in the United States are involved in some sort of bullying, whether it is face-to-face or cyber-bullying. Whether they are the bully, target or both. This percentage may seem small, but when compared to over 5.7 million U.S. citizens, this percentage is no longer a small sum.

Sometimes males seem to be the predominant stereotype for a bully. So this must mean females can’t bully people apparently. This is not true. This is a poor, faulty accusation. Females and males can both be prime examples of bullying. A case where a male bullies someone tends to be, more often than not, aggressive, according to NYVPRC. According to the same source, females use the discouragement method of bullying. An example of this is spreading gossip, or encouraging a group of friends to reject another girl from their group. Either way isn’t right.

I talked to a couple students here on campuses that have experienced bullying before. Tyler Allen, a New England School of Communications student, has seen students on campus be pushed around, physically harassed, and even teased with harsh words. Allen says that bullying “leads to depression or possibly suicide.” He also says that bullying can be taken “way over board.” This is in fact very true in today’s society. Bullying should be taken more seriously than it is. Whether it is up to the school or the parent to decide counseling, it is still debatable. Allen said, “It should be the school’s choice to decide, not the parents.”



Matthew Blake, a student at Husson, has been bullied all his life growing up. “I am a victim to bullying…it leaves you depressed and sick,” says Blake. This is very true. Being victimized by bullying does leave the victim mentally hurt, physically hurt, or even both. Blake also goes to explain that it isn’t the victim’s problem that causes issues, “Most of the time these bullies are just out to get you… they are insecure about themselves.” It is pointless to take out your stress on someone else. If you are insecure about yourself you should be seeking guidance from either a counselor or a close relative. In the worse case scenario a victim, or even the bully, could wind up dead. In one study NYVPRC says that sixty percent of those who bully, since grades six to nine, end up being convicted of a criminal offense by age twenty-four. NYVPRC also states that chronic bullies tend to maintain their behavioral habits into adulthood, having a hard time maintaining a decent relationship with others.

NYVPRC has found that bullying at schools mostly occurs when teachers and students are indifferent and accept bullying, or the rules of bullying are not always enforced by a supervisor or school security. We are all responsible adults here at college, and bullying isn’t something we need to resort to. Rather than pushing someone around or telling him/her what to do, find someone to talk to who is willing to help. Go see a guidance counselor or a doctor. It is their job to help students with difficulties anyways. Resorting to violence or crude gestures isn’t a way to settle things. It just causes more problems than there already is.

If you are a victim of bullying, or know someone who is being bullied, talk to a trustful adult or friend about the situation. Give them your name or the victim’s name, and maintain contact with them until improvements occur.

media type="youtube" key="aP5CQfUfXQc" height="362" width="449" align="center" Special thanks to Rachel Reno (Videographer), Josh Russell (Bully/Student), Erica Bickford (Nerd/Student), and Tyler Allen for helping out with this video.