subject: What Is Bullying? [print this page] Bullying needs no introductionBullying needs no introduction. Bullying does not need friendship either. It has become a social menace. A menace that primarily targets schools. The saddest part of bullying is that the bullies are children themselves. Children, who for one or other reason, feel justified to hurt others and when they hurt, they make sure they are hurting in the most painful ways.
The bullies do not feel the pain of others; they rather derive pleasure from the pain they cause to others. Often they do not feel remorse; neither do they really understand the consequences of what they are doing. They come back relentlessly, without any provocation, often not listening to reason whatsoever and find it funny to torture their own classmates. It is like a serious infectious disease that is prevalent everywhere; lurking in every school corridor.
Bullying assumes many different disguises and the bullies never seem to learn their lessons.
The different masks of bullying:
* Verbal abuse: A bully starts his or her assault with words. They try to break into the minds of their victims by spreading lies. These abusive lies are delivered in such a poisonous manner that the victim of the bully process feels worthless and helpless.
* Social outcasting: Bullies pry on the shyness and introverted nature of the person being bullied and this can result in the person who is being bullied becoming socially outcast. The bullies can do this because they always move around in a group. Bullies feel inadequate and less confident when they are alone.
* Cyber bullying: The internet and cell/mobile phones have become prime bullying instruments nowadays. A bully, thus follows the bullied around like a shadow, even after school hours.
* Physical abuse: This is the ugliest type of bullying. The person being bullied goes through intense physical abuse, often and in many cases sexual in nature and hates going back to school to be exposed to the hurt process once again.
Bullying does not serve any useful purpose. It is meaninglessly hurting others without any apparent reason. Sometimes the indifference of parents and teachers (who both at first may not take this seriously) makes matters even worse. Bullying can lead to unpleasant repercussions and in extreme situations has resulted in school shootings and suicides.
A comprehensive united approach must be adopted to eliminate this menace from all school corridors. Everyone, from school counselors to teachers, parents and friends have a responsibility in fighting the menace. The ill effects of bullying can't be ignored or denied and we all have to take responsibility and a stand against this menace.
