Imagine walking through the hallway at school like every other day, but instead of being surrounded by friends, you feel completely and utterly alone. Suddenly, a group of people who used to be friends of yours walk by and purposefully bump you into the lockers on the way. You don't know what you did to make them treat you like a stranger, but they do. They talk poorly about you, ignore you, and are downright mean every day. It can be a lot to handle, especially if this scenario escalates. The bumps in the hallway could turn into threats. The occasional meanness could become an everyday occurrence. And the worst part is that no one wants to get involved for fear that the bully might turn on them if they do.
StopBullying.gov defines bullying as "unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time." But what does that mean?
The reality is that everyone has either partaken in bullying a peer, been bullied, or witnessed bullying happening. Unfortunately, in today's society, it's a part of life. However, it should not be. Bullying can have lasting effects on the victims that will stay with them for likely the rest of their life. Often times, if bullying is severe enough, it can lead to mental illnesses, such as anxiety and depression, or suicide.
While schools have put in place great anti-bullying policies in recent years, this is often not enough. Bullying can be hard to identify to outsiders and the victim is often too scared or intimidated to speak up. Along with that, sometimes the bully doesn't even realize that what they are doing is considered bullying.
Cyber-bullying has grown significantly in recent years with the rise and growth of social media. However, because the bully is now hiding behind the screen of a computer and the words are not being said directly to the person, the bully may not realize that they are even hurting the other person. This is no excuse, though.
Whether it's a couple bumps in a hallway, or posting "subtweets" or "snapchat stories" about another person, hurtful words can be just as painful as physical violence, if not more painful. Physical wounds heal, but the wounds inflicted in someone's head can have lasting effects that go deeper than the physical ones.
While I know that there are a million articles out in the world similar to this one on the internet about bullying and pointing out the flaws in current systems as well as why it is so easy for schools to not realize a bullying situation, or for bullying to go unnoticed until it is too late, I hope that by reading this article, at least one person will think twice before "subtweeting" or posting something hurtful next time the opportunity arises.
