Myths and Facts About Bullying

Bullying has been around for ages, probably since the first time a caveman discovered that bonking his fellow cave mates over the head could intimidate them into giving up their dead squirrel and berries.

It's been something that every generation has had to contend with as they grew up and came of age.

In recent years, the problem has been rediscovered once again, thanks in part to numerous high-profile suicides by bullying victims.
People are starting to become more aware of the steep costs exacted by this form of peer abuse.
Yet there is still a lot of confusion about the nature of the problem. Here are some common myths about bullying: Myth: Bullying is a harmless rite of passage Fact: Bullying involves verbal, emotional, and physical aggression, and is a type of child abuse.

The pain it causes and the damage it inflicts can be every bit as severe as other types of child abuse, such as physical or sexual abuse.

The reason bullying is so commonly a precursor to suicide is because it's extremely destructive and can absolutely trash a child's sense of self-worth.

While it's true that almost all kids will be teased or bullied at one time or another, not all get it to the same degree. Those kids who are chronic victims may experience years of daily torment, enduring individual acts of abuse that can become quite severe. Myth: Bullying is inevitable and cannot be prevented Fact: Although bullies are a fact of life the world around, the scale of the problem varies greatly from one culture to the next. Other countries around the globe have rates of bullying that are a mere one-tenth or one-twentieth of what exists here in the United States, suggesting there is something unique about American culture that teaches our children to bully one another.

This doesn't speak too kindly about the state of our society, but a more positive note, it also suggests that as many as 19 cases in 20 could be avoided, sparing the children in this nation from a tremendous amount of abuse. Myth: Getting tough on bullies and passing new laws will solve the problem Fact: Get-tough laws always do more harm than good, and abusing others is already illegal under current laws.

The only thing such policies do is destroy a select few kids for what is in reality a widespread problem.
These initiatives are a way of passing the buck; absolving ourselves of responsibility by blaming and destroying someone else. Bullies are not bad kids, just misguided kids, and the last thing we need in this world is more anger that will destroy more children.

Moreover, the cold hard truth is that we adults set the example.

Youth pick on those they consider strange because that's what they see adults do.
They bully their rivals because they can see such behaviors on display 24/7 throughout the media.
It's hypocritical to try to hold our kids to a higher standard that society itself abides by.