Recently, I read an article that was published in the New York Times titled "Defining Bullying Down" written by Emily Bazelon. I was supposed to analyze the article for a pre-test in one of my college courses. I read through about half of it, trying to keep tears from escaping my eyes. I felt this pain in my chest and I felt as though I couldn't breathe. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I stood up, my paper empty and went to the bathroom. This article is, in my opinion, absurd.
This article starts off by talking about the death of two children Bailey O'Neill and Amanda Todd. The article then talks about the word bullying and says, "The word is being overused — expanding, accordionlike, to encompass both appalling violence or harassment and a few mean words." (Bazelon).
Yes, it is a big word. Yes, it covers a lot of different forms of the word "bullying" , but that is just the thing. In my mind, bullying is bullying. Let me use a scenario.
A kid walks up to someone and says, "I hate you."
For someone like me, the words I, hate, and you mean something, but I can brush it off. I may or may not consider this bullying, depending on who it is and why they are saying it. But for someone who is constantly torn down by his lack of self-esteem and self confidence, any little thing can hurt to the point where he would consider suicide. It doesn't have to be just suicidal. It's just tearing someone down to the point where they think they are worthless. This would be bullying. If someone is torn down by someone else to the point they consider ending their own lives, that is bullying. If someone is torn down by another human being, that is bullying.
The kid said the same words in the same order to two different people. The main point is that you make your own definition of bullying. If you think it's bullying, if you feel hurt by what the person says, it could be bullying.
According to Bazelon, "The word is being overused.... to encompass both appalling violence or harassment and a few mean words."
Well, I hate you is a few words, isn't it? Bullying is defined by ones past and experiences. A person may consider something bullying that another person may not. It's all based on ones perspective and the way they feel.
Bazelon also says, " There are concrete strategies that can succeed in addressing it — and they all begin with shifting the social norm so that bullying moves from being shrugged off to being treated as unacceptable. But we can’t do that if we believe, and tell our children, that it’s everywhere."
That first part I agree with. If we shift the norm to make bullying unacceptable then bullying won't be such a big issue. But I can tell you also that it is everywhere. I limp. People stare, mouths wide open, and usually stop walking to do a double take or make me the butt of one of their awful jokes. That is a form of bullying. It makes me feel terrible about myself over time and makes me feel like a mistake. Bullying isn't just verbal, physical, or cyber. You don't need to talk to bully someone. Your facial expressions can be used as a form of bullying, just like your actions, physical or verbal. I know it's everywhere. It happens at the supermarket, Walmart, the park, and even at my orthopedic doctor office (who does all the surgeries on my legs).
Bullying can be defined but can be argued because each person is different. What one person says is bullying, may not be considered bullying to another.
No matter the definition, bullying needs to be stopped.
If you would like to read the article here is the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/12/opinion/defining-bullying-down.html?_r=0
*All the quotations came directly from Emily Bazelon's article "Defining Bullying Down" I did not write anything in quotations and I am not claiming her article as my own.*
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