Bullying, and Why It Most Definitely IS a Crime!

I know I haven't been very active in my blogging recently - school, work and exams have all conspired to get in my way of that. Today, however, I thought I'd share my feelings on an issue which has a deep personal meaning to me because of my own life experiences, and one which is a serious concern to anyone involved in the school system, whether as parents, teachers or administrators. I am of course, talking about bullying.

Bullying is something which most people have traditionally considered a typical part of growing up. It's something we all go through, and how we deal with it is supposed to "build character" according to many a parent in the 1950s. "Boys will be boys" many would say, encouraging their children to stand up to their tormentors and fight back against them. This is all well and good in theory, but am I the only one who thinks standing alone against a gang of five or more schoolyard kids intent on abusing me is more than a LITTLE scary and impossible?

The thing about bullying is that often, it isn't as easy to overcome as simply standing up to them. What many people have traditionally failed to understand until recently is that the schoolyard very much has its own pecking order. Kids form a very real society in elementary schools, and it is a tribal one at that, where politics are dominated by the strong alpha kids. These kids show their superiority over the others through bullying, and often making fun of another kid earns them serious prestige points in the eyes of their peers. Ask any of the bullies if they think they are causing any serious harm, and most would say no, but the reality is far different. As a survivor of bullying myself, I can safely say that the intense mental anguish and torment suffered by kids who are put down on a daily basis by their peers at school is not one which easily goes away. I still feel outrage over what happened to me back then, and though I have been able to channel this rage into a desire to make things better and stamp out bullying when I myself become an educator, many other kids aren't so lucky.

Maybe I should explain my reasons for writing this reflection. I was sitting at dinner the other night and came across an issue of People Magazine which was talking about the suicide of a young girl named Phoebe Prince. The magazine pointed out this tragedy's link to bullying, and instantly my heart went out to both she and her family. The bullies themselves were arrested, but now their attorney, along with the school coach, are arguing that the kids are not guilty. Erm...excuse me? Let me read that again....not...guilty? After a girl committed suicide because of the bullying antics of these kids? Yeah...right! Don't get me wrong--I don't think these kids should go to prison...they should get educated on the effects of their actions however. Neuroscience has proven that bullying alters the brain chemistry of all those who endure it, often for the worse. If this is not a form of serious damage, then I don't know what is.

The years I was bullied are some of the worst years of my life, and though in many ways I wouldn't be the kindhearted defender of the underdog I am today, it is not an experience I would wish upon anyone. Granted, being bullied made me stronger, and I may not be as strong were it not for it, the act of bullying is wrong and its effects are everlasting. It's time people realized this. Ultimately, the strength I gained from being bullied came only after several more good years of confidence-building after the fact. During those dark years, I would tell everyone I didn't know to go away, fearing that I could not trust them and that they would ultimately backstab me. These are the devastating effects that bullying can have, and I am grateful that at least I had my good friends and family to guide me through the darkness. Phoebe Prince is a case-in-point example that not all kids are so lucky, and because of this bullying most definitely is a crime...and one which we must all be vigilant in preventing.

iPad Nano!

A magical and revolutionary product at an unbelievable size.

Oh, and it makes phone calls too!

I found this image on the 'net just now and couldn't resist sharing it with what few people actually read my blog!

On Humans and Technology

As I sit here and write this entry, I find myself bored after having just handed my Macbook over to the computer store for a trackpad repair. Using a school-owned computer to check my Facebook and blog is a colossal pain in the ass, given that my Mac already knows my browsing habits intimately and makes accessing this information much easier than a generic PC. The whole ordeal, however, got me thinking about how truly reliant people are on technology to function in society in the modern day. Not a day goes by that we don't check our Facebooks or Twitters or text our friends/family on our mobile phones. Over two thousand years ago, when Rome ruled the mediterranean and most of the civilizations of the world were at a much more primitive level of development, the thought of communicating from one side of the empire to the other was not something easily conceived. In the modern day, on the other hand, people routinely keep in touch with family and friends half a world away. I myself know people who live or have lived in Japan, Korea, and the United States, and yet have kept in touch with them as easily as I do with people in my physical real life. The "linked in" state of our modern society is undeniable, but a question many have asked is whether or not this is a good thing. Frankly, I think it is.

There are many people of the older generation who think that the internet obsession experienced by our modern generation is dangerous and anti-social, but to anyone in the know this really is the farthest thing from the truth. In reality, the internet has allowed a greater amount of socialization between people than ever before in human history. We have access to information and ideas more easily than ever before, and communication is quick and painless no matter where one lives in the world, provided there's a stable enough connection to the internet in the area. Most importantly, the internet has proven to be the last bastion of freedom of speech in our modern world, and has done more to further this cause than any social activist group. People on the internet share their opinions freely whether for good or for ill, feeling safe behind their veils of anonymity.

Granted, there are dangers inherent to technology...a fact which can be seen in my own situation. I'm separated from my laptop for even four hours, and I feel bored out of my mind. We really are so connected to technology that we cannot fathom a life apart from it. Rather than look at this negatively, however, I choose the opposite view. A laptop or any computer is not an enemy but rather a trusted friend who stands by you during the most painful work, helps you communicate with distant acquaintances, and is a trusted ally of a thousand online Counter-Strike battles. As strange as it sounds, like with most things, the more people use their technology, the more they come to personify it, and this in itself shows the close connection between people and their tech in the modern world.

In the end, whether you like it or not, computers and information technology has become an essential element of our modern existence. We all use the internet-whether for work, school, fun, or communication, and so we all understand its power. Are we over-reliant on it? Definitely, but then again it really has leveled the playing field and given even the average joe a voice to be heard (some might say my blog fits this bill). With the internet, everyone can be heard, and everyone can succeed...it truly is the land of e-opportunity.