(IGCSE) Wing to argue (3)

Writing to Argue

Many people are afraid to come to school or work due to bullying. Bullying affects all schools and workplaces across the world. Not one is unaffected by bullying. Every second that someone is bullied, is a second of that person’s life ruined. This is unacceptable in the eyes of a civilised person because we live in a society where bullying is disgraceful and wrong. Then why does it still continue? Many people in the world have not gotten the message that bullying is wrong. This is what I want all bullies to hear; what you are doing is wrong. Abusing somebody, both physically and verbally, is a disgrace to our society.

Bullying doesn’t just take one disguise, it has many forms than just physical or verbal. For example there’s cyber bullying which is when someone sends verbally abusive messages to someone else via text messaging, e-mail or social networks. This form of bullying is very popular with our modern day technology, and like all forms of bullying, unfortunately drives many people to suicide.This form of bullying is very popular because the victim doesn’t always know who’s bullying them. Thus the bully gets to victimise someone without the repercussions and without their identity being revealed. “Some children are biologically predisposed to bullying because such behaviour lent their ancestors a selective advantage in our evolutionary past.” This is one theory by a bullying psychologist. It shows that bullying could be caused by ancestral behaviour that got an “advantage” through bullying. “A Washington middle school teacher allegedly joined bullies in beating a 13-year-old boy to the ground and physically abusing him”. This is a Daily Mail article and shows that although there are many anti-bullying projects, bullying persists throughout the world and still stands strong.

The main form of bullying is physical bullying. This form of bullying is very popular and has been an issue for many years. It is very popular as the bully gets to determine the amount of damage that the victim receives. “The tendency for school children to bully others was conceived as lying along a continuum of frequency, ranging from zero to very high.” This is a quote from a psychologist that specialises in bullying from a young age. Trauma from physical abuse in a persons youth could cause an influential child to believe that it is acceptable to abuse someone for personal pleasure, whether it’s mental abuse or physical abuse. In later life, this is the way that person would treat the people around them. The effects of physical bullying range from slight effects, to physical and mental scarring that could last for many years. “It has been suggested that the mental health of school children can be undermined by repeated bullying at school” this is a quote from the association for professionals in adolescent bullying.

Many people try and stop bullying by starting up anti-bullying websites and by handing out leaflets and so on. However, if there are so many people trying to stop bullying than why does it still persist? Well some believe that the sheer size of people that bully others is just too hard to stop; so the possibility that bullying is abolished is hard to imagine. Some anti-bullying websites like childline work hard to help prevent children from all over the world from getting bullied. They hold events that raise money for victims of bullying and also raise awareness of bullying and its effects. “I am really upset as I am being bullied at school. They call me fat which has made me stop eating. I have tried to talk to my dad and the teachers but they don’t seem to listen or do anything about it. I am bullied online all the time and sometimes get threatened. They say they will find out where I am and hurt me. They tell me I should keep quiet but I really want to tell someone. I am scared that I might get hurt if I do tell someone. Help!” This is from a young boy who contacted childline for help. This boy was so effected by bullying, that he stopped eating to try and stop it. This is an endangerment to his health as not eating could cause malnutrition weakness and illness. He has tried to tell his parents and teachers about the bullying, however they apparently do not do anything. This is because of the ignorance and naivety of adults as they believe it’s harmless fun.

Another major event that takes place to raise awareness of anti-social behaviour is anti-bullying week; “This Anti-Bullying Week we call on children and young people, schools, media, government, parents and carers and the voluntary sector to raise awareness of the children and young people who have special educational needs and disabilities that are bullied in schools.” This is a statement from another anti-bullying group called anti-bullying alliance. They talk about a number of young people and children with disabilities who are bullied, they are bullied due to their disabilities. The statement also shows the lengths they will go to raise awareness of the abuse and discrimination which occurs in schools around the world because of someone’s disability.

In conclusion, most people turn a blind eye to bullying, they see it as childish fun until the joke goes too far. However, if someone doesn’t come into school because of fear of abuse or hide in toilets to avoid certain people, then that to me is when the ‘fun’ turns into bullying. No one deserves to be treated like that, no one deserves to be bullied. So if you see a person being verbally or physically bullied are you going to turn a blind eye and be as bad as the bully or are you going to do something about it?