Hey there Inky Buds, I am going to address a topic that is one of the many on-going issues our world has to offer. Bullying. Bullying is a problem that has been around for centuries. Some people found bad qualities in others that they didn't like. Or jealousy and simple hatred aroused negative feelings among people. Unfortunately, many people of all ages find themselves victims to bullying and intense abuse as a result of it. According to the most recent report from the National Center for Education Statistics, it is estimated that 7-10% of children in the US are bullied each year. There is a lot we can do about that like educating children about differences, and that it's not okay to bully at all. Schools are notorious for their "stop bullying" campaigns, and often many of them are a show of hypocrisy. Many schools preach ideas of anti-bullying, but when an actual severe bullying situation takes place, they are left confused and shaking in their boots. Schools are a breeding ground for bullies. You mash a bunch of different kids with other kids, you are certainly going to get some kids that dislike one another for whatever the reason is.
Many children of all different backgrounds, personalities, ethnicities, and other differences are in one environment. This helps other cultures learn from one another and helps them to have a better understanding of one another's lives. It also helps with good people skills and helps them make lasting friendships. But this also forces these children to be near each other for allotted periods of time. So, this could spark conflict among several parties.
Race and ethnicity are a common factor in bullying of all ages, as well as viewpoints that don't match someone else's'. Bullying isn't really that severe in young ages between 4-8 years of age. But if left alone, it could get physical. Smaller children can bully others for the most inane reasons. Young kids might not like others just because of how they act, or just simply because. Older children and even adults may find reasons as to why. Ethnicity, weight, physical appearance, personality traits, religion or even sexual orientation may drive some to become prejudiced and bigoted towards some.
Bullying occurs anywhere, but it is most commonplace in schools. This is when a environment that is supposed to be safe, becomes hostile to a point where the victim will want to ditch school, or skip class. It takes a very deep psychological toll on the victim. The aggressor may say or do degrading things, which will become embedded into the victim's mind. They eventually will believe it and feel worthless or that they don't matter.
These encounters leave the victims scarred, especially when there are many onlookers who could help, but instead engage in the ridicule and attacks. This was the case for a teen boy named Javier Santiago. He is a teen with special needs and was bullied at his school in Arvin in a very cruel fashion. A group of classmates at his school brought some hair clippers, and shaved off patches of his hair, while the poor boy wiped tears from his eyes. What makes this matter worse than it is already is that many people were filming this ordeal, one was even a school security guard who was laughing along with the attackers. The video circulated on TikTok and Twitter, with many people posting their anger and hate towards the school.
The video is below for people who would like to watch:
Some context was added for some of the commenters saying that they were making fun of him because he couldn't afford a haircut.
At that same high school, there was an even sadder incident that happened recently. In August, a teen boy named Arturo committed suicide because of intense bullying. A couple days ago on the 24th of October, his family began to speak out against bullying, and the school's negligence. Here is an excerpt from the article of his mother and a neighbor speaking: (His mother:)"I said 'son, what did you do, my love.' And all I could say to him as a mom was 'What did I do? Tell me. What did I do?' Nothing else could leave my mouth. He said 'Nothing, mom. I only want to die.'
“He told mom, 'I don’t want to live mom. I’m sorry, I’m hurting – they hurt me a lot in school,' added one of Arturo's neighbors. "No children should say that.”
According to the article, he was getting bullied because he didn't own name brand shoes or clothes. On the 25th, the school hosted a SALT walk, Save A Life Today, to raise awareness of bullying and suicides because of it. However, many parents have made statements of the school condoning bullying.
"One of the neighbors says it's now in the hands of the school and they need to put a stop to it."
“We go to the office. They speak. They say they’ll fix the situation. Leave it alone. And then my daughter gets jumped. Then my son gets hit. Then my kid doesn’t want to go to school. Then my kid says that he’s sick because he’s scared to go to school, so it's not one kid, it’s a lot of kids.”
This is becoming an issue not only in Arvin High, but all over. But this problem is that this school, among many others do nothing to protect their students. Instead, they leave these students with their assailants unpunished, and free to continue abusing the victims. Now, we can't stop bullying all together because people are different, and that comes with likes and dislikes. But we can try to educate children and teens about one another to prevent bullying from starting. The emotional side effects of bullying are heartbreaking. Some victims lose their self-esteem, and essentially begin to feel degraded and worthless. Allow me to explain. Imagine you go to school every single day, 5 days a week, and all of those days involve some type of ridicule and abuse. Whether it be physical, emotional, verbal or sexual bullying, it effects the victims badly. Now, with the age of technology, a new type of bullying was made with it. Cyber bullying. It is similar to using gossip and verbally abusing someone but done remotely. This is one of the worst kinds because people always have their phones with them. Now imagine receiving hateful messages every day and never being able to get away from these awful words. This eventually backs the victims into an impasse and makes its mark psychologically.
In conclusion, bullying is a major issue that is often influenced by prejudiced means. It is unfortunate that many of us continue to divide one another because of things like race and social status. Now this hate is being passed on to younger people, who will do the same. Parents of today need to make their children aware of the problems bullying causes, since sometimes the parents' negligence or influence impacts the children in negative ways. Some children bully for attention, or to fit in better. Parents should educate their children not to give into wrong influences like taking part into group bullying. A loss of a child because of bullying is very sad, especially knowing something could have been done. I solidly believe that school district needs to make more of an effort to stop bullying, as well as parents. Woefully, when a child is trying to defend themselves against physical abuse because of a bully, the victim is often punished as well. Some parents force their beliefs on their children, which could be uncouth. An example would be a parent telling their child that all Hispanics are uneducated and don't speak English well. Or telling them that African Americans are untrustworthy. Uncalled for and untrue right? Those things could be the roots of some bullying. This child who was just told these things could then use these racial slurs or comments on their peers and that would become a problem. I believe that we should let go of these racial "boundaries" and hierarchies, and further raise awareness on the problems that bullying cause. I feel that this is a huge issue and will only become worse with time if left untreated.
Thank you so much for reading Inky Buds, I feel this is an issue that needs to reach a resolution since many children in school experience this and suffer because of the impact it leaves on them. I can honestly say that I've never been bullied, but my heart goes out to the people that are bullied every day. If you or someone you know is dealing with these problems and is having suicidal thoughts, please dial a suicide hotline number (link is below.) List of International Suicide Hotlines - International Bipolar Foundation (ibpf.org)
Thank you and have a good day🏙️/night🌃!
(Stay tuned for the credits/further readings.)
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