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Bullying in all its forms-- What is being done to stop it?
Bullying. Its a seemingly overused word in todays
modern-day society, but it still screams for attention. Its
done physically, verbally, and now even online, in a form
called cyberbullying. Everyday in schools across the world
there are students that endure the cruelty of their
classmates to an endless degree.
One of the most recent cases of bullying that lead to a
lethal turn was in Colorado, where Cait Haynes committed
suicide. According to a 7NEWS Denver article, her friends
claim that, her high school years were filled with gossip
and rumors and bullying that pushed Cait to commit
suicide. (7NEWS, 2015) And another big name case that
happened recently in the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Transgendered) community was the case of Leelah Alcorn, a
transgendered girl that committed suicide on December 28 th,
2014. She was an Ohio teen who was bullied at school, and

wasnt accepted at home because of her life choices.

According to CNN, When Josh Alcorn voiced a desire to live
as a girl, the Ohio teenager's parents said they wouldn't
stand for that[...] Crossing out the name "Josh," the 17-yearold signed the name "Leelah" in a suicide note posted
to Tumblr. (Fantz, 2015) Leelah left a very detailed suicide
note to auto publish on her tumblr after her death, in which
all of the above was stated.
These are just two cases out of hundreds that happen
every year due to bullying. And the lasting effects of
bullying, even if they dont lead to death, can be
devastating. In the article Bullying Victimization and
Substance Use Among U.S. Adolescents: Mediation by
Depression, written by authors Jeremy W. Luk, Jing Wang,
and Bruce G. Simmons-Morton, referenced to medical
findings about the association between victimization and
depression, [] suggests a positive association between
victimization and depression across various bullying forms of
bullying (Hawker and Boulton 2000). Seals and Young (2003)

found that victims involved in traditional bullying are at

higher risks for depression in both male and female
adolescents.(Luk, Wang, Simmons-Morton, 2010) And
another article by Jon Terbush of The Week states that,
Children who are bullied are more likely to have serious
mental and physical health problems as adults and less likely
to hold steady jobs or develop meaningful relationships with
family and friends. (Terbush, 2013)
So, how do we solve bullying? We have to look at the
root cause of it. The main belief is that children bully
because they can direct their frustrations from home or
school onto another, or that its caused by a lack of attention
from friends, parents, or teachers. And according to
eschooltoday.com, Bad up-bringing at home can make
people insensitive to other peoples feelings and emotions.
They are happy to see their classmate depressed, sad and
hurt. (eshcooltoday, 2015) But theres an article by Belinda
Luscombe on Time.com that suggests otherwise.

In her article, Luscombe states that Contrary to

accepted ruffian-scholarship, the more popular a middle- or
high-school kid becomes, the more central to the social
network of the school, the more aggressive the behavior he
or she engages in. (Luscombe, 2011) In her article, her
research is supported by a North Carolina study conducted
by authors Robert Farris and Diane Felmlee. The authors,
[]interviewed public-school kids seven times over the
course of their study, starting when the students were in
grades 6, 7 and 8. (Luscombe, 2011) They also found that
kids were the least aggressive if they reached the top 2% or
bottom 2% of the schools social hierarchy.
Bullying isnt exactly a one-size fits all scenario, but
there thankfully are many solutions to fit many people. In
fact, our own government has a site dedicated to bullying,
and informing the public on it. Stopbullying.gov is also a site
that has a plethora of information on what us as individuals
can do to stop this epidemic. Also, at Communitymatters.org, they provide services to school districts and
schools in general in a variety of ways that solve and

prevent bullying, including cyberbulling. Cyberbullying is a

people problem, and it requires a people solution. Until the
courts provide clear constitutional guidance on how schools
may regulate online speech, education is the most effective
way to respond. (Community Matters, 2015) Celebrities are
large advocators as well, and so is our President, Barrck
Obama. In Dan Savages book It Gets Better: Coming out,
Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living,
Barrack Obama states Like all of you, I was shocked and
saddened by the deaths of several young people who were
bullied and taunted for being gay, and who ultimately took
their own lives. As a parent of two daughters, it breaks my
heart. Its something that just shouldnt happen in this
country. (Savage, 2011)
Even though bullying isnt entirely stamped out, it
grows less and less every year. Just one persons actions
make a difference-- a smile in the hallway, or maybe talking
to someone who seems down. It can change the outcome of
someones day, if not the outcome of someones life.

Works Cited
"Bullying Blamed for Montrose High School Student's
Suicide." 7NEWS. ABC 7NEWS Denver, 26 Mar. 2015.
Web. 14 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/westernslope/bullying-blamed-for-montrose-high-schoolstudents-suicide>.

 "Cyberbullying Solutions." Cyberbullying Solutions.

Community Matters. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.
<http://community-matters.org/programs-andservices/cyberbullying-solutions>.
Fantz, Ashely. "Ohio Transgender Teen's Mom: 'He Was
an Amazing Boy'" CNN. Cable News Network, 4 Jan.
2015. Web. 14 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/31/us/ohio-transgenderteen-suicide/>.
Luk, Jeremy, Jing Wang, and Bruce G. Simmons-Morton.
"Bullying Victimization and Substance Use Among U.S.
Adolescents: Mediation by Depression." Prevention
Science 1 Dec. 2010: 355-59. Print.
Luscombe, Belinda. "Why Kids Bully: Because Theyre
Popular." Time. Time, 8 Feb. 2011. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
<http://healthland.time.com/2011/02/08/do-popularkids-bully-more/>.
Savage, Dan. It Gets Better Coming Out, Overcoming
Bullying, and Creating a Life worth Living. New York:
Dutton, 2011. Print.
Tenkin, Dr. Deborah. "Stopbullying Blog." Effective
Bullying Solutions: No One-Size-Fits-All Answer. U.S.
Department of Health & Human Services, 12 Aug. 2012.
Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.stopbullying.gov/blog/2012/08/27/effective
-bullying-solutions-no-one-size-fits-all-answer>.
Terbush, Jon. "The Lingering, Devastating Impact of
Bullying." The Lingering, Devastating Impact of
Bullying. The Week, 20 Aug. 2013. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
<http://theweek.com/articles/460944/lingeringdevastating-impact-bullying>.

 "Why Do People Bully Others at School?" Why Do

People Bully Others at School? ESchooltoday. Web. 15
Apr. 2015. <http://eschooltoday.com/bullying/Why-dopeople-bully.html>.