~~ Emerging Issues ~~

              Among numerous social problems currently, the one I want to talk about is bullying. Yes, it has been around for a while but it's a growing problem that hasn't been stopped. In a sense it's almost a silent problem because it's not heavily reported and with new technologies coming out it's getting even harder to contain which is what makes it a more pressing problem in my perspective. It can happen to anyone at any age. Kids can be brutal to each other and I wonder what even starts it. There's pressure to be popular, to be cool, to be the best. There's cliques, social groups, clubs, etc... Everyone wants to belong somewhere and when bullying or teasing or hurtful words and actions prevent that, it can have detrimental effects. I've heard the phrase "hurt people, hurt people" either from friends, and psychology professors. In a lot of cases involving bullying, the bully tends to have had something in their own life that in order to feel better they take others down, and a few years down the road the victim of bullying in turn does it themselves. It's a vicious cycle. Just from personal experience, I was bullied a little when I was in high school: didn't have the right clothes, didn't wear the right makeup, wasn't pretty enough, didn't like the right boy, etc... It's something that sticks with you. Luckily for me it could have been worse and I was able to just let the words "roll off my back" and try to form my own opinion of myself. We see stories out about cyberbullying: IM, Facebook, Twitter, and suicides both attempted and completed. Words have power. We can't just take them back and say new ones.

I like the following quote by Eleanor Roosevelt: 

We need to teach kids how valued they are, and the power of dreaming despite the difficulties we face in our everyday routines. 

We also need to teach them the power of their words, and that even if they are bullied, they shouldn't continue the cycle to someone else but ask for help instead. It's not just kids in a school environment either but at home, in the workplace. Everyone needs to watch the things we say to one another. 

I also found some verses in the Bible regarding words:

"Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit - you choose." Proverbs 18:21 MSG

"Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them." Ephesians 4:29 NLT

Here are some images that I found that go along with the quotes and also bullying in general. 

I did a search for recent news articles and here is what I found:

The first is from the NY Times : Campaign Tries to Help Diffuse Bullying 

It discusses being more than a bystander and what kids can do to help if they see bullying happening. We won't know what will happen if more people stand up to bullying until it happens. 

I also found this blog post on the New York Times: School Bullies Prey on Children with Autism

I think I researched this more than I intended. Here's some last info before I finished. There was a movie out in 2011 titled "Cyberbully" and after watching it I wanted to research what Idaho's laws were regarding CyberBullying and if they had one in place.
Check it out at : http://www.stopbullying.gov/laws/idaho.html