Without question, the involvement of a community is vital to dealing with bullying among youth. Children being bullied need to feel that they have safe places to interact, and, if they are bullied, safe ways to voice their problems without fear. A child having a mutual respect for the other is important, as it makes it less likely for someone to bully another if they view them as an equivalent in their eyes. If they are not viewed as somebody capable of being victimized, they won’t harass them. The children doing the bullying need to be addressed as well, and not solely in a punishment light.
If a child is partaking in bullying, there are strong odds that they have been bullied by a figure of power or trust in their life. This behavior becomes learned, and they enact it on others where they want. Once they grow older, and have families of their own, there is also a strong likelihood that they partake in similar acts as what was done to them, creating a cycle. Children tend to pick up on this behavior from someplace, whether it is a physical person in their life or something more abstract, like the media. While the media no doubt has an influence on development, it can barely hold a candle to the importance of significant relationships, and can impact future relationships for that child. Whether or not they intend to, the behavior can become ingrained in their mind as how to act in situations, and a few classes or detentions here and there are not strong enough to trump that.
Dealing with the problem in this light should also be addressed. While this may not be true in all circumstances, it definitely is present and should be addressed if a community is looking to treat the bullying problem. Helping children who are victims of bullying is absolutely important, but some attention should also be paid to those doing it outside of just serving penance. Punishments after punishments that continually get harsher can make someone indifferent rules altogether, and that may lead to greater problems in the future. If more work with counselors or teachers can help put a trustworthy adult figure in their life that they feel like they can talk too can be put into effect, it may help ease the stress. If something is wrong in their life, it should be helped so they can be helped.
Chris Liotta
Oak Hill