tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768637.post-74186653190081404992008-02-15T11:26:00.000-08:002008-02-15T11:50:29.514-08:00As many of you know, one of my <a href="http://www.brandijasmine.com/web/staci">personal causes</a> is the bullying movement. I believe that bullying is a form of peer abuse, it is an epidemic, and we desperately need to start doing something about this scourage before we create another generation of ruined childhoods. So when an article entitled "<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23035686/">Bullying harms kids' mental health</a>" caught my attention, my first reaction was "Captain Obvious strikes again". <br /><br />I mean ... who needs another study to prove that constant abuse isn't good for children? <br /><br />"Among identical twin pairs in which one experienced bullying between the ages of 7 and 9 and the other did not, the bullied twin was significantly more likely to have symptoms of internalizing problems." <br /><br />Okay. So the question becomes "What are we going to DO about it?" While we study the problem to death, children are literally dying in our school rooms. What we need is a concerted effort to address the problem. <br /><br />Classes like <a href="http://www.virtuesproject.com/index.php">The Virtues Project</a> and <a href="http://www.rootsofempathy.org/Home.html">Roots of Empathy</a> are available and have shown some success at lowering the levels of bullying in schools, yet it seems scientists and educators still need convincing that bullying is a bad thing. Why is this? Can it be there is some greater force at work in our collective psyche than the well-being of our kids?<br /><br />I have thought about this a lot, and I do believe there are forces of that sort in play. It comes down to tribal thinking. There is a pervasive and perniscious idea in our collective mind that still believes it is necessary to abuse any child who is different, to beat them into a model of conformity that suits the model of "normalcy" currently in vogue. Bullies are useful to teachers who lack the time, talent, or resources to guide children into that model. <br /><br />Bullied children fit specific character patterns. There is the "fat/skinny kid", the "hyperactive kid", the "overly bright kid" and the "wounded kid", to name a few. Hyperactive and overly bright, sensitive children may face bullying not only from peers but from teachers and school administrators as well, as they are seen as a drain on school resources and are challenging for teachers to manage. They become the class "scapegoat". Children with health, weight and disability issues are also frequently abused by peers, often with the acceptance and tacit support of teachers and school administrators. It all comes down to conformity. <br /><br />I don't know of any studies addressing the root causes of bullying, and while I would be glad to see that happen, I would much prefer we start to sink some money into addressing the problem where it grows. It's time we stopped tolerating peer abuse, at any age.Brandi Jasminehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03780020594921022684noreply@blogger.com