Has Bullying Become More Intense?

[mechana2015]

So am I one of the only people that thinks that slowly, things are getting BETTER every day?

Nope, I'm with ya there.

[ShiroiHikari]

Oh I absolutely agree that new problems pop up to replace the old. However, we are living in fantastic times. People of different skin colors are (mostly) allowed to walk the streets without fear of being lynched just for their skin color, women are free to be people rather than second-class citizens, we can travel long distances relatively easily, we have cured many diseases that were devastatingly deadly in the past (like polio), if you are separated from someone you love, you can call them from almost anywhere and speak to them almost immediately...

Really, these are truly amazing and wonderful times, for human life, and for human freedom. And from what I see, the future only looks brighter. Yes, we have lots of problems, and there's still a long way to go before we're truly what we should be as a society, but we're closer now than we've ever been.

This is the point I was trying to make. If you think we're living in more dangerous, more morally bankrupt, and generally worse times than in the past, you are wrong. Period. Unless you think things like racism, sexism, and rampant disease are awesome.

[Roy Mustang]

So am I one of the only people that thinks that slowly, things are getting BETTER every day?

Your not the only one that thinks that way. There are many cured diseases now and look how far that we have came to understanding Cancer and HIV/AIDS.
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[ashfire]

The digital world has just added more ways to let bullies attack their victims and broadcast it to others.
Digital cameras, computers, videos just provide a quicker way of getting it out there.
Caller ID on phones seems to control some of the use that bullies could use there.
Its just a wonder what makes a person want to be a bullie. Sometimes its peer pressure sometimes it could be the nature of the child to be a bullie for some reason.

[Ante Bellum]

Honestly, while I'm certain that the world is generally getting better (well, most countries, at least), on a more specific level some things are worse. It seems that kids get away with more and more, because in a lot of cases the parents don't care/try to use the school as some sort of babysitter, and the teachers can't punish the kids. No, really. Detention and suspension don't really mean much now. And at my old school there was actually this room for failing/delinquent students where they got to sit around and play Wii, foosball, and other games. Why? So the teachers can keep them in school and reach the required attendance.
And fights can still happen. This kid started a fight with another kid, who got suspended. It does seem like most of the bullying has moved to psychological, and when kids are committing suicide over things people say to them, there's a definite problem. I know there are groups out there to raise awareness, but how well do they actually work?

[Yuki-Anne]

I think it also depends what country you're talking about. Should I take it for granted that we're talking about America? It's a huge problem in Japan, possibly more so than in America, but I don't want to derail the thread if we're talking specifically about American problems.

The bullying level is probably about the same as it always was; only the methods have changed. Just because people lived in a more "Christian" society doesn't mean there still weren't some total tools running around. In fact, history shows us a plethora of examples of total tools using Christianity as a front for their cruelty.

[ShiroiHikari]

This thread seems to be pretty USA-centric, yes.

[Furen]

For me personally I was very VERY bullied as a student, still to this day I am but I learned how to deal with it better now. I'd say that it (again for me personally) has decreased a bit (that could also be because I'm larger than other kids and they have more to do then waste their time making fun of the big kid that could do many ways of stopping it[Telling a higher authority {even if they ignore it}])
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statistically 1/5 people are bullied SPECIFICALLY on an emotional level (which leaves at least the other 4/5 for mental, cyber, physical and combinations of them) so I think it's just more awareness.
Also for schools, when they bring a new "No Bullying" policy they should enforce it (they catch the jokes between friends but not the real stuff...)

[Hiryu]

I'm pretty sure bullying has been around since the beginning of time. I don't think it's gotten worse, we've become more aware of it now than what we used to be and people are becoming stupider.

I really think they should do something about the bullying policy. It's really stupid to be punished when you were being punched and you were defending yourself, when you really didn't do anything to start the fight.

Of course, it saves the administrators headache and energy to send both people(or groups in certain cases) to the appropriate punishment. Very rarely does anyone like to deal with drama coming from two teenage girls. It's like cleaning animal crap off of your nice furniture(Or rather, was once nice furniture...)

[Rusty Claymore]

Simple: If we see bullying, we need enough guts to stop it right there.
It's a problem with individuals, I believe, not a large scale statistic. Each case can only be solved by those imediately there. In that sense, it's not even the "bulying" that is the problem, it's the effect it has on a person's resolve. If I got bullied I'd laugh at them. I'm confident in who I am, and what is right. In that perspective, even if you cannot stop the actual bullying, just getting in there to take it with the victim can be enough to save that individual from emmotional damage.

...and there is a time for war, and all things are beautiful in their time. n.n
Of course, we all hope it doesn't have to come to that, you know, since violence isn't nice, and stuff...

[Lynna]

Oh I absolutely agree that new problems pop up to replace the old. However, we are living in fantastic times. People of different skin colors are (mostly) allowed to walk the streets without fear of being lynched just for their skin color, women are free to be people rather than second-class citizens, we can travel long distances relatively easily, we have cured many diseases that were devastatingly deadly in the past (like polio), if you are separated from someone you love, you can call them from almost anywhere and speak to them almost immediately...

Really, these are truly amazing and wonderful times, for human life, and for human freedom. And from what I see, the future only looks brighter. Yes, we have lots of problems, and there's still a long way to go before we're truly what we should be as a society, but we're closer now than we've ever been.

That's true, and all these things are awesome. But what about abortion? We didn't have that problem before. What about nuclear weapons?
And also, while the internet and stuff is great, what about cyber bullying and stalking and stuff?
Also, I might not be correct in this, but I heard that the suicide rate has increased
I'm not trying to be negative, I'm just making a point

[Nate]

But what about abortion? We didn't have that problem before.

*shrug* You're talking to the wrong guy about that issue. :p That doesn't bother me. XD

What about nuclear weapons?

I don't like those, but for the most part I remain hopeful that mutual extinction will keep anyone from ever using them, so while I kind of wish they weren't around, it's not enough to keep me awake in fear.

And also, while the internet and stuff is great, what about cyber bullying and stalking and stuff?

Eh those have always been problems, I guess the internet does make it easier, but I feel that this is probably preferable to a woman not being allowed to vote or get a job, probably preferable to a black man not having to worry about a bunch of whites beating him on a street in broad daylight, probably preferable to dying of smallpox when you're five years old. I'm not saying that makes those things acceptable, but I'm sure we'll figure out how to deal with it, probably by teaching people how to be safe online, and having better mental health facilities.

Also, I might not be correct in this, but I heard that the suicide rate has increased

That's probably true, but that's the kind of thing that gets lost in the context. For example, there may be more people committing suicide these days, but there's more people in the world than there has been before. People also have easier access to guns these days than they used to, which is still the most popular way to commit suicide from what I've heard. Combine that with the fact that at least in the US, the record of recognizing, diagnosing and treating mental illnesses is pretty hideous.

I'm not saying we've hit an apex of society or a golden age or anything. I'm just saying things have gotten better and will continue to get better from what I see. Heck, ages ago kids who had slight disorders were beaten by parents and teachers for stuff that wasn't their fault, because nobody knew there was anything wrong with 'em.

Or let's look at autism. Ages ago, kids with autism were thought to be demon-possessed and killed, or abandoned in the wild because they were devil children. But now, we have the medical knowledge to realize that they're human beings and not Satan's spawn, and can help them to live fulfilling lives. I think everyone can agree that's better.

[ShiroiHikari]

That's true, and all these things are awesome. But what about abortion? We didn't have that problem before.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_abortion

[Nate]

*reads that link*

According to Chinese folklore, the legendary Emperor Shennong prescribed the use of mercury to induce abortions nearly 5000 years ago.

Pffffffft oh man talk about the cure being worse than the disease. XD (Not to imply pregnancy or children are a disease, it's just a phrase.)

[ShiroiHikari]

I know right?

*does the Off-Topic Dance*

[Nate]

It's not my fault this time! I absolve myself of any blame!

[Yuki-Anne]

Also, let's not forget the common practice in Roman times of exposure, in which unwanted babies, particularly female ones, would be left out in the street to die. One of the ways early Christians made a radical difference was by saving these children and raising them.

And then there's the child sacrifice of Israel's contemporaries (and, at times, Israel herself). There methods in that were so awful that I won't post them in this thread, because 1. it's horrifying, and 2. this thread isn't about that.

As for the suicide rate issue...

We don't have data on suicide rates in history, but obviously it happened, and it wasn't even considered a crime until Christianity came along.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_suicide

To say that "the suicide rate has increased" needs some kind of qualifier, I think. In comparison to what? Fifty years ago? A hundred years ago? Because if that's what we're saying, yes, it has.

[FllMtl Novelist]

I think the original question ("Has bullying become more intense?") is impossible to say for sure, really. All any one person has is testimonies from people he/she knows, and his/her own experience. Bullying probably also varies from place to place, even in the U.S., and from school to school (or workplace, church, etc.).

I don't think there are records kept of "bullying rates" (or anything like that) in the last 50 years (or 20, or 30, etc.). Even if it had been, as it's been said, what we consider bullying now was not always thought of as such. So again, you can't really say.

My thoughts, anyway.

[shooraijin]

As a kid, I dealt with the bully problem by kicking the head bully in a fairly painful location. True story.

[Roy Mustang]

As a kid, I dealt with the bully problem by kicking the head bully in a fairly painful location.

Trust me - I'm a Doctor.


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