Hello again. It's been a while. I'm just going to give you a heads up, this is a rant post, but about an important subject - bullying and the encouragement of it. I guess, to start this post off, I'm sick of bullying. I go to a school of 80 kids, if some type of drama is happening you can guarantee everyone knows it. It isn't easy to keep it on the down low. But at a school of maybe 2,000 kids - I'm sure it's pretty easy. In fact, I know it's easy for everyone to pretend it isn't happening. We have programs, websites, photos, blogs, classes, clubs, and more all with the goal of ending bullying - whether it be in the work place or in school. But yet new things come out that encourage bullying. You can argue that social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram can encourage bullying but when someone puts out an app like "BurnBook," that is like asking people to bully one another anonymously. What is a burn book? It is based off a book in the movie Mean Girls where the girls write down hate/gossip/etc about people they know. There are so many statistics and information on bullying. It is said that 1 in 3 students has reported being bullied in 2013 alone (Pacer). Out of a school of 2000 kids, that's around 650 students being bullied in some way. People tend to rub off what bullies are doing because maybe they are just sad, maybe they have at home problems, etc, etc. People don't want to deal with bullies - it's something we tend to avoid. Administrators tend to avoid it, teachers tend to avoid it, the people who we are told to report bullying to like to pretend it isn't happening. “A bully with charisma and top marks is still a bully. He'll probably end up Prime Minister one day. God help us all.” But what can you do when an app made specifically for posting anonymously about people is created? Every school is on it, whether you are a school of 80 or 2000. It's a problem, I wish I could show you screenshots but that would be spreading the drama and spreading mean things said about people. (Read about it here) I know that high schools in my area are giving speeches on cyber-bullying, even my school got one. But telling students to stop isn't going to make them stop. What might help is people stop encouraging it. The app makers can say they don't approve, but they made the app and it's pretty obvious what this would lead to. It's like the website Ask.fm - the anonymous option is just a gate way to bullying. I guess I'm just furious people create platforms for bullying. It needs to stop. That's all. -Alex “Every time you post something online, you have a choice.
2 Comments
Brian
3/10/2015 11:40:42 pm
I feel that this is a perpetuating problem. Most kids that bully have been victims. Teaching character counts earlier might help the problem before it becomes a problem.
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3/11/2015 05:57:11 am
I just sent an email out to all our principals about this today. It makes me sad that people are profiting by creating apps such as this. We definitely need to do a better job of teaching the art of being nice to each other. When I was young, we learned this in the sandbox during recess. But those opportunities aren't provided anymore so we need to make ways to reach out and be kind.
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AuthorMy name is Alex. Technology preacher and puppy lover. Enjoy! Archives
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