Bullying:
A Cancer That Must Be Eradicated
Note:
All names have been changed to protect the privacy of those involved,
especially the victims.
A tragic end to an ed ucation that had barely begun 13-year-old Kiki
stopped schooling because her classmates used to make fun of her relentlessly.
They had accidentally discovered her humble background, her father being a
street vendor. In another case, 15 year old Dinda could not take it anymore. She
became depressed, left school and stayed at home because she was constantly
teased by her classmates for failing in junior high school.
And in yet another, more recent case, some senior students of a junior
high school took seven junior students, and subjected them to violent beatings.
Sherry, one of the junior students, was rushed to hospital with bruises on his
abdomen. He is extremely scared to go to school. Julie, a 10 year old, fifth grade
student, states that her first two years of elementary school were a traumatic
experience. She sadly remembers being cruelly bullied by her male classmates
because she was overweight. They used to call her Sumatran elephant, baboon,
gentong and many other names.
These are few cases out of hundreds of similar cases and the number is
increasing
over the time. In Indonesia bullying exists in every form, from teasing
to extreme abuse. Even though incidents of bullying are common,
unfortunately it is not seen as a major problem. A recent survey
conducted by National Child
Protection Commission has shown that more than half of bullying incidents go
unreported due to the fact that it is considered normal in some parts of the
society. Also the people who get bullied are either unwilling to report it because
they
feel it will “make a big deal”. Or worse, they are so scared that they
don't trust anyone and do not want to share their plight with anyone
(http://www.asianewsnet.net/news-34263.html). The issue of bullying has been a problem for years but recently it got limelight from news media when few caseswere reported.
Bullying affects the children both psychologically and physically. It is
estimated
that hundreds of children miss school every day due to the fear of
being mistreated by other students and in some extreme cases they choose
to homeschool, or in severe circumstances they stop studying altogether
Children should not be living in constant fear. They shouldn't be afraid. On
the
contrary, they should look forward to every day of school and enjoy
school life.According to a research bullying has always existed in
Indonesian society, but it has come to surface due to the recent
proliferation of media technologies (Craig,2009). Since bullying is
prevalent in our society it is important that everyone should be made
aware of this social evil. There should be campaigns to increase
awareness. Everyone should be working together, against it, to stop it.
It is distressing to see our children being isolated from society
because they are
treated badly. I am of opinion that no one has any right to harass or make people
feel
inferior. No one should have that kind of power. These children are our
future and we should make every possible effort to stop bullying.
I would like to point out that bullying is everyone's problem and
responsibility. If you condone bullying in any way, shape or form it means you are
taking part in it whether it is directly or indirectly by being silent. Majority of
people agree that we have to work together towards eliminating this problem.
Some people may consider taunting someone as funny, even though it is
anything but funny to the person who is at the receiving end. Minor taunts can
create a lot of pain and suffering. While it may seem innocent but the cumulative
effect could be highly damaging. In addition to that, as the pain increases, each
instance cuts a little deeper which eventually becomes a sore.
It is highly possible that bullying might happen in your school so it is the
liability of every student to protect their classmates and try to stop bullying. If it
doesn't work then you should inform your teachers or parents.
Not many of us think of stopping it. As long as it doesn't happen to us why
should
we get involved, why should we bother? But the time has come for us to
be actively involved in eradicating bullying (Farrington, 1993).
So next time if you see someone getting bullied, would you try to stop it or
let it happen? Remember, bullying is everyone's problem; therefore everyone has
to be the part of the solution.
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Read
the questions carefully. Note down your opinions and reactions to the
questions. During the discussion with your teacher and classmates, offer
your personal reaction and understanding of the text.
1. Do you think bullying is a serious issue in your school? Give reasons to
support your opinion.
2. Did this opinion article raise/change your awareness about bullying?
Please explain.
3. Do you think it is necessary to educate people on issue of bullying? Why?
Give reasons to support your opinion.
4. Do you think bullying should be declared as punishable crime? Give
reasons to support your answer.
5. Discuss the article on bullying in a group? Does it change your perspective
on bullying or not? Give reasons to support your answers.
6. Are you aware of cyber bullying? Do you think it is worse than physical
bullying? Why? Support your opinion with examples.
7. What can young people like you do to prevent or stop bullying? List at least
three things you and your friends can do to prevent or stop bullying.
PERSONAL JOURNAL WRITING
Place yourself in shoes of a person who gets bullied everyday at campus.
How would you feel? Write down your feelings and what would you do about it.
Opinions
An opinion is the way you feel or think about something. Our opinion about
something or someone is based on our perspective. Whenever we give or express
our opinion it is important to give reasoning or an example to support our opinion.
I like Harry Potter movies because the magic seems
so real.
I don't agree with you. Harry Potter
movies are just overrated.
I like playing tag because it is so
much fun.
I don't like playing tag because people
end up fighting.
In my opinion Government should
provide means of sustenance for
under privileged people instead of
building tall towers.
I agree with what you are saying but
have you ever thought that building
tall towers provides work for
unemployed people?
We can use collocations to express opinions,
for example strong argument, strong criticism, strong denial, strong opinion, strong resistance,quite strongly.
