I write this post with a bit of trepidation as the topic is somewhat personal to me. It brings back memories from many years ago,all the way back to what was then known as junior high. My junior high years were hands down some of my hardest. Truth be told, they probably were my hardest. I rarely dwell on those times but some recent events have brought them to mind once again.
The topic referred to in the title is that of bullying. My wife mentioned today a recent example of what is popularly called cyber-bullying. The young people in question were asked why they posted such critical information online, some of which may have been fabricated.(That I do not know for a fact.) Their response was that no one liked the girl in question anyway and besides, it was fun. Thankfully this particular young lady did not commit suicide, although several young people have done just that.
I am well aware that bullying is not new and went on far earlier than my own experience. You can find some quite apropos examples in the Bible. Try Jacob and Esau or Joseph and his brothers and see if those accounts seem comparable to our culture.
What bothers me is that acts of bullying today are on a much different level than what I experienced and the bullying can become somewhat exponential as it is disseminated through various social networking media. No wonder that the effects are greater and both the act and its impact are so widely publicized.
I really have no solid answers, but I am unsure whether more and more laws are helpful. I have tried to draw analogies with my own personal experience, the specifics of which I have never shared with anyone. What might have happened to me had those events from long ago been published for the viewing “pleasure” of others? I just don’t know, but shudder to think of the possibilities.
January 19, 2011
Posted by tarheeltalker |
Culture, Technology | Bible, Bullying, cyber-bully, education, Esau, Jacob, Joseph, Youth |
2 Comments
