Bullying is never right

What fun do people get out of degrading others?

Bullying is when an individual or group of people consistently target someone, and 70% of school pupils say they have witnessed bullying take place in school. What’s more, this figure is constantly on the rise. We all hear the rhyme, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me,” when we are young, but to what extent is this true? The facts actually suggest that this is incorrect because 10% of young people who face bulling resort to suicide. Schools should be doing more to protect young people and prevent the bullying which takes place there every day. If a student does not believe they will be supported they are less likely to tell someone, and this can result in everything simply getting too much to handle. The statistics of and effects of bullying are appalling by anyone’s standard and can only be changed by us as a society.

When someone constantly points out your flaws you actually start to believe them. People try to change themselves to fit someone else’s idea of perfect, but if we all have a different perspective of what perfect is then what is perfect? We should be promoting individuality and supporting each other, not discouraging people because they are different. Society should be taking a stand against bullying, for everyone’s sake. As a parent, would you want your child to be going through bullying? I am certain that if someone witnessed your child being bullied you would want them to say something and help them, so do the same for someone else. If society cannot speak up against bullying for someone who is vulnerable, then does that not make you just as bad as the bully?

The easiest way to combat this is to think before you speak. Put yourself in the victim’s shoes and stand up for those who are too afraid.

-Hannah Brader