Oprah Winfrey Show Talks about Bullying
Toxic Environment Caused by Bullies Results in Victim Depression
May 6, 2009
Bullies and children who are victims of bullying behavior were the subject of the May 6, 2009 episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show on ABC. Oprah highlighted the emotional devastation caused by bullies by interviewing the parents of teenagers who had committed suicide because of the pain and depression caused by school bullies.
Advice to Ignore Bullies Does Not Work
Bullies have been around through the ages. For some reason there are people who lack empathy and who get a kick out of being mean to people that they perceive as weaker than themselves. Parents and school counselors often make the mistake of telling kids to ignore the problem and that the situation will go away. Unfortunately, ignoring bullies does not make them go away. They may even become worse.
Many parents and social workers tell their children to “just ignore the bullying,” which an expert on the Oprah Show said is the biggest mistake that parents can make. Parents, social workers and teachers who ignore the problem are sticking their heads in the sand about the potentially devastating problem of bullying.
Children should be able to be wherever they are and realize that they have a right to be there. All people need to realize that bullying take place and that boundaries need to be set. Just ignoring the problem is no longer the advice offered by experts, according to Oprah.
Assertiveness skills can help the victim but assertiveness is not the entire solution. Bullies are often rewarded for their bad behavior by being treated as popular and allowed to get their way. This communicates to the victim that they are socially inadequate and further erodes their confidence.
Bullying is Widespread
Bullying takes place in the school, on the playground, on the streets, in the workplace and over the internet. Cyber bullying is on the increase. Cyber bullies spread rumors and slurs that spread like wildfire in cyberspace. According to the expert on the Oprah show, about 33 percent of bullying takes place at school and about 30 percent of bullying takes place over the internet.
Bullies use their voices and the internet to spread rumors about others. Sexual bullying or homophobic teasing is a very popular form of putting people down. Sexual bullying is calling guys gay or fag and calling girls a whore or lesbian.
Bystanders a Part of the Problem
Bystanders are a part of the problem of bullying. Standing by and allowing bullies to behave badly empowers the bullying behavior and accelerates the problem. People who just stand by in the face of bullying behavior appear to give their tactic approval of the behavior, making them a part of the “gang.”
Schools should be a place that is safe for children. Schools and social workers need to address the issue of bullying to make schools and communities safe. Bullying is an escalating problem, according to the experts on the Oprah Show. Schools, teachers and socials workers should protect the children in their charge by addressing the problem of bullying instead of sticking their collective heads in the sand and ignoring bullying behavior.
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