ATLANTA — As many as one in three U.S. children have been ridiculed or threatened through computer messages, according to one estimate of the emerging problem of cyberbullying. Another new study found the problem is less common, with one in 10 kids reporting online harassment. But health experts said even the lower estimate signals a growing and concerning public health issue. “I wouldn’t consider something that 10 percent of kids report as low,” said Janis Wolak, a University of New Hampshire researcher who co-authored the second study.
not another bizarre word for the dictionary.....and this one we can actually turn off--kind of like crap on TV......this isn't getting bullied on the Soccer field or in the school bathroom.....please government save us......
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
I hope this was a 'private' study and not a taxpaid one! STUPID!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
CAPITAL REGION New bully in town is on Internet BY MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporter
Bullies used to be on street corners, waiting to take kids’ lunch money with the threat of their fists. Now, they type an e-mail message like “You are ugly.” They might copy a picture of their victim from a social networking Web site like MySpace, paste it onto an image of a donkey pulled off the Internet, then send it off to hundreds of people, who can then forward it to hundreds or thousands more. Welcome to the era of cyberbullying, which is proving challenging for administrators and students, especially when coupled with traditional bullying. Scotia-Glenville High School Assistant Principal Robert Cosmer said he believes one reason cyberbullying is becoming more common is that students are more comfortable typing messages from the privacy of their own home, where they think they are safe from reprisal. “A lot of sites like MySpace bring out the worst in kids. It allows them to express a darker side of their personality that they may not express in school,” he said. He said students have come in with copies of instant messages, but it can be hard to tie it to the person who sent the message. School officials encourage people to take questions about harassment via instant messages and phone calls to the Glenville Police. Like many schools, Scotia-Glenville has a zero-tolerance policy on bullying and cyberbullying. Cosmer said the school also tries to create a climate where students feel comfortable reporting threats. He works with the guidance counselors and the dean of students to try to get to the bottom of the matter and resolve the conflict. Disciplinary measures could range from in-school consequences such as detention and suspensions to harassment charges with the police. Richard Sarles, professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and an expert on bullying, said before the electronic age, bullying was often limited to school, the bus stop and the neighborhood. However, e-mail and cellphones have changed all that. “It’s out there in cyberspace for as long as somebody wants to keep using it,” he said. People can be caught in embarrassing situations. In the past, somebody could spread a story about a person; now, people can just send the image, Sarles said. In an extreme case, 13-year-old Megan Meier of Missouri committed suicide in December 2006 after being the victim of an Internet hoax. The mother of a friend of Meier’s posed as a teen boy and began corresponding with Meier through a MySpace account. After building Meier’s trust, the woman, posting as the teen boy, began sending derogatory messages about Meier. Thomas Perillo, principal of Lynch Literacy Academy middle school in Amsterdam, said the technology makes it easier for students to harass and bully others. About 21 million, or 90 percent, of teenagers in the United States are connected to the Internet. Perillo said the school encourages students and parents to print out any threats their children have received through the Internet and show them to administrators. The school will contact police if necessary. POLICE INVOLVEMENT As at many school districts, students at Lynch Middle cannot access social networking sites like MySpace on school computers, Perillo said. Colonie Police Sgt. Kenneth Fuchs, who works in the computer crimes unit, said police get involved in some cases. He said he sees three to four students each year arrested on aggravated harassment charges. Comments can range from hateful like “you’re the ugliest boy in the class,” to threats like “I’m going to kill your whole family.” If a child is being cyberbullied, it is important that people know how to respond properly. “Don’t automatically call the police because sometimes it ends up overescalating the matter,” Fuchs said. “Don’t overreact. Sit down and talk to your kid. Get all the facts.” Fuchs said that the children should not reply to the posting. If the harassment continues through e-mail, parents should contact the computer forum administrators. If a threat of violence exists, then they should call the police. SAFE ATMOSPHERE In addition to working with law enforcement when necessary, many school districts are focused on creating an overall atmosphere of safety and climate where students feel comfortable. Mohonasen High School Principal Patrick McGrath said school administrators know the students who cause the problems, and that complaints about bullying receive top priority. The school also has a peer mediation program, where 40 older children are formally trained to sit down with peers and work out their differences. Still, students seem to have difficulty letting someone know about bullying. “They think that they’re ratting on someone,” he said. Stillwater Superintendent Stanley Maziejka said he brought in consultant Mike Sgambelluri — the Safe Schools coordinator for Washington, Saratoga, Hamilton and Essex counties BOCES — to work with staff and students during a three-day period. The school also distributed a bullying survey to its students. Sgambelluri, a 34-year veteran of the Albany City School District, said it takes a community approach to stop bullying. Students have to feel comfortable talking to any school official — whether it be a teacher, custodian, secretary or administrator. “One of the big things I stress is about building a support network. So many times, kids feel they’re alone out there,” he said. SELF-ESTEEM ISSUES He believes a lot of the reason for bullying is low self esteem. People who have low self-esteem and passive personalities can become victims of bullies, while those with low self-esteem and aggressive personalities can become bullies. School officials need to work with both groups, he said, and teachers need to watch for changes in students’ personalities, which could be a sign they are being bullied. Amanda Nickerson, assistant professor of school psychology at the University at Albany, had a different view of the bullying personality. Bullies, she said, have a lot of self-esteem, but tend to be more aggressive. “Bullies tend to have a relatively positive view of themselves and see themselves as more entitled or able to exert their power over others,” she said. Nickerson said bullies need to be supervised at lunch or recess by trained professionals. She added that sometimes custodians, teachers aides or food staff people do not receive proper training on bullying. Schenectady School Superintendent Eric Ely said there is a misconception that the city schools are not safe, but only a small percentage of students cause problems. Ninety percent of the students come to school and do what is expected of them, he said. “Do we have the occasional fight? Absolutely. You put 10,000 in 18 buildings and leave them there for 180 days, see how many fights you have,” he said. Through a Safe Schools-Healthy Students grant, the district began a program on anti-bullying, teaching students appropriate behavior and training staff to work with students. “Most of our efforts are geared [toward the] prevention and education of students about proper ways to treat each other,” he said. School officials concentrate their anti-bullying efforts in elementary and middle schools because once they get to high school, it is not as big as a problem. Ely said 80 percent of the middle schools’ classrooms are “safe havens,” which are classrooms where any students walking in the hallways who feel threatened can go into — even if they do not belong in that particular class. School officials are trained to recognize bullies. And the district works closely with the Schenectady Police Department. For example, Ely said if an incident involving youths happens over a weekend, a police officer will give school resource officers a heads up about the situation. Ely said violent incidents have decreased since the district implemented these anti-bullying programs. Incidents of bullying this year so far declined about 10 percent from the previous year. Ely said creating a safe environment is important. “You can’t learn if you don’t feel safe, and you can’t learn if things aren’t calm,” he said.
He believes a lot of the reason for bullying is low self esteem. People who have low self-esteem and passive personalities can become victims of bullies, while those with low self-esteem and aggressive personalities can become bullies. School officials need to work with both groups, he said, and teachers need to watch for changes in students’ personalities, which could be a sign they are being bullied.
Back in the day we used to blame TV for our social issues('violent cartoons', 3 Stooges etc) Now we have 'reality TV', (American Idol, survivor, etc) where those getting voted out were the 'undesirables'....which means kids(or anyone) will 'learn' not to want to be the dork in the bunch not to get 'voted out'..... back in the day we used to say--"suck it up this will make you strong",,,,,
cyberbulling is just another extention of our move up the ladder of technology-now we get to 'herd around' with our cell phones with internet access, music, pictures etc(24/7) along with 'reality shows' and all the narcisism we can handle......the bulling of society will never stop, it just gets louder, and louder and louder.....
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
Good example Senders ... it's ok to judge/ridicule and malign everyone on TV during reality shows, dating websites, etc ... people have NO thick skin anymore.
Good example Senders ... it's ok to judge/ridicule and malign everyone on TV during reality shows, dating websites, etc ... people have NO thick skin anymore.
America has gotten soft----like the doughnut man.....oops or doughnut woman......
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
There were bullys when I was in school. They were far, few and in between. And they were told that it was WRONG!
But today I do think that it has gotten a bit out of control. There seems to be a lack of 'respect'. It seems to be that our social fabric is unraveling. Bullying was for 'kids'. Today we see it EVERYWHERE and at every age.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Main Entry: 3bully Function: verb Inflected Form(s): bul·lied; bul·ly·ing Date: 1693 transitive verb 1 : to treat abusively 2 : to affect by means of force or coercion intransitive verb : to use browbeating language or behavior : bluster synonyms see intimidate
So, was Mr.Spitzer a bully or a sex offender or a victim????? Teach on leaders teach on.........I'm sure there will be a very enlightening article in Playboy and Penthouse on this subject.....I wonder if Mr.Spitzer or the rest of the 'leaders' have stock in these companies.....hhhmmm,,,,wouldn't that make them accomplices???? this web is getting bigger and bigger......
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
Bully-transitive verb 1 : to treat abusively 2 : to affect by means of force or coercion
It also sounds like some Catholic priests Ive read about
And teachers and cops and people in political positions!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
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