Understanding the Negative

Understanding the Negative

March 5th, 2017 by Jasmyn Williams

From the wise words of Bella Thorne, "If people are trying to bring you down, it only means that you are above them". To prove yourself is something today's society solely relies on, but who exactly are we proving ourselves to? Those who judge the clothes you wear, the words you speak, and the personality within you, that's who. Detaching yourself from the world, take a close look as to who is around you and how they are being treated. Rates of bullying vary across studies (from 9% to 98%). A meta-analysis of 80 studies analyzing bullying involvement rates (for both bullying others and being bullied) for 12-18 year old students reported a mean prevalence rate of 35% for traditional bullying involvement and 15% for cyberbullying involvement (Modecki, Minchin, Harbaugh, Guerra, & Runions, 2014). Most of today's bullying stems from one's physical appearance, race, those who identify as LGBT, and many more. In the moment, bullies take action on a victim for the simple "joys" it brings to them, yet the effects it's causing the victims is getting overlooked by too many people. According to pacer.org, there is a strong association between bullying and suicide-related behaviors, but this relationship is often mediated by other factors, including depression, violent behavior, and substance abuse (Reed, Nugent, & Cooper, 2015). Also, a meta-analysis found that students facing peer victimization are 2.2 times more likely to have suicide ideation and 2.6 times more likely to attempt suicide than students not facing victimization (Gini & Espelage, 2014). Putting this into perspective, thinking twice before the hurtful words you want to speak come out, ask yourself if you could handle being an influence on your peer's emotional health. As bystander, your job is simple, intervene or get help, everyone is equal and deserves the same respect everyone wishes to receive. Pulling together as a community, if we spread kind words and offer our help to those who suffer from bullying, we can achieve unity and put an end to the negative behavior that has become so common in our world today.

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