Fall 2007

Online Project Two: No Bullying Teach-In

Handout One: Fact Sheet

The Offense:

Bullying is behavior that that annoys, alarms, and is abusive to another person. Bullying can be physical or verbal. It can take place face-to-face, on the telephone, or on the Internet. Threatening another person is also a form of bullying. Simply continuing to do something to a person when they have asked that it stop can be considered bullying.

The Impact…on victims

This offense can have serious impacts on victims. Aside from any physical injury the offender caused, the victim also has to overcome the emotional damage that bullying can cause. At the very least, bullying is annoying to victims and the people who are close to them. In more serious cases, bullying causes both physical and emotional stress. Most people who been bullied often develop low sense of self esteem unless they understand that the offender's low of self esteem caused the problems in the first place. However, in some cases, victims cannot put their experience into perspective and may seek retaliation that can lead to more violence.

…on the community

In the last few years, teachers and students have become more aware of the damage that bullying can do. Victims, offenders, and friends and families of both suffer the consequences of this offense. Bullying can lead to tragedy as we have learned from cases of school shootings that have been planned, and in some cases, carried out, by young people who have been the victims of this offense.

…on the offender

Aside from getting a reputation as a bully or nuisance, people who pick on others don't often make strong friendships. The harder it becomes to make friends, the more a person might want to bully others, so it creates a cycle that is hard to break. In addition to the emotional stress, this offense can put the offender and the victims in danger. While one victim may ignore the conduct and simply call on authorities to deal with it, another might react violently.