The Importance Of Bullying In Schools

Bullying has often been excused by schools through dismissive sayings or rhymes about sticks and stones, but Lee Hirsch’s documentary, Bully, uncovers the troubling reality of bullying in U.S. schools today and its heartbreaking effects on five victims and their families. My personal experience with bullying was verbal, but it was minimal and bearable in comparison to the disturbing episodes shown in the documentary. Internal struggles or similar abuse are often the factors that create a bully, but anyone can be victimized and left suffering from psychological damage. It is pivotal for both parents and school administrators to address the cruelty children in schools everywhere show to their peers. Bully uses harsh reality of bullying to inspire change across the country, encouraging people to …show more content…
Boys would roughhouse and girls would use sharp words to inflict pain on their victims. Students switched schools to avoid their bullies after being harassed with name calling and rumors or being thrown across the locker room. The episodes at my schools resembled the violence seen in Bully, as well as the verbal abuse that can be just as harmful. Just like the documentary, parents begged for more support from the school administrators, though change continued to be closer to a pipe dream than reality. The reason behind bullying is unique to the situation, but it often relates to the desire to have control and show dominance. Often times, the bully themselves have been victimized by parents or perhaps older siblings, creating a continual line of tormenters. In the film, after being stabbed, choked, punched, and degraded on the school bus, 14 year old Alex Libby states that he had been hurt so badly that he wants to become the bully himself. Without a stand against this cruelty, there becomes an endless line of