Sticks And Stones: Defeating The Culture Of Bullying By Emily Bazelon

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Emily Bazelon discussed the national topic of bullying in her lecture, “Sticks and Stones” Defeating the Culture of Bullying”. Bazelon starts by defining bullying as a commonly misunderstood concept. She argues that not all conflicts between children are considered bullying. Bullying, Bazelon believes, should be a narrow term, which excludes drama or regular two-seeded conflict; consequently, she regards bullying as repetitive behavior that is a “campaign to make someone miserable”. In other words, bullying is not a fight; it is one-sided. In addition, states in the “Sticks and Stones” presentation that bullying cuts across all areas of income and gender; thus, bullying affects all types of adolescents. Overall, Bazelon wants to narrow the …show more content…
The first method Bazelon suggests to limit bullying is “the garden” metaphor. Like a garden that has to slowly grow in order to flourish, an emphasis on moral and character development should be put into the fabric of the community, replacing the hostility or aggressiveness, which is created by child academic or social competition. Another technique Bazelon discuses to diminish bullying are the bystander’s influence. She points out that both cyber and face-to-face bullying typically occur in front of an audience and on average only twenty percent of bystanders stand up to the bullies. Bazelon notes that stereotypical Hollywood-heroic actions are not needed to stand up to a bully. Small shows of solidarity can make a difference in the victim’s life or persuade the bully to stop. The third tactic Bazelon recommends that people should take against bullying is the campaign approach. By having students post flyers around school or create video advertisements, adolescents will constantly see the message “Stop Bullying”—or something of that nature—while they are at school or in their community. This approach helps children realize that they have control over their school or community’s culture. Lastly, Bazelon presents the approach of having older peers, who the students have a connection with, help victims of bullying. She …show more content…
Berk (2012) shows that each type of child rearing style follows specific patterns and behavioral forms of parenting; consequently, each style influences the psychological and emotional growth of the child during middle childhood, adolescence, and emerging adulthood, differently. Like children who were reared by authoritarian, permissive, and uninvolved parents, children who are bullied can develop anxiety and substance abuse problems into adulthood. Bazelon argues that parents can instill empathy into their children by telling them stories, reading books, or watching TV shows and movies that allow the child to connect with someone who is different then his or her self. These factors—telling stories, reading books, etc.—can help instill morals and character into their children. Overall, Bazelon, like Berk (2012), believes that parental influences can positively help a child’s emotional development, limiting bullying, by instilling empathy in

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