In a world ridden with stereotypes, societal standards of beauty, and economic struggles, some teenagers are at a very high risk of being the victims of bullies. Young men and women alike face this reality day after day, for what is often many years of their lives. By definition, “bullying” is the “use of superior strength or influence to intimidate (someone), typically to force him or her to do what one wants.” In this generation, it seems that strength is not the problem, rather superior influence. We live in a culture that allows for the idea that those who are “prettier” or have more “social power” have some kind of unspoken natural authority over those who are deemed “unpopular” or “unattractive.”
There are several problems here.
First of all, who is the decider? I think the most taboo part of bullying is the fact that someone at some point in time had to decide who was worthy and unworthy to be considered socially superior. This idea of social hierarchy is atrocious, especially during the age of adolescence. Teenagers and young adults are at a peak of vulnerability during Jr. High and High School. They are trying to figure out who they are individually and who they are among their peers. If they are being teased or mocked by their peers for being who they are, you can imagine the level of confusion they experience. “They don’t like the way I am. Should I change the way I do things so that they won’t make fun of me?” Everyone should be exactly who they are and not have to worry about being judged or mocked for it. There are an overwhelming number of teen suicides, and many of them can be accredited to the practice of bullying.
Social inequality amongst teenagers and young adults needs to be dealt with promptly.
It is – quite literally – a life or death issue in society today. No one is superior to another, especially not on the basis of physical appearance, race, gender identification, or any other discriminatory cause.
Another issue in regards to bullying is the fact that it is allowed to happen. Physical and verbal abuses are often times easy to spot and put an end to. But what about cyber-bullying? On social media, anyone can post anything they want to, and no one can really do anything about it. It is so easy for a person to post a hateful post, comment, or picture about someone else, and it is basically guaranteed that the victimized person will see it. In a sense, this is even more harmful than the “traditional” face-to-face bullying. On social media, everyone can see everything. So if someone posts a hateful tweet, it will appear on the feed of everyone who follows him or her.
It is so sad that young men and women today are being victimized and tormented for being the person they are or being in circumstances that are out of their control. There have been far too many deaths caused by the arrogance and ignorance of people who believe they are superior to the rest of society. No one is inferior or superior to anyone else. We are all equals and we are all made beautifully. No one should have to live in fear of being tormented for living his or her life. Put a stop to bullying. If you see it happening, say something. You could be the difference between someone’s last day of life and someone’s first day of truly living free.
