A Persuasive Speech On Bullying

Bullying is one of the leading causes in teen suicide today. People bullied in the past or present have been studied and it has shown that they have a lower quality of life. Though they have a lower quality of life, the have better physical and mental health. (“Seaman” 1). Studies have shown that most bullying happens in middle school and high school. There is bullying in elementary school but it is minimal and less serious (“Bullying Statistics” 1). Most kids refuse to speak up while being bullied in fear that the bully will just taunt them more (“Cyber-Safety Act” 2). Bullying has become a very serious issue regarding our society today.

“A 14-year-old girl in treatment for depression, reported that she was being bullied in school. She said that girls in her classes constantly made negative comments about her appearance, dress, and behavior. They excluded her from social activities despite her desire to participate. She said that the girls were telling lies about her to boys in the class, which was damaging her reputation. What upsets her the most was that an online site had been created in which students were encouraged to write all the reasons they hated her. She cried and said that she could not avoid the bullying even outside of school. She believed the only way to escape the bullying was to not exist anymore, and she confirmed that she was suicidal.”(Karen 2016) Bullying at the age of 13-19 increases the rate of depression, anxiety, suicide, and other mental health issues. Bullying is plaguing teens across the United States and is causing possible mental health issues later in victims’ lives. Each local community needs to take action to dull the effects bullying has on teens.

One of the many health problems affecting children or adolescents today is bullying. Children who experience bullying reported that they got bullied by their looks, body shape, and/or race (Bullying 2015). One out of every four students (22%) report being bullied during the school year in the United States (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2015). About 46% of children or adolescents in Kentucky are victims of bullying in schools. Bullying is most commonly described by three characteristics: it is intentionally harmful, it is repetitive in nature, and there is a power difference between the bully and the victim (Oleweus, 1993). Almost 64% of children who are bullied do not report it; only 36% report the bullying (Petrosina, Guckenburg, DeVoe, And Hanson, 2010). It is impossible to determine the exact number of bullying incidents that occur in our primary and secondary schools each year. While there is some evidence to suggest that students now find schools safer that they were ten years ago, but bullying still occurs every day somewhere in someone’s life.

Bullying has become more of an issue that is threatening our younger generation today. Bullying is becoming more of a vicious act in public schools throughout the United States (Coloroso, 2003; Felix & McMahon, 2006). There are many adverse effects that are caused by this disgraceful act. The average school-age child is silently or overtly tormented on a daily basis. Many of these students who experience bullying feel that they have no one to talk to, or that they have no where to go. The motives that the bullies take can cause harmful and even devastating results. In today’s society, bullying provokes emotional, social, and cognitive distress in the

“Nationwide, one out of four students from the ages twelve to eighteen have been bullied. That is twenty five percent to the teenage/young adult population and these numbers are continuously to rise every day” (Wassdorp, Bradshaw, and Leaf 116, 149-156). Bullying is the action of repeated harmful acts or harassing another in various forms. Many situations fall under one or even multiple of these categories: physical, verbal, indirect, and cyber. What this does is strips the victim down from their identity and leaves them to pity themselves for being the way they are. Bullying is an issue in this nation because it tears apart the teenage/young adult population, and it is causing an increase in risk of suicide among these groups. Bullying is

Bullying has become a major issue in the United States and around the world. What brought the attention to people about bullying is the number of suicides that are committed by adolescents and the stories they share online or live television. Bullying is categorized to be direct verbal, direct physical, and indirect forms. Not every person has an idea how terrible bullying can be and how harmful it is to the victim. Bullying has driven students to commit actions they have never done before such as cutting themselves, suicidal thoughts, health disorders, and bad behavior. Bullying must be taken seriously, because it results in negative effects on its victims and may drive students to commit horrific actions. Lawmakers should draft anti-bullying legislation, students should stand up for one another, and society should work out what can be done to combat this problem.

Bullying can be found almost everywhere; in homes, on the internet, and especially in schools. Students of lesser abilities or non-conformists can essentially be main targets; however, anyone is vulnerable to a bully’s wrath. Although the common lunch thief threat has been the general association with the word bully, that term has unfortunately evolved and become apart of the violent side of our culture today. All too often students feel the need to “disappear” or escape leading to destructive decisions such as suicide, substance abuse, or depression (Kowalski 6). Today the causes of bullying are involved with social differences such as sexual orientation, physical appearance, ethnicity, or insecurities. For the past few years bullying has gradually increased in the US, and of course worldwide because of the internet’s growing diverse locations and servers. Statistics show that “A total of 29.9% of the sample reported moderate or frequent involvement in bullying, as a bully (13.3%), one who was bullied (10.6%), or both (6.3%)” (NIH Public Access). Forms of bullying include through a computer screen also known as cyberbullying and through physical confrontation leading students to experience symptoms of depression which could also provoke deeper personal issues. Cyberbullying has come across society through social media sites as well as personal opinion. Children are now breaking the norm of traditional confrontation and dunking heads in toilets

“A 14-year-old girl in treatment for depression, reported that she was being bullied in school. She said that girls in her classes constantly made negative comments about her appearance, dress, and behavior. They excluded her from social activities despite her desire to participate. She said that the girls were telling lies about her to boys in the class, which was damaging her reputation. What upsets her the most was that an online site had been created in which students were encouraged to write all the reasons they hated her. She cried and said that she could not avoid the bullying even outside of school. She believed the only way to escape the bullying was to not exist anymore, and she confirmed that she was suicidal.”(Karen 2016) Bullying at the age of 13-19 increases the rate of depression, anxiety, suicide, and other mental health issues.Bullying is plaguing teens across the United States and is causing mental health issues later in victims’ lives. Each local community needs to take action to dull the effects bullying has on teens.

Over 3.2 million students are victims of bullying each year. Approximately 160,000 teens skip school every day because of bullying. 17% of American students report being bullied 2 to 3 times a month or more within a school semester. Bully victims are between 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims. Bullying and depression are often related. Depression affects both bullies and their victims. Victims of cyberbullying may be at an even higher risk of depression. The link between bullying and depression can also extend to other problems, like: low self esteem, anxiety, high rates of school absence, physical illness. If you see bullying going on tell a teacher or help make the bullying stop, because you don’t want to have the person being bullied have suicidal thoughts, depression, or kill

Bullying affects children and teenagers because it can lead to low self esteem, isolation, depression, and even self-harm or worse, suicide. There are many websites that are not conclusive because they contain anecdotes without statistical evidence or case studies and research. “Bullying Is a 'Serious Public Health Problem,' Experts Say” by Ashley Strickland’s audience ranges from parents to teenagers. Strickland provides credible information on bullying because she includes essential content, statistical evidence, and solutions, which makes this article as an important and valuable source to use for a cause-and-effect essay.

Here we will be focusing on the aspect of bullying and the effects that the act has on young children well into adolescent hood. Bullying is a form of power control; According to Dr. Elizabeth Nassem and Dr. Ann Harris, authors of “Why do Children Bully” have defined the term “bullying” as followed: bullying is usually defined as a specific form of aggression which is repeated, intentional and where the bully clearly has more power (physical or psychological) over the victim (Nassem & Harris 2014). The fact is that suicide is the leading cause of death of youth here in the United States(Bauman, Toomey and Walker). Given the statistics in Associations among bullying, cyber bullying and suicide in high school students, it

I look around and as I thought I had just smashed my one-hundredth alarm clock. I feel like I should get a medal for my hard work every day, breaking alarm clocks......not.

More than 3 million students are bullied each year and over 14 percent of those students commit suicide (“Parent Alert: Websites that Encourage Kids to Behave and Not Harm Themselves”) . No state has ever passed a law about hazing or cyberbullying in all of history but do have some legislations against it (“ Facts about Bullying”). Bullying can affect everyone those who are bullied, those who bully, and those who witness bullying(“ Facts about Bullying”).Most people face Bullying issues through the years of adolescence (“ Facts about Bullying”).No state has ever passed a law about hazing or cyber bullying (“ Facts about Bullying”) . Although there are some people that believe bullying it is a natural part of growing up and is not that serious, this is an issue that is causing students to commit suicide and self-harm, skip school, and continue the cycle of bullying. These negative effects can be lessened

“I’m worthless” “I’m too short” “ I’m not good enough for them” “I’m too ugly to be here” “What’s my purpose… I’ve only caused harm instead of good.” “Maybe if I starve myself i’’l be skinnier” “I need a slimmer appearance” “Maybe I should just put on more makeup… or maybe I should just leave the world”

Bullying is no laughing matter and the fact that some people do not take it seriously is really depressing. It’s a real-world issue that needs to be dealt with. According to Jeremy Side and Kelley Johnson (2014), “Bullying in schools is an issue which, in spite of a strong body of research literature, and government guidance designed to reduce bullying, continues to affect an estimated 50-80% of young people” (p. 217). Side and Johnson believe that people who seem most affected by the situation are younger students who attend schools today. The authors then explain how there are children every year who commit suicide from being bullied. This evidence is relevant, because it provides more exposure as to why bullying is such a serious deal