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Modern Day Bullying And Its Effect On Education

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Modern Day Bullying and Its Effect on Education
Dominique Rollins
Catawba College Modern Day Bullying and Its Effect on Education

The current definition of a “bully,” is listed as “a blustering browbeating person; especially: one habitually cruel to others who are weaker,” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). Over the past 15 years, the term “bullying” has changed from a word that describes what was once perceived as children and teenagers making and playing harmless jokes and pranks on each other, to a word that describes the relentless harassment and sometimes violence that individuals are subjected to at various life stages. Despite the fact that bullying can affect and involve more than just students, it is most prevalent among the school age population. Unfortunately, this also means that there are deep rooted ties to violence and suicide amongst youth in America. There are many contributors to such behavior, some of which have only yet to be explored as we are at the forefront of what is considered to be the digital age. However, bullying is not a new age idea exclusive to the 21st century. One of the earliest documented examples of bullying, where that specific term is mentioned, is in the August 6th, 1862 publication of The Times (London). In the paper, the writer makes reference to the act of bullying as it related to a soldier’s death. The soldier was killed by a 21 year old soldier named John Flood, who was the victim of “long, malignant and systematic bullying,”

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