Outline - Farah Rihani 9C

Title: Remedies for This Age’s Epidemic

      I.            This current epidemic is rooted in typically physical and social factors that frequently lead to drastic effects on a students’ psychological and academic performance; so effective remedies ought to be made to curb the issue.

  II.             

A.   To begin with, holding prejudgment against someone due to his or her physical exterior could lead to a drastic deterioration on that person’s psychological wellbeing.

1.                      Citing official reports on the relation between physical appearance and bullying

2.                      Mentioning studies and experts who have confirmed the causal relationship between bullying and psychological instability

B.   Moreover, highlighting social distinctions among students is likely to cause a sharp, unexpected drop in academic achievements for the targeted pupil.

1.                      Alluding the contribution of the social hierarchy to harassment

2.                      Describing Ruth’s experience

C.    Having made clear the detrimental consequences of bullying, it is crucial to take serious actions as to diminish it and reduce the aftermath.

1.                      Obliging schools to take action

2.                      Suggesting the presence of counselors

3.                      Raising communal awareness

III.            As a conclusion, bullying, though rooted in many aspects like physical and social, almost always produces the same negative outcomes, typically psychological and academic.

Remedies for This Age’s Epidemic

“Bullying builds character like nuclear waste creates superheroes: it’s a rare occurrence and often does much more damage than endowment.” The aforesaid quote compares bullying to a fictional happening, often depicted in superhero movies, that actually causes more harm than the watcher – or a bystander – can tell. While the aftermath is very much existent and detrimental to victims, it isn’t the easiest to notice, for it is often masked well. In fact, the effects are plenty, as are the various causes of bullying. This current epidemic is rooted in typically physical and social factors that frequently lead to drastic effects on a students’ psychological and academic performance; so effective remedies ought to be made to curb the issue.

To begin with, holding prejudgment against someone due to his or her physical exterior could lead to a drastic deterioration on that person’s psychological wellbeing. Nearly a quarter of a billion children and teens worldwide are bullied each year, according to a report released by the United Nations educational and cultural agency, which found that bullies like to pick on children because of their looks and ethnic or racial differences. Children who were disabled or looked different, such as being overweight or underweight, were also a prime target for bullying. In another report published by YouthTruth, a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization that focuses on gathering student feedback on a range of issues, students also testified that their appearance was the most common reason why they were bullied. Whether physical or verbal, such harassment can lead to traumatic outcomes, as Lucy Bowes, a psychologist at the University of Oxford, found through a long-running study of British youth. The people who experienced frequent bullying at age 13 had double the risk of developing clinical depression at age 18, compared with people who were never bullied. A similar study was carried out by Dr. Andre Sourander, a professor of child psychiatry at the University of Turku in Finland. “Children bullied in early childhood have an increased risk of depressive disorders and need psychiatric treatment later on in life”, he said. “Previous studies have found a link between bullying and a higher risk of mental health problems during childhood, extending to adulthood, such as low self-esteem, depression, and an increased risk for suicide.” Such studies confirm the causal relation present between psychological deterioration and frequent bullying.

Moreover, highlighting social distinctions among students is likely to cause a sharp, unexpected drop in academic achievements for the targeted pupil. It is becoming apparent that popularity and social prestige are exactly why some kids bully. Trevor Romain, author of Bullies Are a Pain in the Brain, tells, “at a school, I recently visited, a group of kids told me that they felt bullying was worth the risk of being punished if it increased their popularity. Nothing really happens to us, because the teachers just tell us to be nice. We never do it in front of the teachers, so they don’t even know most of the time, one middle school girl said”. Kids intent on climbing the social ladder at school are more likely to pick on their fellow, lower-class students, science has also proven. One instance is Ruth, a seventh-grader coming from a family of mediocre laborers, who was mocked by her classmates for wearing worn-out clothes to school. They would compare her food to that of lab rats and make squeaking noises as they passed her in the halls. In order to avoid her bullies, Ruth would spend lunch outside, even in the cold winter, resultantly getting sick and having to miss school. Besides that, she would skip days on purpose as the situation progressively got harder to handle on her own. Sadly, no one offered her a helping hand, and Ruth eventually failed several of her classes, before moving away!

Having made clear the detrimental consequences of bullying, it is crucial to take serious actions as to diminish it and reduce the aftermath. One thing that only contributes more to the issue is the negligence of teachers when it comes to dealing with bullies. So, it is necessary to obligate schools to follow certain guidelines in such cases; through urging the government to establish strict legislations specific to harassment and bullying and to enforce penalties on institutions that overlook them. In addition, it should be a requirement in any school to have a trusted, certified counselor that students can head to and consult. It is necessary to encourage pupils to speak up about the struggles they go through, whether they are bullies or bullied. This makes the point of view of those involved in the actual occurrences less obscure and stimulates more understanding from authoritative figures in their environment. So, the measures taken would be more deliberate and fitting. Finally, courses or campaigns concerning the issue in all its notable aspects should be given regularly as a means of raising awareness and promoting comprehensive efforts from the entire community.

As a conclusion, bullying, though rooted in many aspects like physical and social, almost always produces the same negative outcomes, typically psychological and academic. Due to that, realistic methods must be applied to shrink the current concern. In the end, one must be part of the solution, not of the problem.