Bullying via Text Messaging on the Rise

The other day I blogged about an alleged abuse victim of Jerry Sandusky being victimized twice. First it was the sexual abuse he went through as a younger child and now as a senior in high school, the bullying because he was the first victim to speak up. Now I just ran across an article about a new study that has come out on bullying. Things have apparently “leveled off” when it comes to online bullying. However, a new form of bullying is on the rise, through text messaging. This is yet another way to hide behind a device and … Continue reading

Bystanders to Bullying

I have written a number of blogs on the topic of bullying but a recent “Dateline” special got me thinking about another aspect of bullying…the role of a bystander. As one expert on the show said, “Bystanders are absolutely the most critical part of stopping bullying.” She said that most bystanders tend to think they are doing the right thing, by not participating. They think they are in a neutral position. However by refusing to intervene and stop the bullying, they are really siding with the bully. I had never given much thought to that. I have talked to my … Continue reading

Bullying Leads to a Suicide Pact

Suicide is such a devastating way to go. Recently two 8th grade girls (who were also best friends), Haylee Fentress and Paige Moravetz, made a suicide pact. The reason? They were being ostracized and bullied by others. Both girls left behind a note for their families. Bullying continues to be a huge problem today. Although bullying has always existed, it seems to have reached new levels…in some part, no thanks to technology. There are some who believe that bullying is just a part of childhood and that those who are victims need to somehow suck it up and deal with … Continue reading

Victimized Twice

As if it isn’t enough that a child would be the victim of former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky, to then become the victim of bullying. Yes, twice victimized. A 17-year-old from Pennsylvania had to leave his high school because other students were blaming him for Penn State coach Joe Paterno getting fired after he failed to report an incident of child sexual abuse to police. This 17-year-old was apparently the first victim to come forward and now he is being persecuted. He has not only had to deal with the sexual abuse he endured when he was around … Continue reading