The pen is mightier than the sword or so the adage goes. When this was once said, it was to highlight the power of thoughts and ideas over brute force and violence as a way to effect change. Today, the pen can very well be a tap of a button, as social media has reinvented our way of life anew — for good or for bad.
Regardless of political affiliation or social philosophy, it is undeniable how the power of social media has shaped recent events. The perceived anonymity that social media brings tends to shed people’s normal sensibilities or even basic civility. We therefore sometimes see posts or commentaries meant to embarrass competence and intelligence, gender or just plain rumour mongering.
Bullying is termed as a form of abuse that uses power and dominance to those that are weaker and less powerful. Bullying has been taking place in various areas but it is mostly common in schools and workplaces. It exists in various social groups, social classes and is found all over the world. The behavior is usually repetitive and aggressive and it is based on the sole intention of hurting the victim. Bullies carry out the behavior to harm the other person as a way of gaining power over the other person. It is normally a behavior that is planned and purposeful.
Bullying in schools has become very common and it has led to some very serious consequences. It has led to physical violence in forms of fight and in some extreme cases deaths by suicides. Cases have emerged of some forms of bullying in the schools that have led to some of these severe consequences. Children who are victims have had to live with short term and long term consequences of the behavior. Some of the other effects include poor performance in their studies, depression, bedwetting, being withdrawn, changing schools regularly and is some cases suicides among other. Direct bullying is more common among boys than with the girls. However, physical abuse in boys tends to reduce as they progress in age. The victims of bullying sometimes carry these effects such as depression and low self-esteem into their adulthood.
Eboña Annie T.
Bullying in the Philippines 