On May 6th 2009, Oprah interviewed the two mothers of the boys who recently committed suicide as a result of bullying.
The Truth About Bullying
University of Illinois professor Dr. Dorothy Espelage says there’s a term for what Carl and Jaheem experienced—sexual bullying. Dr. Espelage says half of all bullying in elementary and middle schools involves the use of gay slurs.
“Kids are introduced to sexual materials earlier in life, some of which they don’t understand—language they don’t understand,” she says. “Kids use these words really not knowing that there are serious short-term and long-term consequences.”
Sexual bullying is really a form of sexual harassment, Dr. Espelage says. “Sexual harassment is calling others these names of ‘gay’ and ‘fag,’ and when you do that, directed to boys, it’s the most hurtful thing you can do to attack their masculinity,” she says. “When you call a girl a ‘whore,’ a ‘lesbian,’ it serves the same purpose.”
Dr. Espelage says it’s important to realize that this bullying isn’t usually perpetrated by one bully. “It’s groups of kids that do it. Some kids that are popular, this is how they establish dominance; this is how they look cool,” she says. “Then you’ve got good kids around them … contributing to it, egging it on, not supporting the victim, and ultimately it becomes a climate problem. It’s the school’s problem.”
(Click here for the full article)
The story of 11-year-old Carl Walker-Hoover and 11-year-old Jaheem Herrera remind people of the serious effects of bullying.
Bullying is an issue every school must address. It is the responsibility of school administrators to guarantee a safe environment for learning and healthy development.
It is not acceptable to tolerate any type of verbal abuse.
According to Dr. Espelage, attacking someone’s sexuality is one of the most hurtful things you can do.
Schooltipline’s unique two-way communication model provides children with the necessary tools to stop the abuse. Teens are often afraid to come forward with information and Schooltipline helps provide them a way to report that is both anonymous and easy.
Tags: bullying, Carl Walker-Hoover, Jaheem Herrera, Oprah Show, schooltipline, sexual bullying, sexual harrasement
May 18, 2009 at 3:11 pm |
It seems like the only way we are going to stop things like this is to go to the source. We need the kids to get into school safety things. They need to be looking out for each other.