books and bullying

          This school's bullying problem mainly stems from privilege. It lies in an upper middle-class part of town. In AP Psych, our class was asked whether poor or middle class (and up) people do more drugs. The majority of the class thought poor, when the reality is that Drugfree.org found that those with a higher income have a higher drug rate. After a fight at the school, people started suggesting “ghetto” students be kicked out.. The students at this school are raised in a bubble they have no interest in popping. They  are ignorant of how ignorant they are, and it leads to minorities at this school getting bullied, or jokes about friends that are charged with negativity, or gossip that leads to rumors and hate, or deciding that your opinion is more important than someone’s life.             Some students argue that they are not the cause of the problem, so they shouldn't have to receive punishment in the form of assemblies, lectures, and guest speakers. They argue that not everyone at Kennedy is prejudiced or ignorant. But the reality is that bullies don’t always realise they are a part of the problem. They push the blame on others, because they don’t realise those little things they say to maintain power really do count as bullying. After all, according to Psychology Today, bullies cover any low self-esteem they have with defensive egos. The only way to reach every last one is to talk to every student.

The solutions given to students who are bullied have been found to not work. Ignoring harassment, telling the perpetrator to stop, or telling them that the bullying hurts their feelings, and walking away do not fix the problem. A Penn State study found that having a peer intervene and support a student being harassed is the most effective way to help. It was also found by the Journal of Adolescent Health that while bullying isn’t the sole cause of suicide, it does increase risk of suicide by 250% and reported suicide attempts by 340%. Support for students

Teachers and faculty  need to address this school's problems with privilege and mental illness. They need to teach respect,and they need to single people out, not continue with their vague be kind to others mantra. They need to talk about the mental illness, and the prejudice, and the ignorance that runs rampant at this school. Bullying does exist at Kennedy, addressing the sources is the only way to fix it.