It's Friday afternoon, I'm getting myself ready to play a gig and so my house is a mess of guitar parts, strings, sheet music, lyrics and other 'musicy' stuff, finally some time to chill-out. So, as awlays I head straight for the computer and debate between reading the news or watching sh***y movies that have always been a guilty pleasure of mine. I opt for reading the news...first. One 'click' and I'm on the Huffington Post website and I begin scrolling down through the page, skipping the "NSFW" article, that I am sure is thrilling, about a Kardashia-bot and even skip passed the stories about how Biden trounced Ryan in the US VP debate last night. I'm looking for some more light-hearted fodder to keep me amused. All of a sudden that folly is quickly swept away by the headling "Schoolgirl Amanda Todd Documented Bullying On YouTube Before Suicide (VIDEO)". I quickly click the link to read the story only to find that nothing has changed. Still, young people, are becoming victims to cyber-bullying and bullying in general.
Amanda Todd's Video
The tragic story of Amanda Todd in many ways echoes the case of Ciara Pugsley in Co. Leitrim, Ireland. It seems the numbers of teens resorting to suicide to escape torturous bullying is on the increase and it is becoming a pandemic that is not confined within the borders of the United States, as we the 'other' Westerners would like to believe.
We very quickly judge the United States for whatever tragedies emerge and use the excuse "ah sure, they're American, they're bloody nuts anyway. Nothing we can do!". Well, Amanda Todd and Ciara Pugsley would disagree with you. At least in the United States there has been a massive campaign against teen and cyber bullying. Reachout, Puresight and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) have each highlighted cyber-bullying as a major cause of teen anxiet, depression and an emerging factor in the cause of teen suicide.
There are a number of ways of dealing with the bullies and a number of ways of dealing with those being bullied. Unfortunately, it seems that these remedies are reactive rather than proactive. Choosing the right course of action is difficult because of the nuances of the subject as well as the issues of protection and sensitivity required. Some of the generally selected 'remedies' seem to go as follows:
- Incarcarating bullies is one option, of course.
- Restrict teen access to social-networking tools.
- Removal of those being bullied from the schools they are being bullied in is also an option.
But...
- How about more comprehensive counselling within schools?
- Why not make those who cyber-bully, rather than locking them up in juvenile detention centres, perform community service for the duration of their probation period in the shape of explaining consequences and remorse to teenage students?
- Why not make social networking sites responsible for the age verification of accounts? If pornographic and alcohol related websites have to have age verification processes, shouldn't social networking?
- Why not have mandatory adult education courses for parents? Schools like the idea of telling parents about the progress of their children ad the school during 'parent-teacher' events. Why not designate a little time to issues that can have a fatal effect on their children?
On the academic front there is sadly little apparent funding that goes towards this kind of research. I would urge that this status change. Certainly, when one runs 'cyber-bullying research project' through a search engine, there are not many outlets of information. Social science, including political science and sociology, seems to gravitate towards funding. Funding tends to come from financially well-endowed NGOs or Government initiatives geared towards finding solutions to global issues such as poverty and Third-World issue alleviation. As a result, departments start to rotate around certain issues with little care for research outside of particular areas of interest. Considering the economic hardship that social science academia has endured over the last half a decade, this is understandable but should not be as easily accepted. The issues of bullying, cyber-bullying and teen suicide, while considered by many to fall under the taboo 'hashtag' of #firstworldproblems is something that perhaps does not impinge on less well off countries nearly as much as it does in the "Western World", it should not be ignored. This is a very real issue that, sadly, could become something that in 10 years we might all say that we "know someone" who took their own life back in Secondary/High School or "a friend of a friend" did it. Luckily, despite the economic troubles that we have and currently face, still have the resources to muscle up to these issues and tackle them head on.
As the 2012 school year in the US, Canada and Europe has kicked off the question now becomes, how many will fall victim to bullying by the end of the school year. Writers such as Elena Barbeiro and Clare Sarson (both writing for HufPost) have written excellent articles on the topics addressed above. I can only ask you to read them, especially if you are a teenager or have teenage children in school, online, or at risk.
This is the first article since March 2012. Apologies for that. Life is hectic and I had thought I wouldn't be continuing this blog. However, with the relevations that a number of the issues addressed in this blog have yet to be recognised at any significant level it seems there will be plenty of things to talk about. Of course, this is unfortunate in that it means that people like me, who write about these issues, are ignored and also that those suffering continue to. But it won't be all sad news and ranting from now on. I hope to continue throwing in articles about music, entertainment etc. that, those of you who actively read the blog and provide feedback, have said you have missed. TTFN
