Page 9 - 2018_Jour_85-1_Societal-Issues

Schools and Societal Issues 9

often restless, clumsy, immature, unable to concentrate, and generally considered difficult.
They may themselves try to bully weaker students. Some individuals in this category may
be characterized as hyperactive (unsettled and restless because of concentration difficulties)
and often have reading and writing problems. These individuals may also be disliked by
adults—their teacher, for example—because of their irritating behavior (Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2004).
Well-known individuals, such as President Bill Clinton, actor Robin Williams, football
player Nick Gatto, and former FBI director James Comey have come forth and reported
abuse they endured as students and children because of bullying.
• Clinton wrote in My Life (2004) that teasing was a part of his elementary and
junior high years due to his weight.
• Williams similarly stated, “I was frequently bullied at school and on the playground
in Detroit.” Williams, the son of a wealthy Ford executive, noted how he ended up playing
alone in a huge 30-room mansion, where he mapped out gigantic battles with his more than
2,000 toy soldiers. He detailed how he ended up talking to himself, as well as narrating the
battle as it progressed down the cavernous halls (Jones, 2002).
• Gatto was born with an arm that ends below his elbow. As an elementary and junior
high student, he came home crying after being teased about his arm. He described his
teasing as merciless. Once Gatto entered high school, the teasing stopped, and classmates
and teammates began to treat him fairly. Gatto went on to attend Arkansas State, where he
was a kicker for their football team. With help from Dolphin’s kicking coach Doug Blevins,
who helped him improve his kicking style, Gatto signed with the AFL Orlando Predators
(Weiner, 2000).
• Comey, the former FBI director, in his book, A Higher Loyalty – Truth, Lies, and
Leadership (2018), related how he was bullied. He also related that he was a bystander to
a bullying incident while in college. Later, he attempted to apologize to the young man for
his bad behavior.

Prevalence and Impact of Bullying
Of students who reported being bullied at Students reported that
school, 33% indicated that they were bullied at
least once or twice a month during the school the most harmful things
year. Of those students who reported being teachers can do are tell the
bullied, 13% were made fun of, called names, or
insulted; 12% were the subject of rumors; 5% student to solve the problem
were pushed, shoved, tripped, or spit on; and 5%
were excluded from activities on purpose. Bullied on his or her own...
students indicated that bullying had a negative
effect on how they felt about themselves (19%),
on their relationships with friends and family and on their school work (14%), and on their
physical health (9%). Students who experienced bullying were twice as likely as nonbullied
peers to experience negative health effects such as headaches and stomach aches (National
Center for Educational Statistics, 2016). Youth who self-blamed and concluded they
deserved to be bullied were more likely to face negative outcomes, such as depression,
prolonged victimization, and maladjustment
A slightly higher portion of female than of male students reported being bullied at
school (23% vs. 19%). In contrast, a higher percentage of male than of female students
reported being physically bullied (6% vs. 4%) and threatened with harm (5% vs. 3%).