Let's Talk Tough: Bullying/Cyber-bullying

Welcome to Let's Talk Tough, a week-long series here at The Book Bratz where we discuss some hard topics in YA literature. Today's topic is Bullying and Cyber bullying in YA books - how they're written about, what's unrealistic about them, what is realistic, etc.

What is bullying? Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. What is Cyber Bullying? The use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature.

Sadly bullying is a common thing among adolescence now a days. Being someone who was bullied and then cyber bullied for years it is a sensitive topic for me. Which is why I decided I wanted to talk about it today. First I want to talk about the types of bullying. There are three types of bullying: Verbal, Social, and Physical. Verbal bullying is saying and writing mean things, such as: Teasing, Name-calling, Inappropriate sexual comments, Taunting, and Threatening to cause harm. Social sometimes referred to as relational bullying, involves hurting someone’s reputation or relationships. It includes: Leaving someone out on purpose, Telling other children not to be friends with someone, Spreading rumors about someone, Embarrassing someone in public. Physical bullying involves hurting a person’s body or possessions. This form includes: Hitting, kicking, pinching, Spitting, Tripping, pushing, Taking or breaking someone’s things, Making mean or rude hand gestures among other things.

All forms of bullying are exhibited and YA and everyone's experience with bullying is different so it isn't something to say that it isn't portrayed properly. People are cruel, some more so then others. When I was in elemertary school (The prime time of my bullying) there wasn't Cyber Bullying. It wasn't until you got a cellphone, or a Facebook that it started happening. Bullying was one of those things that you got to go home and escape it. With cyber bullying you don't. Sure you can shut your phone off but those messages and things were still there. I wasn't aware of how many forms of cyber bullying there were until I was doing some research about it for a project.

Typically, cyberbullying involves tweens and teens. If an adult is involved, it is considered cyber-harassment or cyberstalking. Harassing Someone

such as using text messaging, instant messaging and email to harass, threaten or embarrass the target. Impersonating Someone. For example developing a screen name that is similar to the victim’s screen name and then posting rude or hurtful remarks while pretending to be the victim, and/or Changing the target’s online profile to include sexual, racist or other inappropriate things.Using Photographs: Taking nude or degrading pictures of the victim in a locker room, a bathroom or dressing room without his or her permission, threatening to share embarrassing photos as a way of controlling or blackmailing the victim. There are tons of other ways that cyber bullying executed in real life.

That wasn't much about my views on it, but a bunch of information, but no author is wrong about how they execute bullying in their novels. Bullying takes all shapes and form and is different for everyone has ever had to deal with it.