Phoebe Prince, Bullying, and Me
by Kara Miller
April 9, 2010
Yahoo News
Phoebe Prince killed herself on January 14. Today is April 12, and her name is still in the news, both locally and nationally. Why?
Partially, of course, it's because District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel has charged six teenagers in the case, all of whom were arraigned last week.
But there’s another – more wide-reaching – story here. A story not about violent, over-the-top bullying (the kind Prince endured) but about ordinary, run-of-the-mill bullying. Not so violent that any crime is committed. Not so horrific that school officials are clued in. But so ubiquitous that almost everyone has seen it or been targeted by it.
After all, particularly violent bullying – at least by girls – does not appear to be on the rise. Mike Males, a researcher at the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, and Meda-Chesney Lind, a professor at the University of Hawaii, noted in The New York Times last week that the number of girls arrested for assault hit a “peak of 16,800 in 1995, then dropped sharply, to 13,300 in 2008. So, at best, claims that girls’ violence is rising apply to girls of 15 to 25 years ago, not today.”
General, non-violent harassment, though, is pervasive. And it can easily snowball...
E! Investigates Bullying - A National Epidemic
April 21, 2010, 10:00 PM, ET/PT
(Los Angeles, CA, April 7, 2010) - Every day, thousands of kids across the
country are afraid to go to school thanks to an epidemic of vicious behavior
among American teenagers. It is estimated that 20% of children are victims of
bullying. These attacks come in the form of physical and verbal abuse, as well
as by newer methods of harassment using cell phones and the internet. Once
thought to be just harmless teasing, the real-life effects of bullying can
include prolonged depression and even suicide. Recently, according to police, a
15-year-old girl in Massachusetts hung herself after being taunted by a group of
girls who posted mocking messages on their Facebook pages. This one-hour
episode sheds light on several recent stories and the tragic effects that can
result from this all-too-common behavior when E! Investigates: Bullying airs
April 21 at 10:00 PM ET/PT, only on E!.
By all accounts, Dylan Theno was a happy, well-adjusted boy in a small Kansas
community. But when he entered 7th grade, a few of Dylan’s fellow students
began making fun of him. For years the cruel taunts and name-calling continued.
The Thenos claim they spoke with school officials on numerous occasions to no
avail and they ultimately had to make the tough decision to pull Dylan from the
classroom. Also in this episode, E! Investigates interviews students, parents
and faculty in Calabasas, CA, to learn what really happened when red-haired kids
were suddenly singled out and attacked on the infamous “Kick A Ginger Day.” E!
Investigates: Bullying explores theories of what may be causing the increasingly
cruel nature of these attacks, explains how the advent of hand-held technology
has given bullies powerful new weapons, and shows what schools are and aren’t
doing to prevent bullying. Finally, warning signs are identified that parents
should look for if they suspect their child has become a bullying victim.
About Comcast Entertainment Group
Based in Los Angeles, Comcast Entertainment Group operates E! Entertainment
Television...
1 comment:
trumwill, i like this discussion here. I feel we are having one of the most rational discussions about this anywhere online. here's my feedback on your last comment:
re:
''BUT....wait for the truth to come out about how SHE initiated all these events, from the get on......''
''This is what I'm talking about with vague "But there's more to the story!" If somebody knows something, they should step up.
TRUE, NO ONE HAS SAID YET. WE DO NOT KNOW THE FACTS YET. PATIENCE. AND UNTIL THEN, UNTIL WE KNOW, yes, all this is hearsay. i agree. and i might be wrong. let's see.
re
''Nothing in high school is ever simple. But it became "X vs Y" when one side became so dominant and the other so hopeless that they decided not to live. And even then the tormentors did not stop."''
this is important! Phoebe did not commit suicide. Suicide is when you leave a note, you had a plan, you carried it out, it was thought out and rational for the most part. You wanted to leave this Earth. The pain was too great. Or the guilt too much. Or the shame. Whatever the feeling a particular suicided person had.
But in Phoebe's case, it was an inmpulsive cry for help, irrational and impulsive, spur of the moment, there was no suicide note, she just was so worn out by that last day at school, with the library taunts and the can thrown at her, that she went right home, found the scarf, hung herself, IMPULSIVELy, which is how many cry for help suicides happen. She did not want to die. She wanted to end the pain she felt helpless to stop. So she ended the pain. For her, she did what she needed. she needed a time out, relief. she found it, instantaneously. That is why people do those things. May God protect her forever and ever in heaven. But this was NOT a real suicide. Tragedy all over it! Sigh..
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