Teenage Bullying Chink, Spic, Terrorist, Whore, Nerd.

Teenage Bullying

Chink, Spic, Terrorist, Whore, Nerd. These words seem to be just the beginning sparks of what most people characterize as bullying. The words and phrases are familiar enough; high school students across the country hear these insults being thrown out just as commonly as a larger student with his gang picking on a smaller and weaker student. The essence of teenage bullying has not changed; rather, with the amount of digital media and social platforms created today, there seems to be more reason to expect bullying -- both at school and online.

Bullying itself comes in many forms and sizes. It can be one hulking, leader-like personality with the aim at a Machiavellian increase in status in the school's social standing (Hamarus). Another can be the result of a racial slur and the violent actions taken against a differently ethnic individual -- perhaps even using an entire gang to beat a kid senseless (Rivero). Physical injury -- whether through gang violence, gunshots, or rape, or combinations thereof -- becomes closely connected to the idea of bullying. Then there is the subtle, though gradual intensity of social slander -- a type of bullying that has been increasing alongside the rise of the digital age. Social slander can be caused by many different things -- jealousy and hatred are just some of the factors -- and the results of such actions usually lead to devastating catastrophes.

Phoebe Prince, a recently immigrated Irish girl, was a victim of combinations of the aforementioned bullying. Prince was "mercilessly tormented by a cadre of classmates later dubbed the 'Mean Girls' by Massachusetts newspapers" (Kennedy). On media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Formspring, and Craigslist, Prince was named an "Irish slut" and a "whore." By January of the school year, Prince's tormentors went further than the thrown insults. One girl "threw a can of Red Bull at her" from a moving vehicle, and two teenage males -- indicted much later -- were charged with statutory rape (Kennedy). Meanwhile, teachers and school administrators did nothing to stop the bullying from escalating to higher levels. Prince eventually hanged herself in a stairwell at her house.

Prince is only one of the many horrid examples of bullying within high schools, and only one of the many who have tried -- and succeeded -- to end their lives because of such blatant disrespect from one's peers. One cannot forget the devastating result of bullying after the Columbine High School massacre. Television shows like Glee showcase such monstrosity over small-minded bullying against gays in such a small town. Many celebrities, politicians, and authors can probably give a story about their own experiences from their days of having been bullied themselves (Pierce). In fact, the aspect itself has become "imbedded [as a] cultural norm," according to a study conducted over an international school (Hamarus).