On October 18th, 2013, Halsey Parkerson had lunch with 100 Facebook friends who showed up at South Salem High School, in Salem Oregon, after his aunt reached out to car clubs she belonged to via the social media site. She had overheard a classmate tell Parkerson he had no friends while visiting her nephew for lunch one day. When she asked Parkerson about the bully, he claimed this happened quite often.
She decided to come back to her nephew’s school that Friday afternoon after inviting her online Facebook clubs to attend lunch with them. The response she received, however, was more than she could have hoped for. About 50 cars showed up for lunch that day, containing around 100 people; some even traveling all the way from Vancouver, Canada for the cause.
The sudden traffic jam caused quite a commotion at South Salem but as soon as the principal learned the reason, he allowed it to continue.
With his new friends in tow, Parkerson decided to confront the bully who had a change of heart after seeing the rally. He and Parkerson shared a high-five after the bully apologized for his cruel words. This is one of the few times that bullying did not win.
According to Steph Hartman, a social work major at Millersville University, “Bullies are bullies because they are physically stronger, know their victim’s vulnerabilities, and have a superiority of numbers. Victims of bullying feel lonely, isolated, and have a low self-esteem. Their academic work also affects the way they are being bullied.”
This case was a more direct form of bullying, previously saying hurtful things to Parkerson in person while attending school together. Indirect bullying consists of cyberbullying, which takes place using electronics with the use of social media sites, text messaging, and online chat sites. The tricky part is that this can happen 24 hours a day and seven days a week while the child is alone.
“Examples of cyberbullying include mean text messages or e-mails, rumors sent by e-mail or posted on social networking sites, and embarrassing pictures, videos, websites, or fake profiles,” as Stopbullying.gov points out. “Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose.” The sad part is that kids who are often cyberbullied are usually also physically bullied.
It’s pretty hard for kids to escape their tormentors when the bully is popular, is physically stronger, or has access to embarrassing information about their victims. Kids who are victimized by their peers can feel defeated and isolated. It is important to report bullying, and make a student in need feel like they are not alone.
If someone you know is being tormented by bullies whether they be in college, high school, junior high school, or elementary school, stand up for them and make a difference in their life. Start by being there for them and suggest they speak to a counselor. When a child is being bullied in school, they need to speak with their teachers, a school counselor, school principal, and their parents should reach out to the school superintendent and the State Department of Education.
Do the right thing and help someone in need. You can make a difference!
If you or someone you know is being bullied, please don’t hesitate to get help. Visit the Counseling Services located in Lyle Hall or the Montour House located across the street from the book store to talk to a Peer Educator.