Not to Raise a Bully: The Early Roots of Empathy, by Maia Szalavitz

Bullying, for some individuals, is an unfortunate and unavoidable part of growing up. How Not to Raise a Bully: The Early Roots of Empathy, by Maia Szalavitz, describes the savagery of bullying. In some cases, bullying has led the victim to suicide. Recent studies provide insight into the minds of bullies. Psychologists and neuroscientists discovered bullies lack the ability to emphasize with others. Empathy is the ability for an individual to put themselves in another person’s shoes. Without empathy bullying will become more prevalent.

            Empathy is a trait developed at a young age. “Without empathy, we would have no cohesive society, no trust and no reason not to murder, cheat, steal, or lie.” 90% of brain growth occurs during the first five years of a person’s life, as stated in the article. The majority of this development, I believe, is determined by the child’s role model. Values, such as empathy, are qualities of an individual that cannot be taught, rather, they are something a person is surrounded with throughout childhood. Without the proper role models, a child’s growth could be hindered.

            Bullying occurs each day across the country. In most cases, the same individual, or group of individuals, attacks the same victim. While the attack ensues, the same individuals that witness the attacks week to week, stand back and keep to themselves. I think the attacker, or attackers, have an insecurity they are trying to hide from others. When bullies are able to humiliate other people they seem strong and dominate, but in actuality are mentally weaker than most. The witnesses to the attacks feel they can’t interfere or the bully may turn the attention on them. Also, many witnesses don’t know how to step in between the bully and the victim, especially if the bully is a friend. If the witness was empathetic they would help the victim and realize their friend was wrong.

            The greatest difficulty a victim of bullying faces is turning to someone for help. It is difficult for a person to accept that they are being bullied. A victim faces constant abuse and humiliation day after day. This type of abuse gives the victim a sense of loneliness, especially when no one is there to defend them. A simple conversation can ease a tremendous amount of anxiety, as opposed to bottling up the emotions. When bullying is witnessed somebody has to stand up to the bully or the attacks will continue and possibly cost a life. The only person to stand between a bully and victim, however, is someone that can see themselves in another person’s position.

             

           

           

The Flip Side of Internet Fame by Jessica Bennett

            Social networks and numerous websites have contributed to the fame of thousands. The internet is powerful enough to make a person famous overnight. Fame, however, isn’t always envied, especially if it’s at the expense of humiliation. Ghyslain Raza, for example, has become known as the “Star Wars Kid.” Raza recorded himself reenacting a battle scene from the Star Wars trilogy. He had no intent of making the video public, but unfortunately it landed into the wrong hands. After the video became viral Raza was relentlessly bullied. The extent of the bullying led Raza to visit a therapist. The Flip Side of Internet Fame, by Jessica Bennett, reveals how internet fame can destroy an individual.

            Although Raza experienced undesired fame, many are thankful for the internet.  The internet allows for a quick and virtually free way to advertise. Prior to uploading videos on Youtube.com, Justin Bieber was unknown to the world. Music producers discovered his videos and signed the young artist to their record label. Bieber is now famous in nearly every country and is a multimillionaire. Criminals have also gained fame due to the internet, fame that eventually led to their capture.  Many police stations are using social networking, such as Facebook, to track criminals down. Without the internet talent could go unnoticed and crime unpunished.

            Posting online can make a person vulnerable to many threats. Many people on social networking upload their personal information to their page. This information can include date of birth, school or place of employment, phone number, and home address. A predator can use this information to find their next victim. Also, any post can be traced back to the computer it was uploaded from. This allows cyber criminals to hack into computers and steal personal information like bank accounts and social security numbers.

            Bullying is more prevalent today than it has ever been and that’s because of the internet and social networking. Facebook and similar social networks have created the term cyber bullying. Rumors are started, threats are made, and feelings hurt. An embarrassing picture of someone, as an example, can be posted and immediately seen by the entire school. Rude and inappropriate comments can be made and the person in the picture must face everyone in school the following day. It turns into a 24 hour bullying cycle that is difficult to escape from. Sadly, cyber bullying has caused victims to turn to suicide. “Anyone with a grudge can maliciously and sometimes libelously attack defenseless students.”    

            Technology is evolving rapidly and people must be prepared. I believe it is important for people to be cautious online and limit what they post. Just recently, my brother’s Playstation account was hacked into. The cyber criminals were able to steal his credit card information and make purchases of their own. Fortunately, he was able to work with his bank to fix the situation. The hackers, however, were never caught. The internet is a world in itself, where few laws apply. 

           

             

Four Types of Courage by Karen Castellucci Cox

            Courage can be categorized as physical, social, moral, and creative.  Physical courage, for example, can be exhibited by firefighters. Firemen risk bodily injury and possibly their lives to save another person in danger. Social courage is necessary to build strong relationships and helps boost confidence when working with the public. Social courage can often be recognized in a high school atmosphere. Developing a relationship with a student that has few friends and isn’t considered to be part of the “popular crowd”, is an example of social courage. The third type of courage is moral. When a person fights for a cause despite the consequences, they display moral courage. In 1994, Paul Rusesabagina displayed one of the greatest examples of moral courage. Rusesabagina not only saved his family, but the lives of over 1,200 others as the Hutu extremists slaughtered millions. The last category of courage is creative.  Creative courage is the ability of a person to “think outside of the box.” You’ll learn more when reading Four Types of Courage by Karen Castellucci Cox.

            Physical courage is displayed nearly every day, most commonly by firefighters and police officers. I believe physical courage, however, wouldn’t exist without moral courage. As mentioned in the summary, physical courage is when a person can possibly suffer bodily injury. A police officer, during a shootout, is expected to hold their ground and save the public from the threat. During this time the officer’s life is at risk, they could be shot at any moment. Without moral courage though, I don’t think a person would be able to stand their ground.  Moral courage is the ability for a person to stand up for a cause despite the consequences they might face. In this particular example, that consequence would be getting shot.

            The two types of courage I think we need more of is creative and social. I believe a successful person is someone that has creative courage. A person that is creative is able to believe in themselves and make their own decisions. It’s important to work with and rely on others, but the greatest attribute a person can have is confidence.

            Social courage, in my opinion, is the most important type courage. Bullying exists more today than it ever has. Even outside of school bullying is evident through social networking.  Bullying can bring a person to their lowest point and has been the reason for multiple suicides. Everyone should be treated equally and must imagine themselves in the shoes of a person being bullied. I truly admire individuals that become friends with someone that isn’t “in” with the popular kids. Perhaps the best example of social courage is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King, a civil rights activist, was an advocate for the rights of African Americans. His courage, unfortunately, resulted in his murder, but he left an impress and legacy that will never die.