Any behavior that causes harm or embarrassment to another should be classified as bullying. Although broken down into two groups verbal and physical there are gray areas that should be included. Bitch slapping is one, and choking down is another. While males are most often the more aggressive and violent in their bullying, and females are usually more verbal, using threats and rumors as their means of bullying. Bitch slapping, where both male and females slap each other across the face, 'all in fun' they say, or choking down where someone chokes another till they get dizzy. Choking down is not only bullying, it is dangerous. The kids don't want to appear to not be one of the crowd so they go along with it, and it has not come up on the scope of bullying, but it should. Bullying leads to very serious consequences besides the more evident ones of immediate harm there are long lasting emotional scars that can lead to depression, suicide, or getting revenge like in the Colombine School Shootings and others.

What is bullying;

39% of middle school students and 36% of high school students say they do not feel safe in schools. Although recent surveys and studies show that as high as 75% of our children have been victims of bullying during their school careers, half of the parents in the same survey did not see bullying as a problem for their children. This lack of communication is a big part of the problem and also a large part of the solution.

Statistics show that bullying is on the rise, and more dangerous now than at any other

Time. Why is that? Some of the reasons include peer pressure, drugs, violence in the media, lack of parental guidance, violence in games, absentee parents, and violence in the news. Children with strong family ties are less likely to become bullies or victims of bullies than children who lack them. The vicious cycle of bullying has not been addressed properly in our schools, homes and communities. With the population growth the incidences of youth violence, homicides and suicides are also on the rise.

There is a need for more research to understand bullying. Programs that focus on increasing awareness of bullying, with increased teacher and parent supervision that establishes clear rules that prohibit bullying and provide support and protection for those who are bullied can help this to solve the problem. The War on Bullying needs to start in the home, with better communication between parent and child. The next line of defense is the teacher and the classroom. Wherever bullying is found it needs to be addressed and not ignored.

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