Free Custom «Sociological Autoethnography» Essay Paper

Bullying exists in various forms and involves people of all ages in different settings. It can have both emotional and physical effects on the victims. Apart from traditional bullying, which engages people who are physically in contact, in the contemporary world a new way of bullying has emerged. Cyber bullying constitutes the acts of threatening, attacking, among other methods of making people feel uncomfortable through electronic devices (Dupper 2013). This essay deals with the bullying activities that take place in middle schools. The subject matter is significant to me due to the fact that I have experienced some types of bullying in my school life. Moreover, the problem applies to sociology because it reflects the social inequalities existing in the society. From a sociological perspective, bullying tends to be rampant in certain groups of people and may have lasting implications for individuals. The essay evaluates some of the major social forces contributing to the bullying statistics such as the education system, technology, societal trends, and culture. I will also share my own experience of intimidating treatment I encountered during my seventh-grade year at school with regard to such identities as being a minority (Hispanic), a male, and being in the seventh grade instead of the eighth. The paper concludes with disturbing statistics carried out by an organization that deals with such issues in schools.

 

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At around 12 years old, I encountered many cases of intolerable treatment in the middle school I was attending at that time. Bullying took place almost everywhere in the school environment including the classroom, the restroom, the playground, and even the hallways. Most of the big boys, especially the ones who considered themselves to be handsome were mostly bullies. Moreover, they were popular in the school especially among the girls. The girls thought of these boys as of brave and funny whenever they treated someone in a mean way. It was possible to hear them laughing every time I was walking across the hallway. Most of the students who became the victims of these bullies were perceived as boring and weird. Thus, it is possible to say that one of the issues that enhanced the bullying is the education system. Instead of spending a substantial time engaging in sports and other activities, students are forced to do assignments and exams. Dupper (2013) notes that co-curriculum activities assist children in acquiring social skills that is crucial when interacting with other students. Equally, the advanced technology has increased the bullying in school. Electronic communication through mobile phones also denies teenagers a chance to have the necessary social skills. Moreover, mobile phones are a common means of bullying others, as it is easier to hide one’s identity (Dupper 2013). For instance, there was a time I was crying in the seventh grade when someone took my picture and a video. The person sent it to all my classmates, and as the result I received a lot of ridicule the entire semester.

Dupper (2013) also associates bullying in the schools with societal trends, mainly the obsession with movies and television shows, most of which portray teenage bullies as a popular lifestyle. As a result, some teenagers engage in this activity to boost their popularity among their friends and the entire school. Back to the seventh grade, the bullying incidents were a common issue. Having close friends is essential for adolescents as it gives them a sense of belonging. Therefore, some people used friendship as a means of harassing others. All the bully required is to spread some rumors across the school, and no one will want to communicate with you. Indeed, this was the case when one of my best friends told the others that I had a contagious disease. The others avoided me like a plague but followed the bully as if he was a hero. A country’s culture is also a common cause of bullying in the society (Dupper 2013) and the issue is also witnessed in many homes. Some parents do not reprimand their children who act as bullies. Furthermore, school administrators have the utmost responsibility of shielding the students from bullying, yet most of them do not do it.

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My middle school days were worsened by the fact that I was a Hispanic male in a school full of white and African-American students. The boys even nicknamed me Mexican despite the fact that I am of Cuban origin. Being a student from a minority group in the school was disadvantageous due to the lack of a sense of belonging. The black and white children had formed their subgroups using them to intimidate the other students. I always desired to join such group, but the Latino population in the school was very small. In addition, we were only two Hispanics in seventh grade and the others were in the lower grades so socializing with them was not an option. The Hispanic classmate was a girl, and they were not bullied as much if compared to the boys. The other problem involved the eighth-grade boys threatening the rest of the boys in the seventh grade. Despite the age difference of one or two years only, they pretended to be more mature and referred to us as to children. To them, the age difference was significant, and they made sure to remind us whenever they had the chance. For instance, we could neither use the restrooms nor go to the cafeteria when they were there, as it would result in a fight. Life was hard then, and I can surely say that junior high school was the worst period in my whole life.

Various reasons support bullying and the victims experience many effects even after the act stops. Some studies show alarming statistics about bullying such as the percentage of the schoolchildren who are bullied annually (22%). Even more disturbing is that most of these students - about 64% of them - keep quiet about the incidents.