Bullying and People

According to bullyingstatistics.com, around 77% of students admit to being bullied. Of those students, 14% said to have bullied to a severe extent and experience this abuse often. One out of every five students has performed a bullying act. 45% of students have been bullied online and a whopping 35% receive threats. Contrary to what people believe, bullying is not limited to physical violence. It affects the person in deeper ways; emotional and mental. However, is bullying a crime? “From Lockers to Lockup,” by Jessica Bennett is an article that will touch the hearts of many. It tells a heart wrenching story of the effects of bullying. It all started in South Hadley, Massachusetts, where freshman Phoebe Prince got caught up in senior drama. She was said to be talking to two senior football players who both had girlfriends. This caused a stir and thus major bullying began. Terms such as “Irish slut” and “Whore” were used more than often with Phoebe and it took a downward spiral on her self-esteem. She received threat after threat and was teased constantly at school, home or even the internet. Then one day as she was walking home from school, something happened which pushed her over the limit. While on the sidewalk, a car full of people crept up alongside of her, throws a pop can at her as they all scream “whore!” After this incident she began to cry and later that day hung

herself in the stairwell of her home where she was found dead by her little sister. Right before this incident occurred, she texted her best friend this: “I can’t do it anymore.” Her death sent the school into chaos and brought upon some controversy about bullying or murder? Each person involved in what could be related to a crime will face criminal charges which may add up to around 10 years in prison, but the long lasting thought of knowing that they caused a girl to commit suicide will stick with them forever. Bennett writes with a very stern tone towards bullying.