Innovations Training

Food for Thought

Bullycide

The story of the tragic death of 15 year old Phoebe Prince and the arrest of the school mates who relentlessly bullied her to the point of suicide is dominating the news. I wish I could tell you that this horrific situation was an isolated incident but this is not the case. Numerous cases of students like Phoebe have peppered the news for years. This is the first time such national outrage has been expressed. In fact the suicide occurred in January, over two months ago. It is the arrest of her tormentors that has vaulted her story into the spotlight.

Phoebe was a victim of School Mobbing. The first time the term Mobbing was used in relation to human behavior was in 1972, when a report investigating the rise of suicides among school age children was published in Sweden. The research uncovered an extreme form of group bullying that resulted in such feelings of isolation, depression and hopelessness that these children were committing suicide in greater numbers. The title of the report was Mobbing: Group Violence Among School Children.

Mobbing begins subtly with rumors, gossip, shunning, and then moves to more overt types of behavior such as public humiliation and intimidation and even physical abuse. This is preventable. Anti-bullying laws and policies are helpful and provide legal recourse but the real issue is what students and adults are willing to tolerate, join or justify. There is no justification for treating a human being as an object, whether it is an object of hate, jealousy, fear, resentment or ridicule. We are all precious individuals, human beings worthy and entitled to be treated with Dignity and Respect without exception.

To learn more about Mobbing, Bullying and Harassment in schools see my website and sign up for my April 20th.School Mobbing teleconference.

Anticipate a Great Day. It's yours!
Gail

©2010 Gail Pursell Elliott All rights reserved.

Gail Pursell Elliott is "The Dignity and Respect Lady" Speaker, Author, Trainer, Consultant, and founder of Innovations "Training with a Can-Do Attitude"® Promoting Dignity and Respect, No Exceptions in Companies and Communities Nationwide. To receive weekly Food for Thought articles via e-mail, join our mailing list.

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