Bullying 2.0
Despite my scrawny beginnings, growing up was fairly devoid of conflict. Naturally, there were bullies of many forms back in those days.. from the Social Bully that made one feel inadequate because you weren't in a certain clique to the Physical Bully that harassed you day in and and day out.
Oddly enough, I never counted that bullying had anywhere to go but away. I always figured that as we came to understand each other more and more, the need would disappear. Of course, that was a fairly optimistic outlook. So now I still find myself wondering what's wrong with us.
You've guessed it, Bullying just got upgraded and it's downright pathetic. At least in the good old days bullies had to actually do some work, exert some pressure to get their way with you. Now it's gone digital:
The actions themselves - rumors, threats, gossip, humiliation - are nothing new. But among today's adolescents - a generation of instant messengers, always connected, always wired - bullies are starting to move beyond slam books and whisper campaigns to e-mail, websites, chat rooms, and text messaging.
While in some ways it's no worse than old-fashioned bullying, cyberbullying has a few idiosyncrasies. Websites and screen names give bullies a mask of anonymity if they wish it, making them difficult to trace.
I'm not sure what this means in the long run, but i'm also not surprised that it's gone in the direction it has. I'll cover more on this topic in a later essay.