Survey finds 20% of primary school students experienced bullying

Bullying is certainly not a new phenomena; however, the publicity surrounding it certainly is.

As a law of nature, power projection by the more dominant upon the less happens everywhere, not just in the classroom. We see it happening in the workplace, in relationships, in governments, empires, and even in the savannahs of North Africa.

On a less grand scale, bullying as a social phenomena among children has occured generations way before ours; today's grandparents and parents probably have tales to tell of bullying during their younger days.

Many psychologists have come up with various theories to explain why bullies behave the way they do; however, the most prevalent amongst them is that bullies feel the need to affirm themselves through the depreciation of others.

When on average a total of one third of one's schooling life is spent in school, being perpetually tormented emotionally, psychologically, and sometimes physically is not a very pleasing prospect.

The effects of bullying on the mental health are disturbing; though not prevalent in Singapore, 'bullycides' , suicides related to bullying, are common in the United States and Europe.

Bullying undoubtedly has negative effects on our young. Being victimized from a young age, they tend to develop feelings of insecurity and inadequacy, and grow up a shadow of the person they could have been. The emotional growth of a young person, after all, is just as important to his development as that of his talents.

As such, bullying if not effectively managed may lead to a generation of emotionally traumatized Singaporeans emerging from education into the competition of the real world where little quarter is asked and none given.


On the other hand though, one has to consider the possibility that the phenomenon of bullying has been over-hyped up by the media.

More than ever before, communications have grown and spread widely throughout the world in the 21st century. Together with this new spurt in the prescence of the media, the scope and range of news reports have enlarged, and newscasters are now able to turn the camera on anything in the world.

Thus, our generation is probably the first to turn the camera spotlight of the media on the occurence of bullying amongst children.

Now, one has to consider again that bullying has not suddenly emerged only recently, but has been experienced by generations before us.

The sudden severity accorded to this issue then, stems from one of three possible factors:

1) Today's children are mentally 'softer' than those of yesteryear.
2) Today's bullies have become more vicious than before.
3) Newly drawn attention to the otherwise forgotten realm of childhood bullying sparks more concern amongst people.

Few will dispute that the world has become a more dangerous place ever since World War II, the nuclear bomb, and the Internet came to be.

As I type this response, consider that I could well be learning how to build a dirty nuclear bomb, all on the very same computer.

The world has also become one filled with more comforts. Few will also dispute that the advent of the remote control, cable television, and again, the Internet, has not made life more entertaining.

And of course, comforts tend to soften people.


Finally, in ther reports of the news 'bullying' as a term is often misused to refer to any form of speech, action, or even behavior that might cause distress, no matter how minute, to another person.

As such, acts not considered bullying by children come to be labelled as 'vicious torment' by shell shocked adults are convicted that the realm of childhood is no longer as innocent as it was.

So, as to whether we should be alarmed at the 20% of students being bullied in primary school, perhaps we shall have to let the results speak in time;
whether bullies are getting more vicious, victims are getting weaker, or all this being much ado about nothing, only time will tell.