Sticks and Stones May Break Bones But Words Can Still Hurt
The year was 1964, and my father was only seven years old living in Brooklyn New York. My father was just like any other kid at the time. He liked to hang out with friends, spend time with his family, and didn’t enjoy waking up to go to school. Although his dislike for school was similar to most children, what made his experience unique is that he had a problem that seemed unavoidable; a bully named Bruce. Bruce had been bullying my father for the entire first month that school had been in session. There was no violence, no bloody noses, no bruised limbs, nothing but just the pure torture of verbal bullying.
See, my father was one of those kids who grew up before everyone else and seemed to always be one step ahead of the other children in size. This brought some unnecessary attention to him because apparently when you’re a little kid, being tall and different can cause other children to feel more powerful in that they are what we describe as the normal ones. Now each day, my father would go into school, see Bruce, and would immediately be called things such as, “Giant”, or “Weirdo” as Bruce laughed in his face, not allowing him to pass in the halls until every word was hurtfully put into my father’s head. These names might not seem like the worst thing in the world, but to a seven-year-old boy, they can be just as hurtful as racist slang from one race to another. This continued day in and day out, until one day, my father had enough and decided to stand up for himself. Now before I go on and finish up this story, I would like to get into a serious discussion about verbal bullying and the effects it has on children.
According to the article, What Is Verbal Bullying, by Rebecca Fraser-Thill, a verbal bully can be defined as, “Someone who uses language to gain power over his or her peers. The verbal bully makes use of relentless insults and teasing to bully his or her peers” (Fraser). Most people consider this to be worse than the physical aspect of bullying because it can cause a lot of emotional and psychological damage in a child if done over a period of time. The psychological damage formed can range all the way from low self-esteem all the way to clinical depression.
When someone suffers with low-self esteem, they have a poor evaluation on their own personal worth in the world and tend to feel shameful on who they are as a person. This is not a joking matter when there are statistics saying that 33% of teens and children are teased and tormented with bullying multiple times throughout each year and that at by age of only 7 years old, a child will develop their self-esteem based on grades, strength and most importantly social acceptance (Essman). People with low self-esteem are not only affecting themselves, but they are affecting people around them. When someone has low-self esteem, they tend to walk around with their head down and keep to themselves most of the time, which is never a happy sight to see. To me, walking around with your head down is just as contagious as a cold because it can make anyone feel upset just by viewing someone else down in the dumps. Luckily, having low-self esteem can be easily fixed and help can be provided, but only if taken care of quickly. If the bullying and low self-esteem is not treated, they can lead to clinical `depression and post-dramatic stress disorder
According to University Health Services at Berkeley College, “ Clinical depression is a serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. Individuals with clinical depression are unable to function as they used to be. Often they have lost interest in activities that were once enjoyable to them, and feel sad and hopeless for extended periods of time” (Clinical). As it is shown, clinical depression is not something to fool around with. It is horrible to think that a couple of mean words and actions can lead to such a feeling inside a person. If clinical depression is taken too far, and goes unknown, it can lead harmful action and even suicide. When suicide becomes a thought in someone head, it is tough to imagine how upset and hurt they feel. I bring all of this up to you not only to give facts and statistics, but I also address this issue to show how serious verbal bullying is and how far it can go if nothing is done about it. Thankfully, my father resolved his issue and never had to deal with feelings such as these, but the way he handled his problem might not have been the best.
As Bruce continued to bully my father, there came a day when my father had enough. One day in a local supermarket named Walbbaums, my father went shopping with my grandmother for some groceries. While at the supermarket, my grandmother gave him twenty-five cents to buy a toy out of the machine. My father quickly ran over, and obtained a popular toy back then, a blue spinning top. Of course, Bruce happened to be there as well with his friends, and went up to my father demanding for the toy. He pushed my father and demanded he give it up. Once he physically touched my father, that was the last straw considering my father was bigger than him. With all of his might, my dad closed his eye, clenched his fist, and punched Bruce right in the face and broke his nose. Bruce fell to the floor and ran home crying. Feeling accomplished, my father minded his own business and went home. Later that night, Bruce’s father knocked on my father’s door. My father, trembling in fear, went up to the man, and Bruce’s father had nothing to say other than, “Thank you for teaching my son a lesson. I don’t think he will be bothering anyone again.”
Luckily, my father’s situation was quick and did not last long enough to actually cause psychological harm. Unfortunately, that is not the case with many people when dealing with verbal bullying. Verbal bullying is a serious subject and should not be overlooked. With the fact that it can cause low self-esteem and clinical depression, I think it is safe to say that a couple of words can take a toll on someone. In all, verbal bullying is something we should all be aware of, and remember, sticks and stones may break bones but words still hurt.
Works Cited
"Clinical Depression." uUhs.berkeley.com. Tang Center at UC Berkeley, n.d. Web.
21 Apr. 2011. <http://uhs.berkeley.edu/lookforthesigns/
depressionsuicide.shtml>.
Essman, Elliot. "Life in the USA Education in America Teen Self Esteem."
Lifeintheusa.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2011.
http://www.lifeintheusa.com/education/teen.htm
Fraser-Thill, Rebecca. "What Is Verbal Bullying." About.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 20
Apr. 2011. <http://tweenparenting.about.com/od/socialdevelopment/a/
verbal-bullying.htm>
